I just finished reading for the first time Nicholas Culpeper 's Astrological Judgement of Diseases from the Decumbiture of the Sick published posthumously in 1655. It is a book that for sure I will be reading again and further study during the upcoming years but what struck me on this first time read is how many of Nicholas Culpeper observations about his fellow medical profession can be applied today.
By the way Nicholas Culpeper was both an English pharmacist, physician and an astrologer who lived between 18 October 1616 and 10 January 1654. In fact he signs his book as Student in Physick and Astrologie and dedicates it To the Astrological Physitians of England wisheth peace and prosperity in this World, and eternal beatitude in that which is to come.
What emerges from this book, at least for me, it is his great practical sense of not only life but also the art of healing and his deep desire to make knowledge available to all. His Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience make frequent appearances in his writings. Yes, he actually calls the use of critical thinking (does anyone know where it is today?) as Doctor Reason and the use of learning from experience (missing person too) as Doctor Experience.
In the introduction he immediately stresses the fact that “Man was made not only for speculation, but also for practice; speculation brings only pleasure to a man’s self; it’s practice which benefits others.” Haven’t we seen a lot of speculation in science lately which was then applied to politics and laws? You know those famous mathematical models put forward by certain epidemiologists, that in their application have become more important and more real than Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience themselves. Doom and gloom have been predicted by those mathematical models, restrictions on our lives and suppression of our fundamental human rights have been based on those models, which by the way have been continually shown to be faulty. And yet clinical experience from all over the world and epidemiological true statistics have repeatedly shown otherwise. Same we can say for how lately all previous medical knowledge that you have to be sick to transmit an infectious disease has been completely turned upside down. Thank goodness for the followers of Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience who keep telling us a completely different story. However, such stories are never welcomed by Mr. Speculation who moved by omnipotence completely censors them.
Culpeper continues saying “ These Rules will serve (if heedfully observed by the eye of Reason) to balance your judgment in fayling through the Prognostical part of physick, that so you may steer your course by the Card of Truth, and not float unsettledly upon the waves of Errour, Ignorance or Opinion.” Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Wouldn’t that have saved a lot of lives if the Card of Truth was played by Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience who in their daily contact with health and disease keep learning and improving by downright empirical observation? But if error, ignorance and opinion keep being those who steer the ship then lives will be lost through intentionally malevolent shipwreck of human society at large.
“To you (rather then any that I know) belongs the practice of Physick; and that practice may be perfect, Judgement ought to be sound; and to make judgement sound, is required an exquisite knowledge. Judgement is perfect by knowledge, knowledge by experience; whence it appears the more communicative knowledge is, so much more excellent it is.” Culpeper again stresses that what helps us decide which course to take in healing, needs come from a solid base. That solid base is fostered by impeccable knowledge, but the story does not stop there. And here is the catch. That knowledge must be forged in the furnace of experience. Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience have always to work together. And not only that, Culpeper was a firm believer that knowledge should be shared to all and not only to the few, so the few have no power on the many.
“He that will not believe reason, let him believe Experience; lie that will believe neither, is little better then an Infidel. I confess this was of Judicature Bath been desired by many, promised by some, but hitherto performed by none;”. It seems Culpeper has seen what we have seen lately. Follow the Science they say, believe it as if you believe the holy scriptures but when you ask for the solid base of knowledge it comes lacking or when that belief is disputed censorship immediately strikes. And yet the very heart of Science comes out of empirical observation worked out through Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience. There is no need to believe, you see it work. Science holds no one Truth but various different hypothesis of how to describe reality that are open to debate.
Science and by reflection medicine is not monolithic, it grows and develops through discussion, experiments, experience and free debate. But first and foremost, it goes by the oath taken of FIRST DO NO HARM. Isn’t that what we would like to see from those who practice the art of healing? Competence and solid base of knowledge forged through experience but also compassion, humility, willingness to collaborate, respect for life, death and the whole of what constitutes human experience. Alas all we are seeing from such “professionals” is the art of perpetually keeping people in sickness and in fear…and obviously locked down in houses.
Finally, I will finish with this quote from Culpeper:
“I desire to be censured by Dr. EXPERIENCE, who will give judgement without partiality;”.
Definitely not by Mr. Speculation and his wife Mrs. Big Pharma and their well-known offspring such as, Mr. Facebook, Mr. YouTube and Mr. Twitter, and first cousins Mr. Debunkers and Mr. Factcheckers.
For those who would like to listen to Doctor Reason and Doctor Experience I am linking some websites that in my opinion are worth a look and a thorough read:
https://worlddoctorsalliance.com
https://www.americasfrontlinedoctors.com
https://www.mercola.com
https://www.drtenpenny.com
http://www.vernoncoleman.com
https://www.greenmedinfo.com
Wishing you health, peace and prosperity in such stressful times.
Hilary
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Thank you so much!
Hilary