Valde Melancholicus: Oliver Cromwell and Seventeenth-century Medicine in England
Open Access
Author:
Newcomer, Andrew Tyler
Area of Honors:
History
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts
Document Type:
Thesis
Thesis Supervisors:
Daniel Chapin Beaver, Thesis Supervisor Dr. Michael James Milligan, Thesis Honors Advisor
Keywords:
Oliver Cromwell medicine personal health political reputation mental physical
Abstract:
Oliver Cromwell will forever be known as one of the more polarizing figures within the extensive history of England. Numerous biographies have been published on the life of Cromwell, focusing on his political career, his military career, as well as his time as Lord Protector. This was a position unique to Oliver and briefly his son, Richard. This piece will examine the life of Cromwell through the lens of his medical reputation. From this text, it will be made clear that Cromwell’s personal reputation was significantly fixed upon this theme. Bouts of mania, madness, and melancholy all contributed to different understandings of Cromwell’s mental state. These mental ailments, towards the end of his life, were accompanied by failing physical health, which was more thoroughly documented by that time. Cromwell’s rise from an unknown country farmer to what was essentially royalty in all but name is therefore documented by his constitution. Through discussion of his health and medical practice in England, this rise to fame is portrayed through a fresh take on an oft studied figure in English history.