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Talk title: ‘Madding in Novelties’: Debating waters in seventeenth century England

Abstract:

In 1656, physician Richard Short complained that ‘the whole world runs a madding in novelties, and our English men will not be left behind.’ Short’s complaint was with what he perceived to be a recent, dangerous uptick in those expressing opinions that water was safe to drink. These tracts championing water consumption, as well as work by the likes of Short deriding them, formed a substantive debate that raged over the seventeenth century. These arguments over the status of water, the body, and health in early modern England highlight that attitudes towards water’s consumption was far from settled at this time, regardless of prevailing historical myth. This talk explores the intellectual ideas backing up such debate, and the place of water more generally in society at this time to demonstrate the complexity of understanding water in the time before H₂O.

Hybrid seminar: Please for the meeting link in case you want to attend online.