John Locke’s medical writings share many of the same medical ideas as those of his contemporary and friend, Thomas Sydenham. Yet Locke made no great innovations medicine, unlike in his philosophical and political writings. This paper argues this is because he shared a basic theological understanding of medicine which was common in early modern Europe. This was a theological voluntarism he shared with Sydenham and his other friends in the medical profession. It notes how medicine was a matter of non-technical learning in the early modern period, dependent upon personal demonstration for the transmission of medical knowledge. The article compares Locke’s religious beliefs with those of Sydenham, demonstrating their similarity. It then examines Locke’s medical writings, and shows the influence of this theological voluntarism on his medical thinking.
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