‘Astrology is higher and nobler than medicine and every physician must be an astrologer’: Astrologer-Physicians and their Working Practices c. 1580-1680. (360G-Wellcome-203327_Z_16_Z)

My thesis will explore the working practices of early modern astrologer-physicians, as they were shaped and informed by the Astrological Figure. Broadly, the aims are twofold: firstly, to reconstruct the organisation, routines, rituals, encounters and processes of an early modern astrological-medical practice; secondly, to interrogate an astrologer-physician’s understanding and application of the evidence contained within the Figure. A number of new perspectives and important new research questions will be introduced: How did the Figure shape the processes of astrological-medical practice? How did the Figure inform an astrologer-physician’s construction and imaging of disease, illness or other condition in the body or mind? How did the Figure inform an astrologer-physician’s diagnosis, prognosis and treatment? How closely was astrological theory adhered to in terms of interpretation/response? Engaging with a fine level of detail, a unique combination of material will be analysed and integrated: printed vernacular astrological guides/manuscripts and astrological-medical casebooks. Personal correspondence, autobiographies and almanacs will be examined, together with astrologer-physicians’ source material. The structure of this thesis will follow the procedural steps of the early modern astrological-medical consultation (the Encounter, Process, and Response), simultaneously working within the classifications of astrology as presented in texts of the time.