Thomas Raynalde facts for kids
Thomas Raynalde was an English doctor who lived in the 1500s. He is best known for translating or editing a very important book about childbirth. This book helped many people for over 100 years!
Contents
Who Was Thomas Raynalde?
Thomas Raynalde was a physician, which is another word for a doctor. He was active between 1540 and 1551. Not much is known about his personal life. However, his work had a big impact on medicine in England during his time.
The Byrth of Mankynde: A Famous Book
Raynalde is famous for his work on a book called The Byrth of Mankynde. Its full title was The Byrth of Mankynde, otherwyse named The Womans Booke. This book was published in 1545. It was a translation of an earlier book by a German writer named Eucharius Rösslin.
The book was incredibly popular. It was printed many times, perhaps as many as thirteen editions! People continued to use this book until 1654. This shows how important and useful it was for a very long time. It was one of the first books in English that explained how babies are born.
Why Was This Book Important?
In the 1500s, there wasn't much medical information available to everyone. Books like The Byrth of Mankynde helped share knowledge. It provided guidance on childbirth, which was a very dangerous time for women and babies back then. The book helped people understand more about the human body and how to care for mothers and newborns. It made important medical information available to more people than ever before.
Other Writings and His Identity
Thomas Raynalde is also thought to have written another book. This book was called A Compendious Declaration of the Excellent Vertues of a Certain Lateli Inventid Oile. It was published in 1551.
For a long time, people thought Thomas Raynalde might have been the same person as the printer who printed his books. The printer also had a very similar name. However, experts now believe they were two different people. Thomas Raynalde was the doctor and writer, while the other person was the one who printed the books.
