Tobias Venner facts for kids
Tobias Venner (born 1577, died 1660) was an English doctor and writer. He was born near North Petherton. He became famous for writing books for everyone, not just other doctors. He also really liked and promoted thermal bathing, especially in the city of Bath.
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Tobias Venner's Life Story
Tobias Venner studied at Alban's Hall in Oxford. He earned his first degree in 1595 and a master's degree in 1603. After finishing his studies, he started his medical practice in Bridgwater.
In 1613, he received his Bachelor of Medicine and Doctor of Medicine degrees from Oxford. He was given a special permission to get these degrees without attending all the usual classes. This kind of permission was sometimes given for different reasons back then.
Venner married Agnes Jeffrye, and they had four children. After getting married, he moved to Bath. By 1630, he was living a very comfortable life. His medical practice was busy, and his books sold well. His three sons even went to Oxford University to study medicine, though one sadly passed away before finishing his studies.
Tobias Venner died in Bath on March 27, 1660. He was 83 years old. He lived longer than all of his children and both of his wives. He was buried in Bath Abbey. For many years, there was a special monument there with his name on it.
Tobias Venner's Books and Ideas
From 1620 to 1660, Tobias Venner published many versions of his most famous book, Via Recta ad Vitam Longam. This title means "The Right Way to a Long Life."
Advice for a Healthy Life
In Via Recta ad Vitam Longam, Venner strongly supported using the warm waters at Bath. But the book also gave lots of advice on how to stay healthy and clean. He followed an old idea called Galen's theory of humorism. This theory suggested that our bodies have four main fluids, or "humours": blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile. People believed that if these humours were balanced, you would be healthy.
Venner explained how six "non-naturals" could affect the balance of these humours. These "non-naturals" were:
- Your environment (where you live)
- Your diet (what you eat)
- How much you sleep
- How much you exercise
- How your body gets rid of waste
- Your feelings and emotions
He believed that by managing these six factors, people could improve their health and live longer.
Views on Food and Body Weight
In Via Recta, Tobias Venner was one of the first people in an English book to talk about obesity as a health problem for both individuals and society. He also wrote about nutrition. For example, he thought beef and some fish were hard to digest. But he praised potatoes, saying they were tasty and good for you. He even included a recipe for mead, a drink made from honey.
Thoughts on Tobacco
In another book, A briefe and accurate treatise concerning the taking of the fume of tobacco (published in 1621), Venner wrote about tobacco smoking. Smoking was becoming very popular at that time. He thought that if used in small amounts, tobacco could help with digestion and warm the body. However, he warned that it should not be used just for fun or too often. He even predicted that too much smoking could make the lungs "unapt for motion," which means they wouldn't work well. He said this could harm the heart and eventually "ruin the whole body."
