Christopher Bennet (1617–1655) was an English physician, known as a writer on

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

__TOC__

Life

Born in

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, he was the son of John Bennet of Raynton. He entered

Lincoln College, Oxford Lincoln College (formally, The College of the Blessed Mary and All Saints, Lincoln) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom. Lincoln was founded in 1427 by Richard Flemin ...

in Michaelmas term 1632, graduating B.A. 24 May 1636, and M.A. 24 January 1639. Incorporated M.A. at Cambridge, he became M.D. there in 1646. On 11 September 1646 Bennett was admitted licentiate of the

College of Physicians of London The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of p ...

, on 16 July 1647 a candidate, and on 7 December 1649 a Fellow of the College, where he was censor in 1654. He practised first in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, and then in London, where he acquired a reputation. Bennet's life was cut short by

consumption Consumption may refer to: * Eating *Resource consumption *Tuberculosis, an infectious disease, historically known as consumption * Consumer (food chain), receipt of energy by consuming other organisms * Consumption (economics), the purchasing of n ...

, at the age of 38, on 30 April 1655. He was buried in

St Gregory by St Paul's St Gregory's by St Paul's was a parish church in the Castle Baynard ward of the City of London, built against the south-west tower of St Paul's Cathedral. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not replaced. History The church ...

, London.

Works

Bennet is known for his treatise on consumption, ''Theatri Tabidorum Vestibulum''. It deals with various forms of wasting disease, concentrating more with what would be now called

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

than on treatment. It makes constant reference to cases observed and to dissections, rather than to authority. The book gives the first illustration of an

inhaler An inhaler (puffer, asthma pump or allergy spray) is a medical device used for delivering medicines into the lungs through the work of a person's breathing. This allows medicines to be delivered to and absorbed in the lungs, which provides the ...

(the term itself was due to

John Mudge John Mudge (1721 – 26 March 1793) was a British physician and amateur creator of telescope mirrors. He won the Copley Medal in 1777 for a paper on reflecting telescopes. Life He was the fourth and youngest son of the Rev. Zachariah Mudge, by ...

in the 18th century). The overall approach has been noted as an example of the

Baconian method The Baconian method is the investigative method developed by Francis Bacon, one of the founders of modern science, and thus a first formulation of a modern scientific method. The method was put forward in Bacon's book ''Novum Organum'' (1620), or ...

. Bennet also edited ''Health's Improvement, or Rules for preparing all sorts of Food'' by Thomas Muffett, London 1655.

Notes

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Bennet, Christopher 1617 births 1655 deaths 17th-century English medical doctors English medical writers People from Somerset Alumni of Lincoln College, Oxford Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians Tuberculosis deaths in England 17th-century deaths from tuberculosis Tuberculosis researchers