The newest addition to my book collection arrived last week and it promises to be a very interesting read. Published in 1660, it contains three separate publications by Tobias Venner (1577-1660), dating to the early 1600’s, these are...
Via Recta ad Vitam Longam (1620)
A Briefe and accurate Treatise Concerning the taking of the Fume of Tobacco (1621)
The baths of Bathe (1628)
Difficult to describe properly, it’s a kind of advice book, medical and hygiene book, cook book and more all rolled into one. Apparently this book is the first in English to describe obesity as a societal affliction. The topics Venner covers are wide and many. Such subtitled passages include ‘Of Fish and the Flesh of Beats and Fowls’, ‘Whether Snow-Waters be in Goodness Matchable to River-Waters’, ‘Whether Beer be more Wholesome than Ale’ etc.
But it’s the ‘Treatise Concerning The Taking of the Fume of Tobacco’ that will be of interest here. I have only browsed the book but in this particular chapter he mentions the first people to ‘drink’ tobacco were of course the Native Americans but their method quite threw me.
“The hearbe TOBACCO is of much Antiquity and Reputation among the Indians of America. It is also called Nicotian".
“First they took the dried leaves of Tobacco, and cast them on the coals, then received the smoak of them at their mouth and nose with a cane, and continued the taking thereof so long, till they fell into a drunken trance and sleep, wherein they continued as dead three or four hours, according to the quantity of smoak that they had taken”.
He later states pipes were used and thrust into the mouth and nostrils to imbibe the smoke!
And the man himself...
I might get around to typing out the complete treatise (about 19 pages) as I'm sure it would be of interest.
Regards,
Jay.
Via Recta ad Vitam Longam (1620)
A Briefe and accurate Treatise Concerning the taking of the Fume of Tobacco (1621)
The baths of Bathe (1628)
Difficult to describe properly, it’s a kind of advice book, medical and hygiene book, cook book and more all rolled into one. Apparently this book is the first in English to describe obesity as a societal affliction. The topics Venner covers are wide and many. Such subtitled passages include ‘Of Fish and the Flesh of Beats and Fowls’, ‘Whether Snow-Waters be in Goodness Matchable to River-Waters’, ‘Whether Beer be more Wholesome than Ale’ etc.
But it’s the ‘Treatise Concerning The Taking of the Fume of Tobacco’ that will be of interest here. I have only browsed the book but in this particular chapter he mentions the first people to ‘drink’ tobacco were of course the Native Americans but their method quite threw me.
“The hearbe TOBACCO is of much Antiquity and Reputation among the Indians of America. It is also called Nicotian".
“First they took the dried leaves of Tobacco, and cast them on the coals, then received the smoak of them at their mouth and nose with a cane, and continued the taking thereof so long, till they fell into a drunken trance and sleep, wherein they continued as dead three or four hours, according to the quantity of smoak that they had taken”.
He later states pipes were used and thrust into the mouth and nostrils to imbibe the smoke!
And the man himself...
I might get around to typing out the complete treatise (about 19 pages) as I'm sure it would be of interest.
Regards,
Jay.
