Main description:

Simon Forman (1552-1611) is one of London's most infamous astrologers. He stood apart from the medical elite because he was not formally educated and because he represented, and boldly asserted, medical ideas that were antithetical to those held by most learned physicians. He survived the plague, was consulted thousands of times a year for medical and other questions, distilled strong waters made from beer, herbs, and sometimes chemical ingredients, pursued the
philosopher's stone in experiments and ancient texts, and when he was fortunate spoke with angels. He wrote compulsively, documenting his life and protesting his expertise in thousands of pages of notes and treatises. This highly readable book provides the first full account of Forman's papers, makes
sense of his notorious reputation, and vividly recovers the world of medicine and magic in Elizabethan London.

Contents:

Introduction ; PART 1: THE MAKING OF AN ASTROLOGER PHYSICIAN ; 1. Early Life and Learning ; 2. Astronomy, Magic, and the Mathematical Practitioners of London ; 3. How to Write Like a Magus ; PART 2: PLAGUE AND THE COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF LONDON ; 4. The College of Physicians and Irregular Medicine c.1580-1640 ; 5. Plague and Paracelsianism ; PART 3: THE CASEBOOKS ; 6. How to Read the Casebooks ; 7. Gender, Authority, and Astrology ; PART 4: ALCHEMY, MAGIC, AND MEDICINE ; 8. 'Of Cako', or the Medical Uses of Antimony ; 9. The Food of Angels ; 10. Magic and Medicine ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Index