William Butler (1535-1618): further evidence on a physician between two ages.

WILLIAM BuTLER, a physician to James VI and I, had a considerable medical reputation in and immediately after his own time. He practised after the impact of Paracelsus on the older medicine, prescribing indeed chemical medicaments in the Paracelsian manner (as was becoming commoner in England1), but before the days of Sydenham and his philosophy. Butler's methods corresponded with his period, for he was clearly not wedded to any complex system or philosophy of medical practice. Yet even a pragmatist has principles other than pragmatism; though he may not avow them, even to himself, they will appear through his praxis. Thompson Cooper's summary of Butler's life and activities2 cites a score of sources. The purpose of this paper is not to cover the same ground, but to present hitherto unpublished evidence from the Butler papers now in Clare College, Cambridge, where he was a Fellow and, according to his own claim in one of these papers, "senior fellow and Presidente of the Colledge". My attention was drawn to the manuscripts by Professor Richard West, F.R.S., and they were kindly made available for my use by Dr. P. G. Lowe, Fellows' Librarian of the College, to whom go my warm thanks. I am grateful to the Master and Fellows of Clare College for permission to transcribe papers discussed in this communication.