John Bradmore ( eng. John Bradmore ; d. January 27, 1412 ) - English practicing surgeon . Having some problems with the law and being accused of minting counterfeit coins, Bradmore became a court physician during the reign of King Henry IV and amassed a considerable fortune. As a surgeon, he gained fame by first curing the master of the royal pavilions, unsuccessfully trying to commit suicide, and then using an invented surgical instrument, he could take an arrow from the head of the future King Henry V , who was wounded during the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Between 1403 and 1412, Bradmore created a work, which he called “Philomena,” one of the earliest treatises on surgery. In this work, the author described several cases from his practice, including the rescue of Prince Henry.
John bradmore | |
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English John bradmore | |
Death | |
Burial place | |
Spouse | 1st : Margaret 2nd : Catherine |
Children | from 1st marriage : Agnes from 2nd marriage : Nicholas |
Profession | surgeon |
Content
Biography
The birth date of John Bradmore is unknown. Like other members of his family, Bradmore was a practicing surgeon. His brother, Nicholas, was also a surgeon in London, but John seems to have been much more successful, having accumulated a considerable fortune. His daughter, Agnes, also married a surgeon named Don Long [1] [2] .
From at least 1377 until his death, Bradmore lived in London , because this year he and his first wife, Margaret, are listed among the founders of the Holy Trinity brotherhood in the parish of Saint Botolph in Aldersgate. In 1400 he was the elder of the parish church, and in 1409-1410, he was a master of the brotherhood of the Holy Trinity. In addition, according to Bradmore's testament, his property bequeathed to his daughter, wife and expected child, should they have no legal heirs, should be transferred to fraternity. And in 1447 it really was already under the control of the brotherhood [1] .
The historian F. Getz reports that surgeons at that time were also engaged in metal works, independently creating surgical instruments for themselves and for sale. John Bradmore was probably an experienced blacksmith because he is called " gemestre ." Probably, this epithet means that he made decorations [3] . Most likely, it is with this activity that the problems with the law that arose in 1386, when John Bradmore and his brother Nicholas were accused of making fake coins, are connected with the law. However, the accusation had no consequences, and they were forgiven. Later, John supported his brother when he again had problems with the law, but he himself, apparently, later led a peaceful and flawless life [1] .
In April 1390, John Bradmore swore an oath in the London Town Hall to the mayor and aldermen , after which, probably with three other surgeons, he took control of all surgical operations in London. In 1390-1391 and in 1402 he examined the monks in the hospital of Westminster Abbey . At this time, he clearly prospered and from 1391 began to acquire property in the area of the . From 1391 until his death, he lived in a rented apartment on Street, opposite the parish church. In 1399, Bradmore bought the adjacent garden. At the time of death, he owned four rented apartments; He bequeathed one of them to his daughter, the other three - to the second wife of Katherine and her expected child, who was born after his death. Shortly after the death of Bradmore, 14 1412 stated that his widow paid an annual rent of 4 pounds and 6 shillings [1] .
Throughout the reign of King Henry IV, John Bradmore worked as a court physician. In 1403 and 1406, he received payments from the royal court to pay duties and clothes, as well as, apparently, also 10 marks a year from the Prince of Wales. In 1408 he was appointed customs inspector at the Port of London, which earned him an annuity of £ 10 per year. There are also records that he was paid the cost of drugs for the treatment of the king [1] [4] .
Bradmore died on January 27, 1412 in his home parish and was buried in the church of St. Botolph. His tombstone lasted until the great fire of 1666 [1] .
Philomena
Between 1403 and 1412, John Bradmore created a treatise on surgery, written in Latin and called “Philomena” by him. Its translation into English , which was preserved in the medical collection of 1736 from the collection of , was done around 1446. Currently, the manuscript is stored in the British Library ) [5] [1] [4] .
In his treatise, Bradmore describes several cases from his surgical practice. The most famous of these is the salvation of the life of the Prince of Wales - the future King of England Henry V. Prince Heinrich during the battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 was seriously wounded - an arrow hit the head under the left eye next to the nose, stuck in the bones of the skull. Fully remove the arrow failed, the tip remained in the bone, stuck in the skull at a depth of 6 inches. The wounded prince was taken to Kenilworth Castle, where several summoned doctors attempted to extract the tip with potions and other medicines, but their attempts were unsuccessful. After that, Bradmore was called for help. To extract the arrows, he created a special tongs. Philomena provides a detailed description and sketch. Nippers were hollow, with thin ends, the width of which did not exceed the width of the arrowhead. At the end of each lever was a screw thread. In addition, the tongs had a separate screw mechanism passing through their center. But before using the tool, it was necessary to widen the edges of the wound. To do this, the doctor put thin long “probes” from the core of an old elderberry , wrapped in peeled linen fabric and soaked in honey with antiseptic effect, into the wound next to the tip. When, according to his calculations, the probes reached the end of the wound, the surgeon introduced the instrument into it. The screw mechanism allowed the tongs to expand and lock them, after which they managed to hook the arrowhead and, loosening it, pull it out. So that the wound did not fester, Bradmore poured the wound with white wine, which had a strong, though brief antiseptic effect. To ensure wound healing, the doctor placed linen wads impregnated with honey-based ointment into the wound. A day later, he removed the top of the tampons, allowing the wound to close. After 20 days, Bradmore used another drug - Unguentum Fuscum . It was a complex of more than 20 herbs, wax, oil and some resins, but the author does not report the exact recipe. This medicine probably had a warming effect. The treatment brought results: the prince survived, and the wound healed, although there was a scar [1] [6] [7] .
Another famous case cited by Bradmore is the treatment of the master of the royal pavilions who made an unsuccessful attempt to commit suicide. He suffered two wounds in the abdomen, one of which was quite extensive. The treatment lasted 86 days and ended successfully, the patient survived. The suicide attempt, apparently, refers to the first year of the reign of Henry IV, that is, to 1399 or 1400. At the time of entry of Henry IV to the throne, this post was held by William Winslow, but already on October 8, 1399 he was replaced by John Drayton. Although the name of his patient Bradmore does not name, but most likely he was Winslow, because Drayton, who held the position until his death in 1408, was sufficiently active in the first year of the new king’s reign. Perhaps Winslow's dislocation was caused by the inability of them to perform their duties, since his treatment took more than 2 months. At the same time, Winslow was still alive in 1403, which confirms the success of treatment [1] [4] [8] .
Citing both of these cases, Bradmore, as demonstrated by his ability to heal wounds that other doctors could not cope with, indicated the high status of his patients [8] .
Family
1st wife: Margaret (died after May 1410). From this marriage, one daughter was born [1] :
- Agnes [1] ; she was married to surgeon john long [2] .
2nd wife: Catherine . From this marriage, one son was born [1] :
- Nicholas (born after the death of his father) [1] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Lang SJ Bradmore, John (d. 1412) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
- 2 1 2 Green M. Making Women's Medicine Masculine. - P. 56.
- ↑ Getz F. Medicine in the English Middle Ages. - 8 p.
- 2 1 2 3 Given-Wilson C. An Illustrated History of Late Medieval England. - P. 92.
- ↑ Detailed record for Harley 1736 . British Library Catalog of Illuminated Manuscripts. The appeal date is February 1, 2019.
- ↑ Lang SJ The "Philomena" of John Bradmore and his Middle English derivative. - P. 65-71.
- ↑ Reconstruction of boom extraction from Henry V (mini-series “Royal Deaths and Diseases”) on YouTube
- 2 1 2 Lang SJ The "Philomena" of John Bradmore and his Middle English derivative. - P. 71—78.
Literature
- Lang SJ Bradmore, John (d. 1412) // Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004–2014.
- Lang SJ "Philomena" of Late Medieval England . - St Andrews: University of St Andrews, 1998. - 232 p.
- Green M. Making Women's Medicine Masculine: The Rise of Male Authority in Pre-Modern Gynaecology. - Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. - 496 p. - ISBN 978-0199211494 .
- Getz F. Medicine in the English Middle Ages. - Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. - 192 p. - ISBN 978-0691085227 .
- Given-Wilson C. An Illustrated History of Late Medieval England. - Manchester: Manchester University Press, 1996. - 292 p. - ISBN 978-0719041525 .
Links
- Reconstruction of boom extraction from Henry V (mini-serial "Royal Deaths and Diseases") on YouTube
- A sketch from the manuscript of John Bradmore with the image of a surgical instrument invented by him (eng.) . British Library Catalog of Illuminated Manuscripts. The appeal date is February 1, 2019.
- Goodman K. The Strange Case Of Henry V'S Wandering Wound (eng.) . The appeal date is February 1, 2019.