In 1665, people in Oxford recognize Willis as “one of the learnedest and most famed physicians in the world.” He basically bought out the Angel Inn on High Street to start out a business with another Oxford physician and a surgeon. Wealthy people from out of town stopped by for treatment. This made him “the richest man in the county of Oxfordshire.” However, when it came for him to treat the poor patients, he treatment them without pay. He no longer traveled from town to town to treat people. Yet, one day he decided to leave Oxford and traveled to Warwickshire. He became a private physician to one of the noblest women in England. Lord Conway asked Willis to aid his wife, Anne who was frequently experiencing excruciating headaches. And so, Willis searched for possibilities that may have started her severe migraines. He interviewed her about her life to hope that her history might have the answers to her illness. He found her very intelligent because she was a brilliant philosopher that spent years probing the nature of the soul. She was unable to attend a university, and so she instead educated herself. She kept in touch with her brother who went to school in Cambridge to keep her up to date with the newest philosophies that he was learning in school. Then, she ended up encountering one of her brother’s mentor, the philosopher Henry More. More believed in the workings of the spirit rather than opinions of the brain. He was convince that “immaterial soul occupied the body as a temporary vessel” in which the soul would still live on afterlife. He is inspired by Descarte and Plato’s works. He agreed with Descarte that the soul cannot exert any physical force on its material body, and so only the spirit could make the universe move. He believe that human souls such as ghosts and even God can be extended like matter.
Anne Conway was eager to know more about Descarte. She asked More about Descarte to understand “how there could be a fully perfect being-God-without a fully imperfect being existing as well.” She was not satisfied with More’s explanation, and so both ended up discussing about philosophy and More’s own work. Later Anne suffered more on her headaches. In addition, she suffered a fever and vomited to the point where she stayed in her room for days on end. Yet, she still had the strength to talk with More to debate about the nature of matter, souls and God. As days gone by her family searched and summoned all of the best physicians they knew to aid their daughter‘s illness. At first William Harvey came to assist her. But, suffering from his own illness as well could no longer aid her. And so, others doctors came to her and prescribed her with such unusual treatments such opium, lead, and soap to the back of her head. At the end, those treatments did not affect her at all. And there were at times, she was nearly killed by obtaining mercury from Theodore de Mayerne. She even traveled to France and other places to cure her illness, yet no success in searching for a better cure. She was still overwhelmed in pain. After giving birth, her child contracted smallpox before his second birthday. Following that she also contracted the disease from him. She developed so many pain that she was too exhausted to move farther “I cannot dissemble as much as not to profess myself very weary of this condition.” In the end, Willis, too could not cure of her illness.
When Henry More sent out a message to her saying that a mystical healer named Franciscus Mercurius van Helmont may be able to cure her. She gave it another chance. However, his treatment did not work and she still continued to suffer. However, he found that “pain was nothing but my own life, excited or inflamed for my own good. I began to love the pain.” After she understood his ways of treatment, her illness gradually ceased as long as she kept her mind and soul with God. Her belief in God gave her strength to survive. Basically, “Van Helmont showed her how to find a meaning to her pain.” His philosophically teachings was so inspiring to her that she wrote an essay about him. She questioned “Why does the spirit or soul suffer so with bodily pain?” She says our body have a kind of congealed spirit. “The more physical something was, the more pain it will feel.” She died peacefully soon afterward. Van Helmont performed a final service for her.
Willis was still puzzled at Anne Conway’s illness on headaches. He continued to search for an explanation reflecting on the headaches that his other patients had suffered over the years. He envisioned how the nerves in the brain were outlined. And so, his speculation was that “If a patient’s blood was then stirred up, it might rush into the blood vessels in the head and pull apart the swollen nerves, creating pain.”
In April 1665, people in the streets of London were unexpectedly affected by a mysterious disease that will soon kill 400,000 Londoners. Infected fleas and rats ran the streets in which people became infected. As a result, people who were infected experienced raging fevers, hideously swollen lymph nodes, and in many cases a swift death. This disease was brought out by “… ships from Turkey brought the plague to the Netherlands, and a few months later, Dutch smugglers brought it to London.” The plague took over peoples’ lives and “…the city began to shut up the houses of sick, marking a cross on the door.” The wealthy physicians fled the city. The medical alchemists were the only ones left to cure the mysterious disease. However, they failed to search for a cure and fled the city. And so, Willis stepped up to help, he recommended that smoking tobacco may help to “ripen” the sores of plague victims. He tried all of the other treatments he could to at least reduce the symptoms, but none of his treatments worked and were useless.
Willis’s old friends from the Oxford circle came to visit him and discussed experiments that may help him understand the afflictions he had seen in his patients with convulsions. Willis and Lower were confronted with an outbreak that made children ill leaving them speechless, experienced deliriums, and nightmares. Children experienced convulsions that lasted for hours and many died as well. The dying children reminded Willis of his own eight children in which four had died by the mid-1660s. This made him more eager to find a way to cure this disease. However, he was unable to do so and instead got a permission from their parents to perform autopsy of the girl who died of the mysterious disease.
Willis knew that convulsions did not always kill their victims. For instance, a woman Willis later described as “an illustrious virgin” experienced terror that sent her into convulsions twice a day of everyday at eleven o’clock and five. However, on other times she was normal “so that none would ever suspect her to be sick..” And so, Willis began to search for new theories about epilepsy and other kinds of convulsions. In particular, in ancient Greece epilepsy was thought to occur when phlegm flowed out of the brain, which made the arms and legs flail. Galen thought that black bile or phlegm was the cause for epilepsy. Others like the Europeans thought that evil spirits caused epilepsy. Willis was convinced that “The idea that epileptics were possessed made sense: an epileptic seizure looked as if its victim was literally seized by a spirit and tossed around, only to be set free and returned to his former self.” He believe the spirits from the blood flowed peacefully from the brain into the nerves. Once they reached the end they “encountered sulfurous particles” which produced an explosion at the right time in the right muscles. Willis did not think that the “psychological life of his patients might have the power to produce hysteria.” And so, he instead thought of it as a matter of explosive chemistry that caused the deliriums, depressions, epileptic, and hysteria.
Critique:
Chapter 9 was interesting to read like the other chapters. This chapter was a quick read, because Zimmer mostly focused on Willis’s contributions during time of plague and he also traveled to many places such as Oxford, London, and Warwickshire to treat patients who were suffering from severe headaches, convulsions, epilepsy, and deliriums. Willis’s pathological explanation was intriguing and the treatment was designed to remove impurities from the body. Even though at times he failed to cure his patients, I admired how determined he was to search for other treatments.
As I read some of the treatments that most of the best physician have used to cure Anne Conway’s mysterious illness were I thought very unusual, amusing, and strange. In this case, mercury was given to her to treat her illness. I was surprised she still survived. From what we know, mercury is dangerous once obtain into our body and could instantly kill us. And, it was strange to think of treatments such as live frogs and poultices made of onion and white lily roots to cure a disease.
When Lower, Willis, and Boyle performed Wren’s injection experiment, they carried out several procedures to observe what the outcome will be. For instance, they wanted to know what happens when warm milk is injected into a dog, and the other experiment was when a dog is fed with another dog‘s blood. This I thought was pretty amusing and vividly explained as they carried out their experiments by using an injection. As a result, the dog died instantly when warm milk was injected. When they got to the part on transmitting blood of a dog to another dog, I imagined how they performed the procedure. That is, “they opened up the jugular vein of the dog and attached a pipe to it, which they then attached to the jugular of a second dog.” This made me wonder as to how many dog’s they’ve used in their experiments just so they could find out the outcome. But at least this helped them recognize the cause, and this made them aware on what not to use for a treatment on a sick person.
When Willis treated children who suffered from fevers that made them speechless, and experienced convulsions which lasted for hours, this reminded him of his own four children that died. He tried everything he could to search for a cure, because he understands how a parent feels like to loose a child or children since he was a father to eight children. I admired his determination and concern to everyone, that is, no matter what status you are in either poor or wealthy human being, he would try his best to cure a sick person even if it means traveling for him from one place to another. In my eyes, as I read about him, I thought of him as a truly dedicated physician, philosopher, and scientist who is willing to do anything he could to help a sick person get better.
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Similar to Laine, I enjoyed this chapter’s discussion on diseases that afflict the brain. Overall, I like that Zimmer does not conclude the book with the “discovery” of the brain and the development of neurobiology; rather, he elaborated on certain components, such as disease, that could contribute to its impaired function. One of the more intriguing topics that I found in this chapter was that of Anne Conway. I share Laine’s amazement concerning Lady Conway’s survival of potentially lethal treatments, which included the ingestion of mercury and bleeding her jugular vein. Outside the realm of her ailment, she was also rather inspirational. In an era when only men were considered fit for academia, Lady Conway was able to learn and conceptualize abstract notions related to philosophy and gain the respect of esteemed men of that field. Moreover, she, with her association with Willis, was able to contribute to the ever-evolving notion of the human soul.
On another note, I, like Laine, was amazed by the discussion of blood transfusions. I thought it was interesting to read about the primitive experimentations related to the procedure in that Willis was physically transferring blood from one organism to another as opposed to the medium that we use now (i.e., placing it into a bag and transmitting it intravenously). I was a little disappointed that Zimmer did not include what the outcome of a successful experiment, only because I would have liked to see if the immune system of the dog receiving the transfusion would have accepted the foreign cells. Also, Laine mentioned that she was amazed by the number of dogs Willis used for his experiments. In response to that, I think that he may have used stray dogs, rather than pets, thereby making animal experimentation more acceptable by their standards.
**I will post informational links later.
I too feel that Chapter 9 was interesting to read. In agreement with Laine, I feel that Willis was a truly dedicated physician, philosopher, and scientist who was willing to do anything he could to help the sick. Though Willis “had become the richest man in the county of Oxfordshire,” I, too, admired the fact that “he went on treating poor patients… out of charity rather than necessity” (189). It is important to remember those surrounding you, no matter how rich or famous one becomes.
I enjoyed reading about “the first clinical descriptions of migraine in the history of medicine” (190). I suffer from migraines as well and I completely could relate to Anne Conway about the way she felt, hiding in a dark room for hours on end. I also could not believe that Anne was given mercury to treat her illness. However, I do believe that van Helmont’s care was the best of all by giving her “a different sort of comfort: rather than eliminating her pain, he helped her accommodate herself to it” (194). The best way for me to deal with my migraines is to accommodate myself. I realize that the only way I can get through the pain is to try and ignore it and press on to the best of my ability. I also agree with van Helmont when he said that “the mind was so intimately linked with the body… that it could heal any disorder by embracing its pain” (196). I feel that anyone can live by the old saying “mind over matter” and that one has the power to overcome any obstacle. Willis was a very determined man. I feel that his lack of satisfaction led him to many discoveries. For example, Willis was puzzled by Lady Conway and “looked for an explanation consistent with his own philosophy” (199). Even more surprising was that “his accounts of their headaches were more detailed and accurate than any in the history of medicine- that way a spasm of pain can creep across the head… or the way a wolfish appetite in the evening can foretell a migraine attack that next day” (199).
In addition to reading about migraines, I too was fascinated by Willis’ accounts of epilepsy. I found it amusing that Willis felt “doctors were too quick to blame any unusual symptom in a woman on hysteria, as if the womb were the source of all their diseases” (204) and I give him credit for going against these beliefs. It was also interesting to me that “epilepsy had gained a reputation as a sacred disease” (204). I also acknowledge that fact that Willis “came up with what he called a clean, new, and unusual hypothesis… [stating that] a doctor should look for the source of all convulsions not in the ventricles, in the womb, or in the supernatural world, he should look in the brain” (205). Even more remarkable is that the belief of Willis then was the same as a modern neurologist now, except by substituting “the idea of an electric discharge for a discharge of animal spirits” (206).
Overall, this chapter was very engaging. I enjoy reading about Willis’ accounts of diseases and other medical conditions of the human body, as well as, the pathways of treatments or remedies of other philosophers, scientists, and physicians.
Information on migraines:
http://www.medicinenet.com/migraine_headache/article.htm
http://www.healthtalk.com/migraine/diseasebasics.cfm
Information on Henry More:
http://www.1911encyclopedia.org/Henry_More
Information on Gottfried Leibniz:
http://www-groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk/~history/Biographies/Leibniz.html
Information on Valentine Greatrakes:
http://www.waterfordcountymuseum.org/exhibit/web/Display/article/45/
Information on Anne Conway’s Critique of Cartesian Dualism:
http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Onto/OntoDerk.htm
I really enjoyed chapter nine and like Laine said it was a quick read! This chapter introduced me to Mrs. Anne Conway who was the “first clinical descriptions of migraine in the history of medicine” (190). Zimmer described many different methods of treatment Conway tried to alleviate her headaches. Those treatments included resting in a dark room, taking drops of mercury, pouring drops of water on her head, and taking prescribed drugs such as caffeine and tobacco. Zimmer also mentioned that Conway not only experienced the throbbing pains in her head but also vomited due to the nausea that was cause by the pain.
After reading this chapter it made me feel very fortunate that migraine treatment has advance since Anne Conway’s time. I was surprised to see that caffeine was prescribed as a possible treatment drug, however, today it has been found that caffeine can help with migraines but it can also cause them. I have migraine headaches too, and like Conway I have to rest in a dark room and the nausea can become so bad because of the duration of the migraine that I will vomit. I limit my caffeine intake to keep my migraines to 2 to 3 times a week. But I must admit I love coffee and tea! Since Conway it has been found that certain foods can trigger migraines, such as chocolate, aged cheeses, processed meats (e.g. sausage), and avocados to name a few. It is comforting to know that there are over the counter and prescription drugs that also alleviate my migraines, so that relief is possible.
From the reading it seems that Anne Conway’s migraines were in a cycle and a cycle can be extremely hard to break without the right treatment. It has been found that migraines are caused from the stimulation and constriction of crainal vessels. Therefore, the migraine cycles are hard to stop since the stimulation and constriction can keep going unless ceased by the needed treatment. From Zimmer’s description of Conway she never let her migraines stop her from continuing her education or even writing a book, and I find that commendable and inspiring. She didn’t let her migraines win, good for her!
Laine said that she wondered about the amount of dogs used for the injection experiments and I was curious about that too. The book has mentioned other experiments on humans and animals but for some reason these experiments seemed cruel; especially, the warm milk injection that caused the dog’s blood to curdle. However, I do agree with Laine that these experiments provided an understanding on what not to use for treating a sick person.
Finally, my mom has always said that the worst thing that could happen to a parent is the death of their child. Thomas Willis lost four children and this motivated him to find the cause of death of two siblings. I admire Willis for being so driven to come up with new theories on epilepsy and other kinds of convulsions.
This article "Pathophysiology and Treatment of Migraine and Related Headache" provides detailed information on my migraines and other types of headaches: http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic517.htm
Here is a site that lists some of the possible foods that trigger migraines:
http://www.webmd.com/migraines-headaches/guide/triggers-specific-foods
I found Chapter 9 to be one of the best chapters we have read in Soul Made Flesh so far. It kept my unwavering attention from beginning to end. I found myself greatly admiring Lady Conway for her strength and shrewd intelligence. It makes me proud that a woman in 1600 England willed herself to learn and understand the scientific and philosophical teachings limited only to men. I share Laine’s admiration of Thomas Willis for his unrelenting determination to find a cause behind Lady Conway’s headaches, even after her death. I also found it interesting that Willis was the only doctor mentioned by Zimmer who bothered to probe for details in Lady Conway’s history, in order to potentially come across a clue to the cause of her headaches. Being a superior physician does not solely involve diagnosing the physical ailments of a patient; one needs to be prepared for and cognizant of any psychological factors that may be behind an illness as well. I thought it was very insightful and admirable of Willis to recognize this.
Similar to Laine, I was also appalled with some of the experiments preformed and found myself wondering how many animal or human subjects had to sacrificed to propel the various fields of science to where they are today. However, I agree with Laine and Faith2112 that it was probably for the “greater good.”
The extent and destruction of the various plagues throughout history has always intrigued and disturbed me at the same time. Hence it was engrossing to read about Willis’ attempts to cure people afflicted with the deadly symptoms. I share Laine’s view of Willis as a sympathetic and self-less scientist and I remain amazed at the extent of influence his work has had on how we perceive both the natural sciences and philosophy today.
Some information regarding the social impacts of various plagues:
http://www.mellenpress.com/mellenpress.cfm?bookid=1161&pc=9
Some information regarding dignosing migraines:
http://www.jr2.ox.ac.uk/bandolier/booth/Migraine/Diagmig.html
For more information on:
1) Blood typing and transfusions: http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/landsteiner/readmore.html
2) Anne Conway and her correspondence with Henry More: http://books.google.com/books?id=V6nSSa8GQ7sC&dq=anne+conway&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=ocZXw1yR9x&sig=iYQBPs4yynBSvZTgEjV7VAw60dA#PPP1,M1
3) Mercury toxicity: http://www.emedicine.com/EMERG/topic813.htm
Two people in chapter 9 have caught my attention and captured my heart – Lady Anne Conway and of course Thomas Willis. I feel drawn toward these people for one reason: their nature. One is a woman fighting all odds to educate herself and others, and one is a man determined to understand science and find cures for any sickness presented to him.
Anne Conway seems to be some form of a poster child for the term Renaissance woman. Just like Laine, I too was amazed at Lady Conway’s quest to educate herself and even write her essay The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy, which was later discovered and published by Van Helmont (198), whose philosophy inspired Anne. What surprises me is the fact that she was able to do all this despite her physical ailment. Typically, during a prolonged period of illness, it is human nature to withdraw from pleasurable activities, let alone anything that requires any sort of physical or mental exertion. Anne Conway does not seem to fit in the mold of the typical human being, and for this I appreciate her.
The more I read about Thomas Willis, the higher he rises in my list of favourite people. In Chapter 9, Willis proves himself as not only an avid physician, but as an avid physician with a heart. I share Laine’s appreciation of Willis’s motivation in trying to find a cure for the dying children. FAITH2112 made a thought provoking comment. She quoted her mother saying, “the worst thing that could happen to a parent is the death of [his/her] child.” I imagine that it was with this sentiment that Willis felt an immense need to find a cure. I wish more physicians and scientists would share Willis’s passion.
But let me also mention the other attribute physicians must also possess. They must know how to distance themselves from the patient as well. For example, if Willis had to operate on any of his own children, chances are his hands might waver, or perhaps get clammy. If he himself had to find a cure for his dying children, it isn’t likely that he would be able to accomplish this task, as he would not be able to think rationally, or even in a calm manner, due to the pressing notion that his children are about to die.
Perhaps that is why being a physician is such a stressful job. One must find personal motivations to keep achieving greater lengths in patient treatment, as well as master the art of separating oneself from the patient, being reclusive of any bonds or ties that could cause his or her hands to waver.
In case the hyperlink failed to work, please visit the following site in order to view Anne Conway's The Principles of the Most Ancient and Modern Philosophy -
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/conway/principles/principles.html
I have to agree with my fellow blogger in that this chapter was interesting but in different way then the others. Unlike the other chapters this one was more personal because it spoke about the achievements of the characters lives. I enjoyed seeing how Willis past hard work has molded him into a well versed physician. Despite the fact that he was not able to cure Anne Conway of her aliments does not take away from his other successful medical treatments. I love the progression of his career from pisse to the pissy rich; wow there is something to be said for perseverance and hard work. Even with his success and wealth he still made house calls to the rich as well as the poor, this is the epitome of a true physician.
Another aspect of this chapter that I thoroughly enjoyed was the brief bio on the life of Anne Conway. It very empowering to read how her intellect would not be impede upon by the ignorant establishment not allowing women to be educated. However, I was a bit baffled by her illness, I wonder if it was more mental than physical. My reasoning for this assumption is how she received the treatment from the mystic healer Van Helmont. His form of treatment reminds me of psycho therapy maybe that was how she was able to perceive her inner peace and interpret that as some sort of pain relief.
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