Friday, September 14, 2012

What the heck does "Primitive Physick" mean?


And why would anyone name their blog after it?  John Wesley believed that the Church should return to the model of the early and original formation of the Body of believers, especially the Church before Constantine (272-337 AD).  To him, “primitive” meant early or original.[1]  “Physick” was a term indicating health care, especially “how to live in accordance with nature by proper diet and exercise, both to restore health and to retain it,” says Randy Maddox.[2]  We would probably use the term “holistic medicine” as the modern meaning of “physick.”

 So John titled his health care book “Primitive Physick.”  I called this blog primitivephysick because I wanted to understand the health care of the early Methodists, and then share it with you in an entertaining and interesting way.  Please, however, note that I am citing resources the same as I would for a term paper, so you know the info is legit.


[1] Snyder, Howard.  Northern Nazarene University. Quoted from http://weley.nnu.edu/johnwesley/translating-wesley’s-writings-into-late-20th-century-american-general-english, accessed 1 September 2012.
[2] Maddox, Randy.  “John Wesley on Holistic Health and Healing” in Methodist History, 46:1 (October 2007), 4-33.


Frontispiece from one of the editions of "Primitive Physick" by the Rev. John Wesley. Source: Wellcome Library, London.

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