Horstius, James

, an eminent physician, was born at Torgau in 1537; and took the degree of M. D. in the | university of Francfort on the Oder, in 1562. He was offered the place of public physician in several places; and he practised successively at Sagan and Suidnitz in Silesia, and at Iglaw in Moravia, till 1580, when he was made physician in ordinary to the archduke of Austria; and four years after, quitting that place, was promoted to the medical professorship in the university of Helmstadt. The oration he delivered at his installation, “Of the Difficulties which attend the Study of Physic, and the means to remove them,” a very good one, is printed with his “Epistolse Philosophic” & Medicinales,“Lips. 1596, 8vo. Upon entering on this post, he distinguished himself by what was thought a great singularity; he joined devotion to the practice of physic. He always prayed to God to bless his prescriptions; and he published a form of prayer upon this subject, which he presented to the university. He acquitted himself worthily in his functions, and published some books which kept up the reputation he had already acquired, but among them was one which produced a contrary effect, his” Dissertation upon the Golden Tooth of a child in Silesia;“concerning which he suffered himself to be egregiously imposed upon. Van Dale has related in what manner this imposture was discovered. Horstius, in the mean time, took it for a great prodigy, which ought to be a comfort to those Christians who were oppressed by the Turks; as certainly foreboding the downfall of the Ottoman empire. Horstius’s dissertation was published at Leipsic, in 1595, 8vo, with another piece of his writing,” De Noctambulis,“or” Concerning those who walk in their sleep." He died about 1600. ¹