Guy Patin and his martyrology of those dead because of antimony

Abstract

Antimony was a chemical drug, similar to arsenic and lead, which was used in medicine since the 16th century. It brought intense controversy: for his supporters, it possessed exceptional properties, with three simultaneous effects, summarized by Libavius formula : vomere, cacare, sudare ... appreciable qualities at a time when Humorous theory was anchored in the minds. The detractors of antimony, among whom Guy Patin (1602-1671), pointed out that many patients treated with this remedy died... Patin's reflexions against the use of antimony in medicine are found in his letters, with a cumulative list of accidents that Patin liked to call his "martyrology of antimony", an expression he used, for example, in a letter to Andri Falconet on March 20, 1654. Our aim is to place Guy Patin's writings in the medical and social debate of his time, when several writers such as Benserade, Molire and Boileau also participated.