Tobias Venner (1577–1660) was an English physician and medical writer born near
North Petherton
North Petherton is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated on the edge of the eastern foothills of the Quantocks, and close to the edge of the Somerset Levels.
The town has a population of 6,730 as of 2014. The parish includ ...
. He was known for his books aimed at the general public and his promotion of
thermal bath
A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as baln ...
ing, particularly in the city of
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Pla ...
.
Biography
Venner completed his Bachelor of Arts and his Master of Arts degrees respectively in 1595 and 1603 at Oxford's
Alban's Hall and went to establish his practice in
Bridgwater
Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alo ...
. He then received in 1613 a
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 Ki ...
and
Doctor 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 ...
degree at Oxford with a dispensation for non-attendance at lectures. This kind of exemption was granted for various reasons, sometimes unclear, at Oxford at the turn of the 17th century. After marrying Agnes Jeffrye (died 1634), with whom he had four children, he settled in
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Pla ...
and by 1630 he enjoyed a rather comfortable life there: the sales of his books and his medical practice flourished, and his three sons went to study medicine at Oxford University although one died before graduating.
Tobias Venner died at Bath on 27 March 1660 at the age of 83, outliving all of his children and both wives. He was buried in
Bath Abbey
The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, it was reorganised in the 10t ...
, where for many years a monument bore his name.
Works
From 1620 to 1660, various editions of his ''Via Recta ad Vitam Longam'' were published in
quarto
Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...
format in London.
In addition to its endorsement of thermal
waters at Bath), the book gave advice on hygiene and health as well as pursuing
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus ( el, Κλαύδιος Γαληνός; September 129 – c. AD 216), often Anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Greek physician, surgeon and philosopher in the Roman Empire. Considered to be one o ...
's theory of
humorism
Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers.
Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 1850s ...
. Venner explains how working on six "non-naturals" factors (environment, diet, sleep, exercise, excretion, and the passions of the mind) could affect the balance of the
four humours
Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers.
Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 1850s ...
, blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, and thus enhance one's quality of life and longevity.
In regards to
obesity
Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it may negatively affect health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's ...
, he is credited in ''Via Recta'' with being one of the first to refer to it as a societal and individual disease in an English language publication. Tobias Venner also ventures into nutrition, for example by decrying
beef
Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus'').
In prehistoric times, humankind hunted aurochs and later domesticated them. Since that time, numerous breeds of cattle have been bred specifically for the quality or quantit ...
and various fishes as indigestible, or by praising
potato
The potato is a starchy food, a tuber of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'' and is a root vegetable native to the Americas. The plant is a perennial in the nightshade family Solanaceae.
Wild potato species can be found from the southern United ...
as delightful and nutritious, as well as providing a recipe for
mead
Mead () is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alcoholic content ranges from about 3.5% ABV to more than 20%. The defining charact ...
.
In ''A briefe and accurate treatise concerning the taking of the fume of tobacco'' (1621), Venner considers
tobacco
Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the c ...
smoking, that was rising in popularity at that time, as a mean of improving digestion and offsetting the detrimental effects of cold if taken with moderation, although he recommended it should not be taken for pleasure alone nor too often.
Indeed, he foresaw the risk for the
lungs
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of ...
to become "unapt for motion, to the great offence of the heart, and ruine at length of the whole body."
Bibliography
* ''Via Recta ad Vitam Longam'' (1620)
* ''A briefe and accurate treatise concerning the taking of the fume of tobacco'' (1621)
* ''The baths of Bathe'' (1628)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venner, Tobias
17th-century English medical doctors
People from Bath, Somerset
1577 births
1660 deaths