Charles de Lorme
Encyclopedia
Charles de Lorme, Delorme, d'lorm, or De l'Orme (1584–1678), was a medical doctor. Charles was the son of Jean Delorme (a professor at Montpellier University), who was the primary doctor to Marie de' Medici
. This ultimately opened doors for Charles' medical career soon after he graduated from the University of Montpellier
in 1607 at the age of 23. He first came to Paris after graduation to practice medicine under the watchful eye of his father, until he was ready to practice as a regular doctor on his own. There are no records of his marriages, except that he married for the third time at the age of 78. This wife died within a year.
Charles was the personal physician to several members of the royal family of the House of Medici from 1610 to 1650. He was the main doctor to Louis the Just
after his father retired and additionally became the primary physician to the king's brother Gaston, Duke of Orléans
starting in 1629.
Charles was the chief physician of three French kings, Henri IV
, Louis XIII
and Louis XIV
. He was very reputable in his profession as a doctor. He acquired the friendship of Cardinal Richelieu and Chancellor Pierre Séguier
, who granted him a pension.
Through his father's influence, a professor at the University of Montpellier
, he learned Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian. He also influenced Charles' education in the medical field. Charles did nine theses while he was a student at the University of Montpellier. They were in Latin and Greek and were published and sold in Paris in 1608.
The following are some of these theses.
The following were four theses, dedicated to the Chancellor de Sillery, that Charles wrote after October 30, 1607.
as a spa town to Europe. Charles was the heir to his father's interest in the spa town
, however for some unknown reason promoted the rival spa town of Bourbon-l'Archambault
. Charles profited hugely from promoting the spa in this town. He was accused with the proverb d'avoir pris pension des habitants pour y faire aller bien du monde ("to have boarded the inhabitants in order to make the world go well") because of his enthusiasm for this rival spa. Charles gave the spa of Bourbon-l'Archambault its excellent reputation in the European upper class
.
of antimony
(a.k.a. stibnite
, an ingredient used in a certain eye cosmetic
) to Henry IV
, Louis XIII
, Cardinal Mazarin, and Madame de Sevigné
as a health-preserving, health-restoring and life extending preparation. This concept was originally started by Basil Valentine in his work Currus Triumphalis Antimonii ("The triumphal chariot of antimony"); who obtained the idea of medical benefits from Paracelsus
(1480–1541). Charles claimed "qui plus en boira, plus il vivra" (He who drinks more will live more). Some of the patients to whom he prescribed this concoction were Guez de Balzac
, who lived to the age of 70, Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
, who lived to the age of 75, and Daniel Huet
, who lived to the age of 91. Charles himself nearly became a centenarian
.
Marie de' Medici
Marie de Médicis , Italian Maria de' Medici, was queen consort of France, as the second wife of King Henry IV of France, of the House of Bourbon. She herself was a member of the wealthy and powerful House of Medici...
. This ultimately opened doors for Charles' medical career soon after he graduated from the University of Montpellier
University of Montpellier
The University of Montpellier was a French university in Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon région of the south of France. Its present-day successor universities are the University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier 2 University and Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III.-History:The university...
in 1607 at the age of 23. He first came to Paris after graduation to practice medicine under the watchful eye of his father, until he was ready to practice as a regular doctor on his own. There are no records of his marriages, except that he married for the third time at the age of 78. This wife died within a year.
Charles was the personal physician to several members of the royal family of the House of Medici from 1610 to 1650. He was the main doctor to Louis the Just
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
after his father retired and additionally became the primary physician to the king's brother Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston, Duke of Orléans
Gaston of France, , also known as Gaston d'Orléans, was the third son of King Henry IV of France and his wife Marie de Medici. As a son of the king, he was born a Fils de France. He later acquired the title Duke of Orléans, by which he was generally known during his adulthood...
starting in 1629.
Charles was the chief physician of three French kings, Henri IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
and Louis XIV
Louis XIV of France
Louis XIV , known as Louis the Great or the Sun King , was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre. His reign, from 1643 to his death in 1715, began at the age of four and lasted seventy-two years, three months, and eighteen days...
. He was very reputable in his profession as a doctor. He acquired the friendship of Cardinal Richelieu and Chancellor Pierre Séguier
Pierre Séguier
-Early years:Born in Paris, France of a prominent legal family originating in Quercy. His grandfather, Pierre Séguier , was président à mortier in the parlement of Paris from 1554 to 1576, and the chancellor's father, Jean Séguier, a seigneur d'Autry, was civil lieutenant of Paris at the time of...
, who granted him a pension.
Biography
One biography describes him as having nice features including a good complexion, and a strong distinct voice. He also had an excellent volubility of language, an elegant ease of speech, and a good memory. He was generally open minded, had a great wit, and spoke with authority. Charles claims he was a direct descendant of Jacques de L'Orme, one of those who worked on the reform of the Custom of Bourbonnais.Through his father's influence, a professor at the University of Montpellier
University of Montpellier
The University of Montpellier was a French university in Montpellier in the Languedoc-Roussillon région of the south of France. Its present-day successor universities are the University of Montpellier 1, Montpellier 2 University and Paul Valéry University, Montpellier III.-History:The university...
, he learned Latin, Greek, Spanish and Italian. He also influenced Charles' education in the medical field. Charles did nine theses while he was a student at the University of Montpellier. They were in Latin and Greek and were published and sold in Paris in 1608.
The following are some of these theses.
- Convient-il d'employer les mêmes remèdes avec les amants qu'avec les déments?
- Should one use the same remedies for lovers as are used for the insane?
- Une fièvre pestilente peut-elle être intermittente?
- Can pestilential fever be intermittent?
- La guimauve est-elle un être vivant, et a-t-elle les propriétés que lui accordent Dioscoride et Galien ?
- Is the althaea officinalisAlthaea officinalisAlthaea officinalis is a species indigenous to Africa, which is used as a medicinal plant and ornamental plant...
a living being, and does it have the properties which Pedanius DioscoridesPedanius DioscoridesPedanius Dioscorides was a Greek physician, pharmacologist and botanist, the author of a 5-volume encyclopedia about herbal medicine and related medicinal substances , that was widely read for more than 1,500 years.-Life:...
and GalenGalenAelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...
ascribe to it?
- Is the althaea officinalis
The following were four theses, dedicated to the Chancellor de Sillery, that Charles wrote after October 30, 1607.
- La vie des rois, des princes et des grands est-elle moins exposée à la maladie et plus longue que telle des gens du peuple et des paysans?
- Are the lives of kings, princes and great men less exposed to disease and longer than common people and peasants?
- Les vésicants sont-ils bons pour les douleurs arthritiques?
- Are blister-causing agents good for arthritis pain?
- Peut-on préparer un poison qui tue à une époque déterminée?
- Can one prepare a poison that kills at a certain time?
- Est-il permis, quand une femme enceinte souffre d'une maladie aiguë, de lui prescrire des abortifs?
- Is it permissible, when a pregnant woman suffers from an acute illness, to prescribe her an abortion?
Mineral baths and spas
Jean De Lorme, Charles' father, was one of two doctors from Moulins that introduced Bourbon-LancyBourbon-Lancy
Bourbon-Lancy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.It is a rural town on the Loire River with a walled medieval area on the dominant hill...
as a spa town to Europe. Charles was the heir to his father's interest in the spa town
Spa town
A spa town is a town situated around a mineral spa . Patrons resorted to spas to "take the waters" for their purported health benefits. The word comes from the Belgian town Spa. In continental Europe a spa was known as a ville d'eau...
, however for some unknown reason promoted the rival spa town of Bourbon-l'Archambault
Bourbon-l'Archambault
Bourbon-l'Archambault is a spa town and a commune in the Allier department in Auvergne in central France.-Population:-Personalities:In 1681, Louise Marie Anne de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Tours, the third daughter of Louis XIV and his mistress Françoise-Athénaïs, marquise de Montespan died there at...
. Charles profited hugely from promoting the spa in this town. He was accused with the proverb d'avoir pris pension des habitants pour y faire aller bien du monde ("to have boarded the inhabitants in order to make the world go well") because of his enthusiasm for this rival spa. Charles gave the spa of Bourbon-l'Archambault its excellent reputation in the European upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
.
Antimony
Charles became wealthy in a medical practice of prescribing a concoctionConcoction
A concoction is, strictly speaking, a combination of various ingredients, usually herbs, spices, condiments, powdery substances or minerals, mixed up together, minced, dissolved or macerated into a liquid so as they can be ingested or drunk...
of antimony
Antimony
Antimony is a toxic chemical element with the symbol Sb and an atomic number of 51. A lustrous grey metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite...
(a.k.a. stibnite
Stibnite
Stibnite, sometimes called antimonite, is a sulfide mineral with the formula Sb2S3. This soft grey material crystallizes in an orthorhombic space group. It is the most important source for the metalloid antimony...
, an ingredient used in a certain eye cosmetic
Kohl (cosmetics)
Kohl is an ancient eye cosmetic. It was made by grinding galena and other ingredients. It is widely used in South Asia, the Middle East, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and parts of West Africa to darken the eyelids and as mascara for the eyelashes...
) to Henry IV
Henry IV of France
Henry IV , Henri-Quatre, was King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. He was the first monarch of the Bourbon branch of the Capetian dynasty in France....
, Louis XIII
Louis XIII of France
Louis XIII was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and of Navarre from 1610 to 1643.Louis was only eight years old when he succeeded his father. His mother, Marie de Medici, acted as regent during Louis' minority...
, Cardinal Mazarin, and Madame de Sevigné
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné
Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sévigné was a French aristocrat, remembered for her letter-writing. Most of her letters, celebrated for their wit and vividness, were addressed to her daughter.-Life:...
as a health-preserving, health-restoring and life extending preparation. This concept was originally started by Basil Valentine in his work Currus Triumphalis Antimonii ("The triumphal chariot of antimony"); who obtained the idea of medical benefits from Paracelsus
Paracelsus
Paracelsus was a German-Swiss Renaissance physician, botanist, alchemist, astrologer, and general occultist....
(1480–1541). Charles claimed "qui plus en boira, plus il vivra" (He who drinks more will live more). Some of the patients to whom he prescribed this concoction were Guez de Balzac
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac
Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac was a French author, best known for his epistolary essays, which were widely circulated and read in his day. He was one of the founding members of Académie française.-Biography:...
, who lived to the age of 70, Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux
Nicolas Boileau-Despréaux was a French poet and critic.-Biography:Boileau was born in the rue de Jérusalem, in Paris, France. He was brought up to the law, but devoted to letters, associating himself with La Fontaine, Racine, and Molière...
, who lived to the age of 75, and Daniel Huet
Pierre Daniel Huet
Pierre Daniel Huet was a French churchman and scholar, editor of the Delphin Classics, founder of the Academie du Physique in Caen and Bishop of Soissons from 1685 to 1689 and afterwards of Avranches.-Life:...
, who lived to the age of 91. Charles himself nearly became a centenarian
Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
.
Sources
- Astruc, Jean, Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire de la Faculté de médecine de Montpellier, P.G. Cavelier, 1767
- Bernardin, Maurice Napoleon, Men and manners (French), 1900
- Sneader, Walter, Drug discovery: a history, John Wiley and Sons, 2005, ISBN 0471899801
- Thomas, Joseph, Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology, Volume 1,
- Tibayrenc, Michel, Encyclopedia of infectious diseases: Modern methodologies, Wiley-Liss, 2007, ISBN 0471657328