Medical Thoughts of Shakespeare

The author surveys Shakespeare's medical references and portrayals, compiling numerous quotations to illustrate how ailments, treatments, practitioners, and anatomy appear across the plays. Organized into chapters on the physician, practice of medicine, surgery, obstetrics, physiology, anatomy, and pharmacy, the volume pairs textual examples with explanatory commentary and occasional supplementary medical observations from other writers. It examines representations of mental disturbance, fever, wounds, contagion, and therapeutics, and considers how dramatic characterization reflects contemporary medical beliefs and practice. The work highlights both the playwright's command of medical terminology and the use of medical detail to develop plot and character.