Philip Barrough, Elizabethan physician with the first English book on medicine.

Philip Barrough was an Elizabethan surgeon and physician who, in 1587, published the first book on medicine in the English language. In addition to a comprehensive presentation of the overall knowledge of medicine of the time, Barrough devoted several chapters to the diagnosis and management of the diseases of the teeth and diseases of the mouth and oropharynx. Very little is known about the life of Barrough, such as the dates of his birth and death and where he practiced medicine. It is curious that despite his major contribution to medicine, and the fact that his book went into seven editions, his name is not even mentioned in the major histories of medicine, such as those of Garrison, Castiglioni, Major, and Mettler. This paper attempts to place Barrough in his proper place in the history of medicine, and to emphasize his overall knowledge of medicine as well as his concern about diseases of the mouth and teeth.