POE, Leonard | British History Online

Physicians and Irregular Medical Practitioners in London 1550-1640 Database. Originally published by Centre for Metropolitan History, London, 2004.

Citation:

Margaret Pelling, Frances White, 'POE, Leonard', in Physicians and Irregular Medical Practitioners in London 1550-1640 Database( London, 2004), British History Online https://prod.british-history.ac.uk/no-series/london-physicians/1550-1640/poe-leonard [accessed 31 October 2024].

Leonard POE

Biography


Name	Leonard POE (PO)
Gender	Male
Primary occupation	medical physician (MD) (?Deacon. Empiric. Royal Physician by 1609 (created MD 1615))
Period of medical practice	1588-1631
Place of birth	England (of Lincoln)
Date of death	4 Apr 1631
Address	Christ Church 1631 (will)
Other notes	Many powerful patrons => ELRCP 1596 LRCP 1606 FRCP 1609. Created MD Cantab 1615. See Birken thesis.
Medical specialities	French disease, fevers, rheumatism, epilepsy +

Known London address


	Christ Church
Parish	St Katherine Cree (Christ Church) [incl Holy Trinity Aldgate, St Mary Magdalen Aldgate, St Michael Aldgate]
Ward	Aldgate
Date	1631

College membership


Medical education (university)	Cambridge
Date of MD	1615
Date became Extra-Licentiate	13/06/1596
Date became Licentiate	11/12/1606
Date became Fellow	07/07/1609
Date of Fellowship	1609-1631
In trouble before membership	Yes
Other notes	Cre MD Cantab 1615. Powerful patrons.
Date of death	4 Apr 1631

Censorial hearings


	5 Dec 1589
Entry	P was summoned.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Summoned.
	19 Nov 1591
Entry	P was forbidden to practise.
Action taken	Forbidden to practise.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Forbidden to practise
	7 Dec 1592
Entry	Leonard Poe appeared and he confessed that he had practised medicine here in London for four years. He was enjoined to show in the next Comitia the letter obtained from and written on his behalf by the most worthy Councillors. This he faithfully promised to do.
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	P to reappear with his letter of authorization from the Councillors
	22 Dec 1592
Entry	P had not kept his promise to bring letters of support, but Dr Browne brought letter of authority addressed to Coll & JPs, dated 28 Feb 1592, signed by Arch Cant, Lord Threw, Lord Admiral, Lord Chamberlain, Lord Cobham, Lord Buckhurst, Mr Wolley, Ashley. Letter said P had been very successful as a physician and guaranteed his abilities.
Pressure applied by College	yes
	20 Jan 1593
Entry	The Earl of Essex had written again on P's behalf, dated 29 Dec 1592. He referred to his previous letters and was displeased that the College had not licensed P as he (E) had asked. He said he would continue to support and assist P. After discussion, College decided not to license P, but to discuss his case again.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	Licence refused but case to be discussed again.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	None. College to discuss the case again.
	22 April 1594
Entry	Letter was discussed. P to be summoned.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	P to be summoned.
	24 April 1594
Entry	P appeared. In deference to Essex the College tried to find some merit in him and asked only trivial questions, but he refused to be examined. He said he had cured one Craven of a liver obstruction, but failed to answer questions on it. He could not give the symptoms of pleurisy, and knew no Greek or Latin.
Attitude of the accused	defiant
Action taken	College to report to Essex.
	10 May 1594
Entry	Essex had sent another letter (Goodall 86-7, Annals 104b-105a). He complained of the continuing harrassment of P and insisted that P did good. He noted the licence granted to Banister and demanded a final answer (17 April 1594). College replied (Goodall 87, Annals 105b) - they accepted Davies, but P they found so ignorant that they cd find no grounds for licensing him, try as they would.
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	No licence granted.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	None
	23 Dec 1594
Entry	P was summoned.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Summoned.
	10 Jan 1595
Entry	P was asked to show his letters from the Queen's Council (Essex had given him a letter from himself and two of the Councillors).
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	P to show his new letter(s) of support.
Verdict	case not completed
	22 Dec 1595
Entry	Essex had sent ANOTHER letter on behalf of P. It was read, and Dr Giffard pleaded P's case, but the College was still not convinced.
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	No licence granted (still).
Verdict	case not completed
	18 Dec 1589
Entry	P was examined and found completely unlearned and ignorant. But because of the intervention of North and the Earl of Essex, he was excused fines for previous practice, though forbidden to practice in future.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	Excused fine, but forbidden to practise in future.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Forbidden to practise. Excused fine because of patrons.
	13 July 1596
Entry	P was to be licensed and allowed to practise medicine, but only for the French pox, intermittent tertian fever, skin diseases, the stone and gout. For all other fevers and diseases he was to summon the aid of a FRCP. He was to pay £4 p.a.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Action taken	LRCP (restricted).
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	To be licensed conditionally
	22 Dec 1597
Entry	P was summoned. Dr Smith accused him, on the evidence of a nobleman, Fitzwilliam, of having given pills to a woman, who died the same day.
Initiator of the complaint	college member
Second initiator of the complaint	person unconnected with the patient or the case
Action taken	?
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	1
	5 May 1598
Entry	P was accused by Juliana Skulls, a 'poor little woman' who was illiterate, of giving her husband a brown medicine on 19 April 1598, and another medicine at 6 a.m. next day; the husband died at 10 a.m. and attributed his death to his 'pretty supper'. P had said he would vomit 3-4 times and have 3-4 stools. Actually he vomited 5-6 times & died vomiting. P said it was Diasordium, suitable for putrid fever. In the morning, P had felt S's pulse and said that he had no sickness of the heart, only a great heat and cold.
Initiator of the complaint	spouse of the patient
Action taken	?
Number of crimes	1
	8 May 1598
Entry	P was absent, ill with the quinsy.
Action taken	Failed to appear.
Number of crimes	1
	26 June 1598
Entry	Because of P's practice he was to be fined 20 marks and imprisoned. The sentence was to be announced on Friday, 'at the usual place and time'.
Action taken	To be fined 20 marks and imprisoned.
Number of crimes	1
	30 June 1598
Entry	P appeared. The Censors gave their opinion about Skull's case: that the vomits had killed him. P should now forfeit his licence and go to Wood Street prison and remain there at their pleasure. P was not to be relicensed until a majority of the College thought it fit. If he complied (i.e. turned in his licence), his imprisonment wd be remitted. Censors hinted that this was because of his patrons.
Action taken	Expelled as LRCP and imprisoned. And fined 20 marks?
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Imprisoned in Wood Street, expelled as LRCP, ?and fined 20 marks
Number of crimes	1
	4 Aug 1598
Entry	P did not appear and he had not given up his licence. College concluded that he should be imprisoned.
Action taken	Failed to appear. To be imprisoned.
	24 Nov 1598
Entry	P had obtained a letter of protection from the Queen's Councillors warning that he was not to be arrested or imprisoned by anyone. He had shown it to the keepers of each of the prisons, and none dared arrest him. College had a considerable discussion on the case and decided to write to the Council asking for permission to bring a common-law suit against P. To be signed by Marbeck, Doylie & Paddy.
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	College wrote to Queen's Council asking permission to take P to law
	30 Nov 1598
Entry	Coll wrote long letter (Goodall 117-8), pointing out the legal position and asking to be allowed to use 'the ordinary course of law' against P, otherwise others would follow him and endanger the lives of EI's subjects. Various FRCPs to approach Lord Buckhurst, Essex, Lord Admiral, Archbishop of Canterbury, Secretary (Lord Cecil) & Lord Fortescue. Queen's Council replied, case to go to arbitration, 7-man panel (Lord Herbert, Master of Requests; Francis Bacon; SMITH, BROWNE, JAMES, Royal Physicians and FRCPs; Thomas Smith & William Wade, Clerks of Council).
Action taken	Letter written and sent. Council replied by setting up tribunal.
	11 Jan 1599
Entry	Commissioners reported that P should confess and acknowledge that he had offended the College by transgressing their licence, that their censure was just, acknowledge his fault & accept fine of 5 marks & give bond of £100 for good behaviour in future. He shd relinquish his licence until he did submit, when it would be returned.
Action taken	Arbitrators decided P should submit - fine 5 marks, bond £100.
	18 May 1590
Entry	P, deacon of Lincoln, sought a licence to practise in the French disease, fevers and rheumatism. He was examined, found to be ignorant and refused a licence. However, because of the representations of 'certain persons', his previous misdeeds were to be overlooked, but he was forbidden to practise in any part of medicine in the future.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	Examined and rejected. Not fined, but forbidden to practise.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Forbidden to practise. Excused fine because of patrons.
	16 Jan 1599
Entry	P appeared and followed the conditions precisely, paying into Dr Gilbert's hand the 5 marks fine. He delivered up his licence, which was to be given back at the next meeting (see next).
Action taken	P submitted to the College and paid 5 marks fine.
	22 Jan 1599
Entry	P's licence was redelivered to him.
Action taken	LRCP again.
	3 Feb 1599
Entry	One Higginson complained that P had given H's wife a potion on Thursday, a purgative on Friday and a fumigant on Sunday; she had died on the following Thursday from excessive purging.
Initiator of the complaint	spouse of the patient
Action taken	?
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	1
	5 July 1600
Entry	Dr Bright complained about P's treatment of one Palmer.
Initiator of the complaint	college member
Action taken	P ordered to appear.
Verdict	case not completed
Number of crimes	1
	25 June 1601
Entry	P was summoned and blamed for the death of a nobleman, Allen. The President and Censor examined him on the case. He said A had acute abdominal pains and vomiting for 2 days, but no fever. He had administered a clyster and had then suspected an imperfect pleurisy & had let blood by a surgeon A had sent for. Eventually P confessed he had not known what the disease was.
Attitude of the accused	confessed
Action taken	Fined £13.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Fined £13
Number of crimes	1
	22 Dec 1604
Entry	P was charged with practice in 'chlorosis or cacochymy'. He claimed they were skin diseases, for which he was licensed. He was warned not to use that pretext in future and that the College, not he, wd fix the limits of his licence.
Action taken	Warned ?and dismissed.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	Warned to keep within terms of licence
	30 Jan 1606
Entry	P asked for a general licence to extend the restricted one he already had. Rejected by a majority.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Action taken	Licence not extended to cover all diseases.
	11 Dec 1606
Entry	The Earls of Suffolk, Northampton and Salisbury sent a letter requesting a general licence for P. A majority of FRCPs this time allowed it, though the existing licence was extended rather than any new papers sealed.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	Licence extended to general permission.
	22 Dec 1606
Entry	A copy was made of P's licence, which WAS in fact a new document, i.e. letters patent.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Action taken	P's new Licence was copied.
	30 June 1590
Entry	The Earl of Essex had sent a letter on P's behalf, dated 20 May 1590. P was one of E's physicians, molested by the College for practising on his [whose?] friends. E was confident of P's abilities and there were numerous testimonies to it, e.g. MUFFETT (E's physician). E asked the College not to trouble P but to tolerate him. Coll replied, E was mistaken, P was dangerous, M had changed his mind.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	College refused to tolerate P.
	22 Dec 1590
Entry	The Earl of Essex wrote again about P.
Pressure applied by College	yes
Action taken	No decision.
	8 Jan 1591
Entry	P appeared.
Attitude of the accused	asked for College membership
Action taken	No decision.
	5 Feb 1591
Entry	Poe [among others] was to be asked to appear at the next Comitia.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	To be summoned to the next Comitia.
	5 March 1591
Entry	P was examined. He confessed to practising for 2 years and claimed to have cured many epileptics. Asked what epilepsy was, he said it was 'water gathered about the cells of the heart'. He gave an account of his cures for gonorrhea, melancholy and epilepsy. He was currently treating Ward, leatherseller, for fever, and Pemberton for red face. He habitually treated members of Essex's household.
Attitude of the accused	confessed
Action taken	To be fined £20.
Verdict	guilty
Sentence	To be fined £20
Number of crimes	2
	5 Nov 1591
Entry	P was summoned.
Attitude of the accused	absent
Action taken	Summoned.