Walter Charleton (2 February 1619 – 24 April 1707) was a

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior throu ...

and

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 ...

writer. According to Jon Parkin, he was "the main conduit for the transmission of

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Epi ...

ideas to England".Jon Parkin, ''Science, Religion and Politics in Restoration England: Richard Cumberland's De Legibus Naturae'' (1999), p. 149.

Life

He was the son of the rector of

Shepton Mallett Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, England, some south-west of Bath, south of Bristol and east of Wells. It had an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. Mendip District Council is based ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, where he was born 2 February 1619. He received his early education from his father, and when sixteen entered

Magdalen Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

, under the tuition of

John Wilkins John Wilkins, (14 February 1614 – 19 November 1672) was an Anglican clergyman, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1668 until his death. Wilkins is one of the fe ...

. At the early age of 22 (1641) he received the degree of M.D. and in the same year was appointed physician to

Charles I Charles I may refer to: Kings and emperors * Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings * Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily * Charles I of ...

, who was then at

Oxford 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 ...

. In 1650 Charleton settled in London, and was on 8 April admitted a candidate of the

College of Physicians A college of physicians is a national or provincial organisation concerned with the practice of medicine. {{Expand list, date=February 2011 Such institutions include: * American College of Physicians * Ceylon College of Physicians * College of Phy ...

. A royalist, he was appointed physician to the exiled king Charles II but remained in London writing, in Russell Street,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist si ...

. :s:Charleton, Walter (DNB00) He was continued in his office of physician at the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

, and was one of the first elected

fellows of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemati ...

in 1663; on 23 January 1676 he was admitted a

fellow of the Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians (RCP) is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of physicians by examination. Founded by royal charter from King Henry VIII in 1 ...

. He gave the first lectures delivered in the Cutlerian Theatre in Warwick Lane, in 1680 delivered the

Harveian oration The Harveian Oration is a yearly lecture held at the Royal College of Physicians of London. It was instituted in 1656 by William Harvey, discoverer of the systemic circulation. Harvey made financial provision for the college to hold an annual feas ...

, and was president in 1689 and 1691. After his last year of presidency at the College of Physicians, Charleton left London and a dwindling medical practice. He retired to

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture. ...

; but returned to London, and was senior censor in the College of Physicians from 1698 to 1706, and delivered Harveian orations in 1702 and 1706, when he was also appointed Harveian librarian. He died 24 April 1707. He had in early life read much in Van Helmont, and spent time in reading and composition, rather than with patients.

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5/15 April 1588 – 4/14 December 1679) was an English philosopher, considered to be one of the founders of modern political philosophy. Hobbes is best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influent ...

Lord Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768 to 177 ...

Sir Francis Prujean Sir Francis Prujean (also Pridgeon) M.D. (1593–1666) was an English physician. Life The son of Francis Prujean, rector of Boothby, Lincolnshire, he was born at Bury St Edmunds, and educated by his father. He entered Caius College, Cambridge ...

and

George Ent George Ent (6 November 1604 – 13 October 1689) was an English scientist in the seventeenth century. Biography Ent was born on 6 November 1604 in Sandwich, Kent. He was the son of a Belgian immigrant, Josias Ent (sometimes called John Ent) ...

were his friends.

Work

He was a copious writer also on

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, natural history, and

antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean: the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures. Artifacts from earlier periods such as the Meso ...

, and published ''

Chorea Gigantum Chorea (or choreia, occasionally) is an abnormal involuntary movement disorder, one of a group of neurological disorders called dyskinesias. The term ''chorea'' is derived from the grc, χορεία ("dance"; see choreia), as the quick movemen ...

'' (1663) to prove that

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...

was built by the

Danes Danes ( da, danskere, ) are a North Germanic ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. Danes generally regard t ...

. Charleton claimed it was used by them as a place of assembly, and of the inauguration of kings. The only argument is that similar stone works exist in Denmark, a fact supplied to Charleton by the Danish antiquary,

Wormius Ole Worm (13 May 1588 – 31 August 1654), who often went by the Latinized form of his name Olaus Wormius, was a Danish physician, natural historian and antiquary. He was a professor at the University of Copenhagen where he taught Greek, Lati ...

, with whom he had corresponded on the book of

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (; 15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was the first significant architect in England and Wales in the early modern period, and the first to employ Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmetry in his buildings. As the most notable archit ...

in which Stonehenge is said to be a Roman temple. The ''Chorea Gigantum'' had a poem by

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 ...

written in its praise, the ''Epistle to Dr. Charleton'', prefixed to the presentation copy given to the king. He was one of the "character" writers, and in this kind of literature wrote an essay '' A Brief Discourse concerning the Different Wits of Men'' (1675).

Publications

* ''Deliramenta Catarrhi'' (1650) * ''The Darknes of

Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no d ...

Dispelled by the Light of Nature: a physico-theologicall treatise'' (1652) * ''Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charletoniana, or a Fabrick of Science Natural, upon the Hypothesis of

Atoms Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, an ...

'' (1654; largely based on Pierre Gassendi's ''Animadversiones'', 1649) * ''Epicurus's Morals'' (1656) * ''The immortality of the human soul demonstrated by the light of nature'', London 1657. * ''Dissertatio epistolica de ortu animae humanae, Lugd niBatav

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is usually aged in oak barrels. Rum is produced in nearly every sugar-producing region of the world, such as the Ph ...

' 1658. * ''Oeconomia Animalis'' (1659) * ''Natural history of nutrition, life, and voluntary motion'', London: Henry Herringman 1659. * ''The Ephesian and Cimmerian Matrons'', 1659. * ''Chorea Gigantum'' (1663) * ''Natural History of the Passions'' (1674; previously believed to be based on Jean-François Senault's ''De l'usage des passions'', 1641) * ''Enquiries into human nature'', London 1680. * ''The Harmony of Natural and Divine Laws'' (1682) * ''Three anatomic lectures'', London: Walter Kettilby 1683.

Notes

References

* Emily Booth (2005) ''A Subtle and Mysterious Machine: The Medical World of Walter Charleton (1619–1707)'' * Sabina Fleitmann, ''Walter Charleton (1620-1707), “Viruoso”: Leben und Werke'', Frankfurt: Peter Lang 1986. * Anna Maria Oller Adam, ''Walter Charleton (1620-1707): Filosofia Natural, Teologia Natural y Ètica'', PhD diss., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 1995. * Nina Tomaszewski (2018) ''Walter Charleton's "The Ephesian Matron / Matrona Ephesia". Contextual studies, bilingual edition and commentary'' ;Attribution * *

External links

Biography at the Royal College of Physicians

Encycolopedia.com, Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography, "Walter Charlton"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charleton, Walter English ornithologists English philosophers Original Fellows of the Royal Society English naturalists 1619 births 1707 deaths Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians