William Rand (''fl.'' 1650–1660) was an English physician who projected general reforms in medical education, practice and publication. His views were

Paracelsian Paracelsianism (also Paracelsism; German: ') was an early modern History of medicine, medical movement based on the theories and therapies of Paracelsus. It developed in the second half of the 16th century, during the decades following Paracelsu ...

and

Helmontian Jan Baptist van Helmont (; ; 12 January 1580 – 30 December 1644) was a chemist, physiologist, and physician from Brussels. He worked during the years just after Paracelsus and the rise of iatrochemistry, and is sometimes considered to ...

, and he participated in the

Hartlib Circle The Hartlib Circle was the correspondence network set up in Western and Central Europe by Samuel Hartlib, an intelligencer based in London, and his associates, in the period 1630 to 1660. Hartlib worked closely with John Dury, an itinerant figure ...

Life

According to Gillian Darley, Rand's father was a physician at

Wotton, Surrey Wotton is a well-wooded parish with one main settlement, a small village mostly south of the A25 between Guildford in the west and Dorking in the east. The nearest village with a small number of shops is Westcott. Wotton lies in a narrow va ...

, connected to the Evelyn family. William Rand studied medicine at the

University of Louvain A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

.Gillian Darley, ''John Evelyn: Living for ingenuity'' (2006), p. 146–7. It has been suggested also, by Charles Webster, that he was a Cambridge graduate, and son of the apothecary James Rand, matching him rather tentatively to the William Rand who matriculated at

Catharine Hall, Cambridge St Catharine's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1473 as Katharine Hall, it adopted its current name in 1860. The college is nicknamed "Catz". The college is located in the historic city-centre of Camb ...

in 1633; this Rand studied at the

University of Leiden Leiden University (abbreviated as ''LEI''; nl, Universiteit Leiden) is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands. The university was founded as a Protestant university in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, as a reward to the city of Le ...

, though was MD of another institution. In any case Rand was unlicensed by the London

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 ...

.Andrew Wear, ''Knowledge and Practice in English Medicine, 1550–1680'' (2000), p. 357
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He worked as an apothecary to the parliamentary hospital at Ely House. In 1652 he addressed thoughts to

Samuel Hartlib Samuel Hartlib or Hartlieb (c. 1600 – 10 March 1662)
M. Greengrass, "Hartlib, Samuel (c. 1600–1662)", ''Oxford D ...

on reform of the book trade.

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 ...

s found it difficult to get into print, and booksellers were rapacious. Rand suggested a way round the stationers' monopoly, with a system of scholarly licensing. In 1656 he contributed to the programme of Hartlib and

Robert Boyle Robert Boyle (; 25 January 1627 – 31 December 1691) was an Anglo-Irish natural philosopher, chemist, physicist, alchemist and inventor. Boyle is largely regarded today as the first modern chemist, and therefore one of the founders of ...

for the reform of science, advocating the establishment of a College of Graduate Physicians. The project had the support of Katherine Jones, Viscountess Ranelagh, who was Boyle's sister. A proposal for a Society of Chemical Physicians of the 1660s, again Helmontian in attitude, for a while gathered some momentum. Charles Webster has argued for some continuity from Rand's group to the 1665 group behind the Society of Chemical Physicians; but the latter had notable court patronage too placing it in a very different part of the political spectrum, as well as being open to those without medical degrees.

Works

The W. R. writing a dedicatory poem to the ''Mataeotechnia medicinae praxeos'' (1651) of Noah Biggs has tentatively been identified as Rand. He translated a work of the apothecary Remeus Francken on surgery (1655). In 1657 he published a translation of

Pierre Gassendi Pierre Gassendi (; also Pierre Gassend, Petrus Gassendi; 22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he also spent much tim ...

's life of

Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc (1 December 1580 – 24 June 1637), often known simply as Peiresc, or by the Latin form of his name, Peirescius, was a French astronomer, antiquary and savant, who maintained a wide correspondence with scienti ...

, as ''The Mirrour of True Nobility and Gentility'', with

John Evelyn John Evelyn (31 October 162027 February 1706) was an English writer, landowner, gardener, courtier and minor government official, who is now best known as a diarist. He was a founding Fellow of the Royal Society. John Evelyn's diary, or memo ...

as dedicatee. An English translation of the ''Encheiridium anatomicum et pathologicum'' (1648) by Johannes Riolanus, as ''A sure guide, or, The best and nearest way to physick and chyrurgery'' (1671), was by

Nicholas Culpeper Nicholas Culpeper (18 October 1616 – 10 January 1654) was an English botanist, herbalist, physician and astrologer.Patrick Curry: "Culpeper, Nicholas (1616–1654)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (Oxford, UK: OUP, 2004) His boo ...

and W. R., who is identified as Rand. Culpeper died in 1654, and, with William Rowland, Rand in the 1650s was active in editorial work and translation of Culpeper's papers. At the same time they were supporters of the medical initiatives of

William Walwyn William Walwyn (''bap.'' 1600–1681) was an English pamphleteer, a Leveller and a medical practitioner. Life Walwyn was a silkman in London who took the parliamentary side in the English Civil War. He advocated religious toleration and emerged a ...

Views

Rand's views are available in correspondence, with Hartlib and others. He was an admirer of Machiavelli. Rand expressed admiration also for

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 ...

in a letter to Hartlib in 1651, finding in him a Protestant comparable in creative ideas to the Catholic

Kenelm Digby Sir Kenelm Digby (11 July 1603 – 11 June 1665) was an English courtier and diplomat. He was also a highly reputed natural philosopher, astrologer and known as a leading Roman Catholic intellectual and Blackloist. For his versatility, he is d ...

. Rand also thought Hobbes a royalist, but (against opinion in the universities) a potentially excellent adviser on education. Hartlib would include Rand's name in a list for a "council for schooling", with

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

and others. Writing to Hartlib from the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

in 1653, Rand proposed a synthesis of the systems of Gassendi and van Helmont. Rand's correspondence with Evelyn shows Rand's mortalist views, to which Evelyn found some attraction. Rand's views are also known from his comment on the courage required by Henry Lawrence to publish on

adult baptism Believer's baptism or adult baptism (occasionally called credobaptism, from the Latin word meaning "I believe") is the practice of baptizing those who are able to make a conscious profession of faith, as contrasted to the practice of baptizing ...

(''Of Baptisme'', Rotterdam 1646, initially anonymous). A letter of Rand to

Benjamin Worsley Benjamin Worsley (1618–1673) was an English physician, Surveyor-General of Ireland, experimental scientist, civil servant and intellectual figure of Commonwealth England. He studied at Trinity College, Dublin, but may not have graduated.Newman an ...

is positive about

Socinianism Socinianism () is a nontrinitarian belief system deemed heretical by the Catholic Church and other Christian traditions. Named after the Italian theologians Lelio Sozzini (Latin: Laelius Socinus) and Fausto Sozzini (Latin: Faustus Socinus), uncle ...

. Michael Hunter, ''Robert Boyle, 1627-91: scrupulosity and science'' (2000), p. 47 note
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References

* Christopher Hill (1979) ''Milton and the English Revolution''

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rand, William 17th-century English writers 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English medical doctors