{"product_id":"sir-thomas-browne-the-opium-of-time-hardcover","title":"Sir Thomas Browne: The Opium of Time - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eGavin Francis\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn this book, Gavin Francis writes about the resonance for him as a medic in reading the work of early modern polymath Sir Thomas Browne.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eSir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) was an English physician, wordsmith, and polymath who contributed hundreds of words to the English language (such as medical, electricity, migrant, and computer). After studying medicine in Montpellier, Padua, and Leiden, he settled in Norwich, where he practised as a doctor and wrote some of the greatest books of the seventeenth century, still read for their accessibility and eloquence. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSir Thomas Browne: The Opium of Time\u003c\/em\u003e, Dr Gavin Francis examines Browne's work through a variety of themes: ambiguity, curiosity, vitality, piety, humility, misogyny, mobility, and mortality. He argues that the work has lost little of its power and wisdom, and none of its beauty. \u003cem\u003eReligio Medici\u003c\/em\u003e ('Religion of the Doctor') examined the vexed question of faith in a God who, to a physician, seemed indifferent to suffering. \u003cem\u003ePseudodoxia Epidemica\u003c\/em\u003e ('Vulgar Errors') gave free rein to an agile curiosity and sought to debunk notions then commonly believed, such as that dead kingfishers indicate the direction of the wind, or that a woman could get pregnant from sharing a bath with a man. \u003cem\u003eUrne Buriall\u003c\/em\u003e was Browne's meditation on mortality, occasioned by a find of funerary urns, while \u003cem\u003eMuseum Clausum\u003c\/em\u003e ('Hidden Museum') sets out a series of thought experiments and counterfactuals, such as how history might have been different had Alexander the Great marched west instead of east. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGavin Francis draws on his own experiences as a twenty-first century writer and doctor to discover that although many centuries separate him from Browne, they share a fundamental curiosity about the world and about people.\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eGavin Francis, \u003cem\u003eGP and Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and the Royal College of General Practitioner\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eGavin Francis qualified in medicine from Edinburgh in 1999, then spent ten years travelling, visiting all seven continents. He is the author of seven award-winning books of non-fiction including \u003cem\u003eAdventures in Human Being, Island Dreams\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eRecovery: the Lost Art of Convalescence\u003c\/em\u003e. His work has been translated into eighteen languages. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and a Fellow of the Royal College of General Practitioners. He lives in Edinburgh, where he also works as a general practitioner.\u003cbr\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 176\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8 x 5.6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIllustrated:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e August 25, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48261945622749,"sku":"9780192858177","price":55.38,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0811\/9867\/8237\/files\/9GrXXGENPl9780192858177.webp?v=1785088259","url":"https:\/\/handfulofbooks.com\/products\/sir-thomas-browne-the-opium-of-time-hardcover","provider":"Handful of Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}