Thomas Sydenham was a British physician lauded as a founder of clinical medicine and epidemiology. A manuscript of his famous “Medical Observations” bears this date in 1669. Because he believed in closely observing patients and keeping accurate records about them, Sydenham is often called “the English Hippocrates.” His “Medical Observations” became a widely used medical textbook until the 19th century. He also wrote about gout and fevers, and he was among the first to note that scarlet fever is different from measles.

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