Galenic Heritage in Locke's Medical Philosophy: From Locke's Medical Remains to His Reflection on Education

l'héritage galénique dans la philosophie médicale de John Locke : des manuscrits médicaux jusqu'aux Pensées sur l'éducation

Claire Crignon (1)

1 SU - Sorbonne Université

Locke's reading of ancient medicine is usually studied through his collaboration with Thomas Sydenham, who camed to be called the "English Hippocrates". The emphasis is therefore on the specific way Locke inherited the Hippocratic method of observation. This paper aims to stress the fact that the Galenical tradition is still present in Locke's thought. The Galenical question of the method in medicine (methodus medendi) is at the core of Locke's reflection on the art of medicine and on the nature of diseases. Besides, Locke uses Galenical terms to investigate the use of respiration in 1666. Recognising that this tradition is still alive in the second part of the seventeenth century is important to understand how Locke framed his own thoughts about the diversity of hypotheses in the field of medicine. More widely, this paper tries to resolve the apparent contradiction between, on the one hand, Locke's affinity with experimental philosophy (which means rejection of ancient knowledge), and on the other, his proximity with the ancient tradition of regimen, found in his mature works on education.

Domaines: Sciences de l'Homme et Société

Claire Crignon. Galenic Heritage in Locke's Medical Philosophy: From Locke's Medical Remains to His Reflection on Education. Galen and the Early Moderns, 2022. ⟨hal-03382894⟩