Taken from Grok3. Search early notible physicians and apothocaries who proposed the use of tobacco for therapy.
Key Historical Figures and Writings on Tobacco’s Medicinal UseThe following are notable physicians, apothecaries, and proponents who advocated for tobacco’s curative and preventive properties, along with their writings and recorded testimonials, primarily from the 16th and 17th centuries, as tobacco’s medicinal use peaked during this time.1. Nicolás Monardes (Spanish Physician-Botanist, 1508–1588)Context: Monardes, a Seville-based physician, was one of the earliest and most influential proponents of tobacco’s medicinal properties in Europe. His work introduced tobacco to European medicine, shaping its use in the 17th century.Key Writing: Joyfull Newes out of the New-Found Worlde (originally published in Spanish as Historia medicinal de las cosas que se traen de nuestras Indias Occidentales, 1565–1574; English translation, 1577).Claims: Monardes claimed tobacco could cure over 65 ailments, including headaches, colds, catarrh, fevers, digestive issues, ulcers, cancers (e.g., Noli-me-tangere, a type of skin carcinoma), toothaches, gout, asthma, and deafness. He viewed tobacco as a panacea, attributing its efficacy to its “hot and dry” nature, which countered “cold” and “moist” humoral imbalances.Testimonials:Noli-me-tangere Cure (c. 1560): Monardes cited a case involving Jean Nicot, the French ambassador to Lisbon, who received tobacco from a prison keeper in Florida. One of Nicot’s pages had a Noli-me-tangere lesion on his cheek, which was “beginning to take root already in the gristles of the nose.” Nicot applied bruised tobacco leaves and juice for 8–10 days, and the lesion was “utterly extinguished and healed,” as certified by a physician to the King of Portugal. Nicot sent tobacco to King Francis II and the Queen Mother in France to treat similar carcinomas.General Ailments: Monardes reported that indigenous Americans used tobacco for “general bodily ills,” applying it topically or smoking it to relieve pain, reduce swelling, and treat infections. He noted its use for wounds, sores, and respiratory issues, based on accounts from explorers and missionaries.Plague Relevance: Monardes did not explicitly link tobacco to plague prevention, but his broad claims of its efficacy against fevers and infections influenced later 17th-century beliefs, particularly during the 1665–1666 Great Plague of London, where tobacco was recommended to ward off miasmas.Impact: Monardes’ treatise was widely circulated, translated into multiple languages, and included in European pharmacopoeias, making tobacco a staple in apothecary shops and medical practice across England, France, and Spain.2. Jean Nicot (French Diplomat, 1530–1600)Context: While not a physician, Nicot played a key role in popularizing tobacco in France and Europe, earning the naming of nicotine after him. His advocacy was based on firsthand observations and experiments.Testimonial: As noted in Monardes’ account, Nicot facilitated a notable case in Lisbon (c. 1560):A page with a Noli-me-tangere lesion applied tobacco leaves, resulting in a complete cure after 8–10 days, verified by a Portuguese royal physician. Nicot’s success led him to send tobacco to the French court, promoting its use for carcinomas and other ailments.Plague Relevance: Nicot’s work predates major 17th-century plague outbreaks, but his endorsement of tobacco’s curative properties contributed to its later use as a plague preventive, particularly in France, where Parisian apothecaries recommended it for respiratory and infectious diseases.Impact: Nicot’s introduction of tobacco to France spread its medicinal reputation, influencing 17th-century physicians and apothecaries in urban centers like Paris and London.3. Tobias Venner (English Physician, 1577–1660)Context: Venner, an English physician, was a prominent advocate of tobacco’s medicinal use in the early 17th century, though he cautioned against its recreational abuse.Key Writing: A Brief and Accurate Treatise Concerning the Taking of the Fume of Tobacco, Which Very Many in These Days Do Too Licentiously Use (London, 1637).Claims: Venner promoted tobacco for drying excess phlegm, a humoral imbalance believed to cause respiratory ailments, colds, and melancholy. He suggested it could prevent or palliate conditions like coughs, asthma, and headaches, and was particularly useful for “moist” constitutions. However, he warned that smoking should be moderate and prescribed by physicians, not used “like tinkers drank ale.” He listed 10 precepts for proper use, such as avoiding drinking during smoking and not going into cold air immediately after.Plague Relevance: Venner noted tobacco’s potential as a disinfectant and preventive against infections, including plague, aligning with 1614 London reports where physicians claimed “steady smokers were less subject to infection.” He suggested smoking could purify air or protect the lungs, a belief echoed during the 1665–1666 Great Plague.Testimonials: Venner’s claims were based on clinical observations rather than specific case studies. He cited general improvements in patients with respiratory issues and melancholy when tobacco was used moderately, but no detailed individual cures are recorded in his treatise.Impact: Venner’s work influenced English apothecaries and physicians, reinforcing tobacco’s inclusion in the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis (1618), which recommended it for counteracting “cold and lethargy.” His cautious endorsement shaped its regulated use in medical practice.4. John Gerard (English Herbalist, 1545–1612)Context: Gerard, a renowned herbalist, maintained a garden in Holborn, London, with over 1,000 plants, including tobacco, and was a key figure in English botanical medicine.Key Writing: The Herball or Generall Historie of Plantes (1597, expanded 1633).Claims: Gerard claimed tobacco could cure migraines, toothaches, gout, ulcers, asthma, and deafness by smoking or applying it topically. He viewed it as a “hot and dry” herb that palliated symptoms but did not “perform any cure absolutely,” emphasizing temporary relief.Plague Relevance: Gerard’s work predates the 1665 plague, but his endorsement of tobacco for respiratory and infectious conditions contributed to its use during later outbreaks, as physicians drew on herbals to recommend tobacco against miasmas.Testimonials: Gerard’s claims were based on Native American practices and European observations, not specific patient cases. He cited indigenous uses for wounds and infections, which he adapted to European humoral theory.Impact: Gerard’s Herball was a standard reference for apothecaries in London, promoting tobacco’s medicinal use in shops and medical practice throughout the 17th century.5. Bernadino de Sahagún (Spanish Missionary, c. 1499–1590)Context: Sahagún, a Franciscan missionary in Mexico, documented indigenous medical practices, including tobacco use, which influenced European perceptions.Key Writing: Historia general de las cosas de Nueva España (c. 1529–1579).Claims: Sahagún recorded information from four Mexican physicians, noting tobacco’s use for persistent headaches (inhaling the odor of fresh leaves), colds and catarrh (rubbing green or powdered leaves in the mouth), and neck gland diseases (applying crushed tobacco with salt to lesions).Testimonials: His accounts were based on indigenous practices, not individual European cases, but they provided credible eyewitness reports that shaped European pharmacopoeias. For example, he described successful treatments of infections and pain among Native Americans.Plague Relevance: Sahagún’s work predates 17th-century plagues, but his reports of tobacco’s efficacy against infections influenced later European beliefs, including its use during the 1665 London plague as a disinfectant.Impact: Sahagún’s writings were widely read by European physicians, contributing to tobacco’s inclusion in herbals and its reputation as a universal remedy.6. Royal College of Physicians (London)Context: The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) published the Pharmacopoeia Londinensis (1618), the first standardized book of medicines in England, reflecting the era’s medical consensus.Claims: The Pharmacopoeia recommended tobacco as a “hot and dry” herb to counteract “cold and lethargy,” prescribing it for respiratory ailments, melancholy, and as a general disinfectant. During the 1665–1666 Great Plague, the RCP endorsed tobacco’s use to ward off miasmas, advising plague workers (e.g., those disposing of bodies) to smoke clay pipes to protect against infection.Testimonials: No specific patient cases are recorded, but the RCP cited general observations of tobacco’s efficacy in reducing respiratory symptoms and preventing disease during plague outbreaks. The belief that “steady smokers were less subject to infection” (noted in 1614 and 1665) was attributed to physicians’ observations in London.Plague Relevance: The RCP’s endorsement during the 1665 plague reinforced tobacco’s use as a preventive, with apothecaries selling tobacco to plague workers and the public. The unverified Eton schoolboy anecdote (smoking made compulsory to prevent plague) may reflect this influence.7. Isbrandus van Diemerbroeck (Dutch Physician, 1609–1674)Context: A Utrecht-based physician, van Diemerbroeck was active during plague outbreaks in the Netherlands and wrote on their treatment.Claims: During the 1665 plague, van Diemerbroeck reportedly recommended tobacco smoke as a preventive, suggesting it purified air and protected against miasmatic infection. His claims were cited in London, influencing practices during the Great Plague.Testimonials: No specific patient cases are documented, but van Diemerbroeck’s observations of smokers’ supposed resistance to plague were noted in contemporary accounts, contributing to tobacco’s use in Amsterdam and London.Plague Relevance: His recommendations aligned with the belief that tobacco smoke could combat plague, particularly in urban areas with high tobacco consumption like Amsterdam, though no reduction in mortality was observed.8. Nicholas Culpeper (English Herbalist, 1616–1654)Context: Culpeper, an apothecary and astrologer, wrote for lay audiences, making herbal medicine accessible. His work was influential in 17th-century England.Key Writing: Culpeper’s Complete Herbal (1653).Claims: Culpeper described tobacco as “hot and dry,” effective for expelling phlegm when smoked in a pipe, relieving respiratory ailments, and acting as a “preservative from the plague.” He cited its use for asthma, colds, and melancholy, echoing humoral theory.Testimonials: Culpeper relied on general observations and Native American practices, not specific case studies. He noted tobacco’s widespread use in London apothecaries for respiratory and infectious conditions.Plague Relevance: Culpeper explicitly linked tobacco to plague prevention, reinforcing its use during the 1665 outbreak, though he provided no direct evidence of efficacy.Impact: Culpeper’s accessible herbal made tobacco a household remedy, sold widely in London apothecary shops.Testimonials and Regional PatternsSpecific Testimonials:Jean Nicot’s Case (c. 1560): The cure of a Noli-me-tangere lesion with tobacco, verified by a Portuguese physician, was a widely cited success story, promoting tobacco’s use across Europe.Indigenous Practices: Accounts from Sahagún and Monardes cited Native American uses of tobacco for wounds, infections, and respiratory issues, which European physicians adapted without specific patient records.General Observations:In London (1614 and 1665), physicians noted that “steady smokers were less subject to infection,” a claim repeated during the Great Plague, though no individual cases were documented. This belief led to increased tobacco sales in apothecaries.In the Netherlands, van Diemerbroeck’s observations supported similar claims, but high plague mortality in Amsterdam (e.g., 17% in 1635–1636) suggests no protective effect despite widespread tobacco use.Regional Analysis (Plague and Tobacco):High Plague Severity (London, Naples, Paris): These urban centers had high tobacco consumption due to trade (e.g., London’s 7,000 tobacco sellers by 1615) and minimal restrictions by the 1660s. Physicians like Venner, Culpeper, and the RCP promoted tobacco for plague prevention, yet mortality remained high (20–50%), indicating no curative or preventive benefit.Low Plague Severity (Rural Scandinavia, Poland/Hungary): These areas had lower tobacco use due to limited trade and cultural adoption. Mild restrictions (e.g., Sweden’s public smoking bans) existed, but plague mortality was lower (5–15%) due to isolation, not tobacco’s absence.Correlation: No evidence supports tobacco preventing plague or other diseases. High-tobacco-use regions had severe outbreaks, while low-use regions had less plague due to demographic factors, not tobacco.Critical PerspectiveThe 17th-century belief in tobacco’s curative and preventive properties was widespread, driven by influential figures like Monardes, Venner, and Culpeper, who relied on humoral theory and anecdotal reports from indigenous practices. Testimonials, such as Nicot’s Noli-me-tangere case, were compelling but rare and not systematically verified. The Pharmacopoeia Londinensis and herbals like Gerard’s and Culpeper’s institutionalized tobacco’s medicinal use, particularly in London, where apothecaries sold it widely during the 1665 plague. However, the lack of reduced mortality in high-tobacco-use regions (e.g., London, Naples) contradicts claims of efficacy. The absence of quantitative data and reliance on speculative theories (e.g., miasma purification) highlight the era’s limited medical understanding. Opposition from figures like King James I and William Duncon, who warned of tobacco’s harms, suggests a divided medical community, foreshadowing later skepticism.Sources-: Medicinal uses of tobacco in history, PMC, citing Monardes, Sahagún, and Nicot’s testimonials. -: Wellcome Collection, on Pharmacopoeia Londinensis and plague-related tobacco use. -: Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, on Monardes, Gerard, and Duncon. -: The rise and fall of tobacco as a botanical medicine, PMC, on Venner and London’s tobacco trade. -: Brief History Herbal Medicine, on Culpeper’s herbal. -: X post citing Culpeper on tobacco’s plague-preventive properties. -: X posts on Monardes’ claims.If you’d like a visual timeline of these writings, a map of tobacco’s medicinal use in Europe, or further analysis of specific sources, please let me know!