Tobias Venner (1577–1660) was an English physician and medical writer, born near North Petherton. He was known for his books aimed at the general public and his promotion of

thermal bath A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring (hydrology), spring water (sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa health treatments are known as balneotherapy. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters and Hot spring, ...

ing, particularly in the city of

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

Biography

Venner completed his Bachelor of Arts and his Master of Arts degrees respectively in 1595 and 1603 at Oxford's Alban's Hall and went to establish his practice in

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...

. He then received in 1613 a

Bachelor of Medicine A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

and

Doctor of Medicine A Doctor of Medicine (abbreviated MD, from the Latin language, Latin ) is a medical degree, the meaning of which varies between different jurisdictions. In the United States, and some other countries, the ''MD'' denotes a professional degree of ph ...

degree at Oxford with a dispensation for non-attendance at lectures. This kind of exemption was granted for various reasons, sometimes unclear, at Oxford at the turn of the 17th century. After marrying Agnes Jeffrye (died 1634), with whom he had four children, he settled in

and by 1630 he enjoyed a rather comfortable life there: the sales of his books and his medical practice flourished, and his three sons went to study medicine at Oxford University although one died before graduating. Tobias Venner died at Bath on 27 March 1660 at the age of 83, outliving all of his children and both wives. He was buried in

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

, where for many years a monument bore his name.

Works

From 1620 to 1660, various editions of his ''Via Recta ad Vitam Longam'' were published in

quarto Quarto (abbreviated Qto, 4to or 4º) is the format of a book or pamphlet produced from full sheets printed with eight pages of text, four to a side, then folded twice to produce four leaves. The leaves are then trimmed along the folds to produc ...

format in London. In addition to its endorsement of thermal waters at Bath), the book gave advice on hygiene and health as well as pursuing

Galen Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus (; September 129 – AD), often Anglicization, anglicized as Galen () or Galen of Pergamon, was a Ancient Rome, Roman and Greeks, Greek physician, surgeon, and Philosophy, philosopher. Considered to be one o ...

's theory of

humorism Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers. Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 17th ce ...

. Venner explains how working on six "non-naturals" factors (environment, diet, sleep, exercise, excretion, and the passions of the mind) could affect the balance of the

four humours Humorism, the humoral theory, or humoralism, was a system of medicine detailing a supposed makeup and workings of the human body, adopted by Ancient Greek and Roman physicians and philosophers. Humorism began to fall out of favor in the 17th ce ...

, blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile, and thus enhance one's quality of life and longevity. In regards to

obesity Obesity is a medical condition, considered by multiple organizations to be a disease, in which excess Adipose tissue, body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classifi ...

, he is credited in ''Via Recta'' with being one of the first to refer to it as a societal and individual disease in an English language publication. Tobias Venner also ventures into nutrition, for example by decrying

beef Beef is the culinary name for meat from cattle (''Bos taurus''). Beef can be prepared in various ways; Cut of beef, cuts are often used for steak, which can be cooked to varying degrees of doneness, while trimmings are often Ground beef, grou ...

and various fishes as indigestible, or by praising

potato The potato () is a starchy tuberous vegetable native to the Americas that is consumed as a staple food in many parts of the world. Potatoes are underground stem tubers of the plant ''Solanum tuberosum'', a perennial in the nightshade famil ...

as delightful and nutritious, as well as providing a recipe for

mead Mead (), also called honey wine, and hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alco ...

. In ''A briefe and accurate treatise concerning the taking of the fume of tobacco'' (1621), Venner considers

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

smoking, that was rising in popularity at that time, as a means of improving digestion and offsetting the detrimental effects of cold if taken with moderation, although he recommended it should not be taken for pleasure alone nor too often. Indeed, he foresaw the risk for the

lungs The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in many animals, including humans. In mammals and most other tetrapods, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart. Their function in the respiratory syste ...

to become "unapt for motion, to the great offence of the heart, and ruine at length of the whole body."

Bibliography

* ''Via Recta ad Vitam Longam'' (1620) * ''A briefe and accurate treatise concerning the taking of the fume of tobacco'' (1621) * ''The baths of Bathe'' (1628)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Venner, Tobias 17th-century English medical doctors People from Bath, Somerset 1577 births 1660 deaths