Thomas Phaer (also spelled Phaire, Fayre, Faer, Phayre, Phayer) (c. 151012 August 1560) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
lawyer
A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...
,
paediatrician
Pediatrics (American and British English differences, also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United King ...
, and
author
An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states:
"''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...
. He is best known as the author of ''The Boke of Chyldren'', published in 1545, which was the first book on
paediatrics
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until the ...
written in the
English language
English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
.
Life
![Memorial to Thomas Phaer of Cilgerran - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/81/Memorial_to_Thomas_Phaer_of_Cilgerran_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1385106.jpg)
It is thought that Phaer was born in
Norwich
Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...
. His father, also Thomas, was of
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
descent. Phaer was educated at
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
. He studied law at
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...
, and became
Solicitor
A solicitor is a legal practitioner who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally-defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and ...
in the
Court of the Welsh Marches
A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance ...
; on his appointment he settled at the Welsh town of
Cilgerran
Cilgerran (previously Kilgerran or Cil-Garon) is both a village, a parish, and also a community, situated on the south bank of the River Teifi in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It was formerly an incorporated market town.
Among Cilgerran's attractions ar ...
near
Cardigan, where he lived until he died.
He was
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Carmarthen Boroughs in 1547 and for
Cardigan for (1555–1559).
He applied to Oxford University for the degree of
Bachelor of Medicine
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
in February 1558, stating that he practised for twenty years. He was granted his Bachelor's, and then a
Doctorate of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated M.D., from the Latin ''Medicinae Doctor'') is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the M.D. denotes a professional degree. T ...
, later that year.
Phaer died in Cilgerran, leaving his wife, Ann, and three daughters, Eleanor, Mary, and Elizabeth. He was buried in the local
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
church. He is commemorated as one of the
supporter
In heraldry, supporters, sometimes referred to as ''attendants'', are figures or objects usually placed on either side of the shield and depicted holding it up.
Early forms of supporters are found in medieval seals. However, unlike the coro ...
s in the
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
of the
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, often referred to as the RCPCH, is the professional body for paediatricians (doctors specialising in child health) in the United Kingdom. It is responsible for the postgraduate training of paed ...
. The other supporter is
June Lloyd.
Works
He published ''Natura brevium'' in 1535, and ''Newe Boke of Presidentes'' in 1543. He began to practise medicine in the 1530s, in his mid to late twenties. He published ''The Regiment of Life'' in 1544, a translation of a
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
version of the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
text ''Regimen Sanitatis Salerni'', and ''The Boke of Chyldren'' was published the following year as an addedum to ''The Regiment of Life''.
''The Boke of Chyldren'' anticipated many later trends in medicine. In recognising children as a special class of patients, his book was one of the first treatises to make a distinction between
childhood
A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
and
adulthood
An adult is a human or other animal that has reached full growth. In human context, the term ''adult'' has meanings associated with social and legal concepts. In contrast to a " minor", a legal adult is a person who has attained the age of major ...
. He recognised various
mental disease
A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
s, listing of the "manye grevous and perilous diseases" to which children were susceptible, including "apostume of the brayne" (
meningitis
Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...
),
colic
Colic or cholic () is a form of pain that starts and stops abruptly. It occurs due to muscular contractions of a hollow tube ( small and large intestine, gall bladder, ureter, etc.) in an attempt to relieve an obstruction by forcing content out ...
, "terrible dreames and feare in the slepe" (
nightmare
A nightmare, also known as a bad dream, Retrieved 11 July 2016. is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong emotional response from the mind, typically fear but also despair, anxiety or great sadness. The dream may contain situations of d ...
s) and "pissing in the bedde" (
bedwetting
Nocturnal enuresis, also informally called bedwetting, is involuntary urination while asleep after the age at which bladder control usually begins. Bedwetting in children and adults can result in emotional stress. Complications can include urina ...
). He counselled against unnecessary treatments for childhood diseases such as
smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
or
measles
Measles is a highly contagious infectious disease caused by measles virus. Symptoms usually develop 10–12 days after exposure to an infected person and last 7–10 days. Initial symptoms typically include fever, often greater than , cough, ...
("The best and most sure helpe in this case is not to meddle with anye kynde of medicines, but to let nature work her operacion"). He also condemned the tendency of medical practitioners to obscure their meaning by using
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, and the consequent confusion for the patient: "How long would they haue the people ignorant? Why grutche they phsyicke to come forth in Engliyshe? Woulde they haue no man to know but onely they?"
He contributed to
Sackville's ''Mirrour for Magistrates'', "Howe Owen Glendower, being seduced by false prophecies, toke upon him to be Prince of Wales." In his later years, he gained a degree of fame for his translation of
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
's ''
Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...
''. ''The Seven First Bookes of the Eneidos of Virgil converted into English Meter'' was published in 1558. He had completed two more books in April 1560 and had begun the tenth, but died in the autumn of that year, leaving his task incomplete. The translation was finished by
Thomas Twyne
Thomas Twyne (1543 – 1 August 1613 Lewes) was an Elizabethan translator and a physician of Lewes in Sussex, best known for completing Thomas Phaer's translation of Virgil's Aeneid into English verse after Phaer's death in 1560, and for his 1579 ...
in 1584. Phaer's translation, which was in rhymed fourteen-syllabled lines, was greatly admired by his contemporaries, although not the first attempt at a complete translation (
Gawain Douglas had translated all twelve books and
Maphaeus Vegius' thirteenth book as well). His translation remained popular until
John Dryden
''
John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate.
He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration England to such a point that the per ...
's translation was published in ''The Works of Virgil'' in 1697.
Works
*''Natura brevium'' (1535)
*''A Boke of Presidentes'' (1543) (a legal work)
*''The Regiment of Life'' (1544) (translation from a French text of ''
Regimen sanitatis Salernitanum
''Regimen sanitatis Salernitanum'', Latin: ''The Salernitan Rule of Health'' (commonly known as ''Flos medicinae'' or ''Lilium medicinae'' - ''The Flower of Medicine'', ''The Lily of Medicine'') is a medieval didactic poem in hexameter verse. It ...
'')
*''The Boke of Chyldren'' (1545) (56 pages, including 4-page preface)
*''
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro (; traditional dates 15 October 7021 September 19 BC), usually called Virgil or Vergil ( ) in English, was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He composed three of the most famous poems in Latin literature: t ...
's
Aeneid
The ''Aeneid'' ( ; la, Aenē̆is or ) is a Latin Epic poetry, epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Troy, Trojan who fled the Trojan_War#Sack_of_Troy, fall of Troy and travelled to ...
'' (1555) (translation from Latin)
Further reading
*''The History of Pædiatrics'' by Sir
Frederic Still
*
References
Sources
*
*
*
The Boke of Chyldren by Thomas Phaire, 1545 including brief biography
Coat of Arms of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phaer, Thomas
1510s births
1560 deaths
Medical doctors from Norwich
16th-century English medical doctors
16th-century English writers
16th-century male writers
British paediatricians
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales
Alumni of the University of Oxford
English MPs 1547–1552
English MPs 1555
English MPs 1558
English MPs 1559
English medical writers
Translators of Virgil
Writers from Norwich