Connor Henry
Centre for the History of Medicine, University of Birmingham, UK
J Med Biogr. 2016 Feb;24(1):127-35. doi: 10.1177/0967772014527898. Epub 2014 Mar 27.
Lady Brilliana Harley was the redoubtable chatelaine of Brampton Bryan Castle in Herefordshire during the mid-seventeenth century. Her many letters reveal much about the medications which she dispensed to her family and about the family's medical attendants. Whenever possible the Harleys preferred to consult university-educated physicians rather than the local apothecary or surgeon. These physicians are all known from other sources but Brilliana's letters add to what is known of their provincial practices. In particular, they reveal their willingness to undertake blood-letting, often thought to be the province of the more lowly surgeon, and they emphasise the great distances travelled by these practitioners and the difficulties faced by two of them during the Civil War.
布里利亚娜·哈利夫人是17世纪中叶赫里福德郡布兰普顿·布莱恩城堡令人敬畏的女领主。她的众多信件揭示了许多关于她给家人配药的情况以及家庭的医护人员。只要有可能，哈利家族更喜欢咨询受过大学教育的医生，而不是当地的药剂师或外科医生。这些医生从其他来源都为人所知，但布里利亚娜的信件补充了关于他们在地方行医的已知信息。特别是，这些信件揭示了他们愿意进行放血治疗，而放血治疗通常被认为是地位较低的外科医生的工作领域，并且这些信件强调了这些从业者长途跋涉的距离以及他们中的两人在内战期间所面临的困难。
