Harrison M
Department of History, School of Cultural Studies, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.
Br J Hist Sci. 2000 Mar;33(116 Pt 1):25-48. doi: 10.1017/s0007087499003854.
After 1700, astrology lost the respect it once commanded in medical circles. But the belief that the heavens influenced bodily health persisted - even in learned medicine - until well into the nineteenth century. The continuing vitality of these ideas owed much to the new empirical and mechanical outlook of their proponents. Taking their cue from the work of Robert Boyle and Richard Mead, a number of British practitioners amassed statistical evidence which purported to prove the influence of the Moon upon fevers and other diseases. Such ideas flourished in the colonies and in the medical services of the armed forces, but their exponents were not marginal men. Some, like James Lind, were widely respected and drew support for their views from such influential figures as Erasmus Darwin.
1700年以后，占星术失去了它曾经在医学界所拥有的尊重。但是，认为天体影响身体健康的信念依然存在——即使在学术性医学领域也是如此——一直持续到19世纪。这些观念的持续活力在很大程度上归功于其支持者新的经验主义和机械论观点。一些英国从业者从罗伯特·波义耳和理查德·米德的著作中获得启发，积累了统计证据，声称证明了月球对发烧及其他疾病的影响。这些观念在殖民地和军队医疗服务中盛行，但它们的支持者并非边缘人物。有些人，比如詹姆斯·林德，广受尊敬，其观点还得到了伊拉斯谟·达尔文等有影响力人物的支持。
