Walter Charleton (2 February 1619 – 24 April 1707) was a

natural philosopher Natural philosophy or philosophy of nature (from Latin ''philosophia naturalis'') is the philosophical study of physics, that is, nature and the physical universe, while ignoring any supernatural influence. It was dominant before the developme ...

and English writer. According to Jon Parkin, he was "the main conduit for the transmission of

Epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded 307 BCE based upon the teachings of Epicurus, an ancient Greek philosopher. Epicurus was an atomist and materialist, following in the steps of Democritus. His materialism led him to religious s ...

ideas to England".Jon Parkin, ''Science, Religion and Politics in Restoration England: Richard Cumberland's De Legibus Naturae'' (1999), p. 149.

Life

He was the son of the rector of

Shepton Mallet Shepton Mallet is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England, some southwest of Bath, Somerset, Bath, south of Bristol and east of Wells, Somerset, Wells. It had an estimated population of 10,810 in 2019. ...

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 ...

, where he was born 2 February 1619. He received his early education from his father, and when sixteen entered

Magdalen Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

, under the tuition of

John Wilkins John Wilkins (14 February 1614 – 19 November 1672) was an English Anglican ministry, Anglican clergyman, Natural philosophy, natural philosopher, and author, and was one of the founders of the Royal Society. He was Bishop of Chester from 1 ...

. At the early age of 22 (1641) he received the degree of M.D. and in the same year was appointed physician to Charles I, who was then at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

. In 1650 Charleton settled in London, and was on 8 April admitted a candidate of the

College of Physicians A college (Latin: ''collegium'') may be a tertiary educational institution (sometimes awarding degrees), part of a collegiate university, an institution offering vocational education, a further education institution, or a secondary school ...

. A royalist, he was appointed physician to the exiled king Charles II but remained in London writing, in Russell Street,

Covent Garden Covent Garden is a district in London, on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist sit ...

. :s:Charleton, Walter (DNB00) He was continued in his office of physician at the Restoration, and was one of the first elected

fellows of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1663; on 23 January 1676 he was admitted a

fellow of the Royal College of Physicians 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 ph ...

. He gave the first lectures delivered in the Cutlerian Theatre in Warwick Lane, in 1680 delivered the Harveian oration, and was president in 1689 and 1691. After his last year of presidency at the College of Physicians, Charleton left London and a dwindling medical practice. He retired to

Nantwich Nantwich ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East in Cheshire, England. It has among the highest concentrations of listed buildings in England, with notably good examples of Tudor and Georgian architecture ...

; but returned to London, and was senior censor in the College of Physicians from 1698 to 1706, and delivered Harveian orations in 1680, 1702 and 1706, when he was also appointed Harveian librarian. He died 24 April 1707. He had in early life read much in Van Helmont, and spent time in reading and composition, rather than with patients.

Thomas Hobbes Thomas Hobbes ( ; 5 April 1588 – 4 December 1679) was an English philosopher, best known for his 1651 book ''Leviathan (Hobbes book), Leviathan'', in which he expounds an influential formulation of social contract theory. He is considered t ...

, Lord Dorchester, Sir Francis Prujean and George Ent were his friends.

Work

He was a copious writer also on

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, and

antiquities Antiquities are objects from antiquity, especially the civilizations of the Mediterranean such as the Classical antiquity of Greece and Rome, Ancient Egypt, and the other Ancient Near Eastern cultures such as Ancient Persia (Iran). Artifact ...

, and published '' Chorea Gigantum'' (1663) to prove that

Stonehenge Stonehenge is a prehistoric Megalith, megalithic structure on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, to ...

was built by the

Danes Danes (, ), or Danish people, are an ethnic group and nationality native to Denmark and a modern nation identified with the country of Denmark. This connection may be ancestral, legal, historical, or cultural. History Early history Denmark ...

. Charleton claimed it was used by them as a place of assembly, and of the inauguration of kings. The only argument is that similar stone works exist in Denmark, a fact supplied to Charleton by the Danish antiquary, Wormius, with whom he had corresponded on the book of

Inigo Jones Inigo Jones (15 July 1573 – 21 June 1652) was an English architect who was the first significant Architecture of England, architect in England in the early modern era and the first to employ Vitruvius, Vitruvian rules of proportion and symmet ...

in which Stonehenge is said to be a Roman temple. The ''Chorea Gigantum'' had a poem by

John Dryden John Dryden (; – ) was an English poet, literary critic, translator, and playwright who in 1668 was appointed England's first Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate. He is seen as dominating the literary life of Restoration (En ...

written in its praise, the ''Epistle to Dr. Charleton'', prefixed to the presentation copy given to the king. He was one of the "character" writers, and in this kind of literature wrote an essay '' A Brief Discourse concerning the Different Wits of Men'' (1675).

Publications

* ''Deliramenta Catarrhi'' (1650) * ''The Darknes of

Atheism Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the Existence of God, existence of Deity, deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the ...

Dispelled by the Light of Nature: a physico-theologicall treatise'' (1652) * ''Physiologia Epicuro-Gassendo-Charletoniana, or a Fabrick of Science Natural, upon the Hypothesis of

Atoms Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished from each other ...

'' (1654; largely based on Pierre Gassendi's ''Animadversiones'', 1649) * ''Epicurus's Morals'' (1656) * ''The immortality of the human soul demonstrated by the light of nature'', London 1657. * ''Dissertatio epistolica de ortu animae humanae, Lugd niBatav

rum Rum is a liquor made by fermenting and then distilling sugarcane molasses or sugarcane juice. The distillate, a clear liquid, is often aged in barrels of oak. Rum originated in the Caribbean in the 17th century, but today it is produced i ...

' 1658. * ''Oeconomia Animalis'' (1659) * ''Natural history of nutrition, life, and voluntary motion'', London: Henry Herringman 1659. * ''The Ephesian and Cimmerian Matrons'', 1659. * ''Chorea Gigantum'' (1663) * ''Natural History of the Passions'' (1674; previously believed to be based on Jean-François Senault's ''De l'usage des passions'', 1641) * ''Two Discourses: 1. Concerning the Different Wits of Men, 2. Of the Mysterie of Vintners'', London: William Whitwood 1669. * ''Enquiries into human nature'', London 1680. * ''The Harmony of Natural and Divine Laws'' (1682) * ''Three anatomic lectures'', London: Walter Kettilby 1683.

Notes

References

* Emily Booth (2005) ''A Subtle and Mysterious Machine: The Medical World of Walter Charleton (1619–1707)'' * Sabina Fleitmann, ''Walter Charleton (1620–1707), "Viruoso": Leben und Werke'', Frankfurt: Peter Lang 1986. * Anna Maria Oller Adam, ''Walter Charleton (1620–1707): Filosofia Natural, Teologia Natural y Ètica'', PhD diss., Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona 1995. * Nina Tomaszewski (2018) ''Walter Charleton's "The Ephesian Matron / Matrona Ephesia". Contextual studies, bilingual edition and commentary'' ;Attribution * *

External links

Biography at the Royal College of Physicians

Encycolopedia.com, Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography, "Walter Charlton"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charleton, Walter English ornithologists 17th-century English philosophers 18th-century English philosophers Original fellows of the Royal Society English naturalists 1619 births 1707 deaths Alumni of Magdalen Hall, Oxford Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians