Theodore de Mayerne (Part I)

Abstract

Theodore de Mayerne was one of Europe's foremost physicians in the early seventeenth century. A Hugenot educated at Montpellier, he moved to Paris upon receiving his doctorate, but soon became embroiled in controversy with the Sorbonne over publications exposing his ardent belief in iatrochemical medicine. In 1610 he accepted an invitation to move to England and become first physician at the cosmopolitan court of James I, where he lived until his death in 1655. Mayerne was part of a vast network of highly educated Calvinists dispersed across Europe and constantly in communication with one another. Like many of his correspondents, he had also benefited from his education in Calvinist institutions, which were uniquely open to diverse medical theories. The service which he could render with the knowledge he accumulated was in demand across religious divides, so that he did not depend for his protection exclusively on Calvinist dignitaries. Mayerne was regarded as the foremost European physician of his day, and was attentive to his image: he was frequently portrayed holding skull as an emblem of his profession.