http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/70 Tue, 03 Feb 2026 19:59:52 GMT 2026-02-03T19:59:52Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/3598 Title: Rhetorical Strategies and Generic Conventions Authors: Curtis, Todd Anthony Abstract: This is the first extensive comparative study that systematically illustrates how Galen tailors his rhetorical strategies according to the genre of literature he is using. This study is part of a growing body of literature which attempts to address the over-arching question posed by Prof. van der Eijk in Toward a Rhetoric of Ancient Scientific Discourse-'How was scientific knowledge expressed and communicated in the ancient world?'. The particular aim of this study is to provide insight into the interrelationship between scientific knowledge, genre and rhetoric in the Galenic Corpus. To illustrate this, six Galenic texts were selected as exemplars of different types of scientific communication: protreptic, prolegomena, medical commentary, isagogic text, thesis and scientific treatise. Each exemplar is systematically analysed in respect to its understood objective, participants (author/audience), structure, language, level of explanation and the kinds of proofs used. This analysis is informed both by modern linguistic theory as well as by ancient definitions and practices of the aforementioned types of discourse. The format of this study lends itself to drawing comparisons between the aforementioned texts. This study illustrates how Galen is a skilled communicator who adjusts his authorial posture, arguments and stylistic register to a broad range of communicative situations and audiences. Description: PhD Thesis Fri, 01 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/3598 2010-01-01T00:00:00Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/2944 Title: Medicine in flux :an examination of Lázaro de Soto's exegesis of Places in man Authors: Preston, Brianne Alysse Abstract: This thesis examines Lázaro de Soto's commentary on the Hippocratic text, Places in Man, which is included in his 1594 volume, Tomus primus commentationum in Hippocratis libros. Castilian medicine in the Renaissance has been the subject of only limited study in Anglophone literature. Moreover, de Soto himself has received even less attention and thus a contextualisation of this author and his commentary provides a unique opportunity to broaden our understanding of how ancient medicine was utilised by Renaissance physicians. A case study approach is employed to examine what can be learned about the author of the commentary himself, in addition to asking how this information can be extrapolated further to gain a greater understanding of early modern medicine. This thesis uses both de Soto's work and his biography to address these questions. Many issues that have informed de Soto's medical understanding are considered, including his education and career, and wider medical movements, such as Vesalianism and humanism. Additionally, specific areas of medicine are given special consideration, including anatomy, physiology, pathology and nosology, precepts and de Soto's reception of the Hippocratic author's ideology. In these explorations of de Soto's comments certain trends begin to emerge. The first, which de Soto states explicitly in his dedication, is a concern for the utilitas publica, as the author tries to provide useful medical information and clarification of the Hippocratic text for practical purposes. Moreover, de Soto uses his commentary as a means to demonstrate his humanist erudition, copiously citing ancient authors, both medical and literary. Finally, throughout de Soto's comments he champions the contested Galenism, rejecting newer theories and connecting Galenism to Places in Man in order to strengthen Galenic authority. In short, de Soto employs this commentary to further both his career and his Galenic understanding of medicine. Description: PhD Thesis Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/2944 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/2628 Title: Beyond the Sun King's bedside :Antoine Vallot and the broader identity of the premier médecin du roi in Louis XIV's reign Authors: Hawkes, Natalie Abstract: Antoine Vallot worked as premier médecin du roi (Chief Physician to the King) to Louis XIV of France from 1652 to 1671. In this position, he participated in some of the most important political and medical developments in early modern France. Yet without a single substantial biography to his name, he remains the least studied of the three successive premiers médecins who cared for Louis XIV during his personal reign. This thesis attempts to rectify this disparity, but not through the means of a traditional biography. Instead, it aims to shed greater light upon Vallot’s career as premier médecin, and his place in the world around him in this role, through an exploration of his interactions with contemporaries. The royal court of France, and the kingdom’s wider medical profession, provide the two main backdrops for this investigation. The relationships which Vallot sustained within these two environments are explored with the help of a broad range of source material, including personal correspondence, archival records from the king’s household and Vallot’s medical record for Louis XIV. Within the source material relating to the royal court, a picture emerges of an extremely prolific physician whose professional popularity contrasted with a distinct lack of social significance. Although this social shortcoming was exacerbated by a tumultuous relationship with the royal medical team, Vallot’s exchanges with some of the court’s most important ministers reveal the achievements he accomplished within another dynamic sphere of court life: patronage. In the kingdom’s medical profession, Vallot kept a measured distance from the heated discussions of his medical contemporaries working beyond the court. Behind this distance, however, lay ambitious plans to secure a uniquely authoritative voice within the medical world as premier médecin. Throughout this investigation attention is drawn to the emerging continuities that can be traced between Vallot’s experiences in the role of premier médecin, and those of his better-known professional successors. Description: PhD Thesis Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/2628 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/2625 Title: Landscape change :the case of two Pennine parishes Authors: Newton, Sheila Coralie Severn Abstract: The parishes of Edmundbyers and Muggleswick in the valley of the River Derwent on the borders of Northumberland and Durham have been relatively neglected archaeologically until recently. Historically they are linked because they formed a mediaeval estate which belonged to Durham Cathedral Priory before the Dissolution of the Monasteries. This thesis investigates certain of the changes that have taken place in the landscape of the parishes and the factors that have contributed to them, making comparisons with other parts of Britain to set the conclusions in context. Landscape archaeology theory is outlined, as well as topographical details and an account of the local history. The latter includes an examination of local place names which support the evidence of the development of the parishes. Three important influences on the landscape are discussed and assessed. Firstly climate and climate change, with the influences of famine and disease, are investigated. The effects of these factors on the landscape and, especially, the possible desertion of farms are also examined. Enclosure and improvement, particularly local but with comparisons to the country as a whole, are discussed. Fields and agricultural systems are particularly studies and provide evidence of landscape changes in the study parishes. The discovery of older boundaries within some of the fields is of especial interest. Communication systems, such as roads, can be the route by which the necessary knowledge for improvement is spread. The analysis of the development of communications in the study area demonstrates this. Some significant ancient routes and alterations to routes have been discovered. This research has contributed a great deal of information to the understanding of the development of the landscape in the Upper Derwent Valley. It has also shown that even a limited area such as this has potential for further investigation. Description: PhD Thesis Wed, 01 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT http://theses.ncl.ac.uk/jspui/handle/10443/2625 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z