And plenty of people were better doctors than doctors were. Theodore Dalrymple had a column proving that Shakespeare did _not_ have a formal medical education,

And plenty of people were better doctors than doctors were. Theodore Dalrymple had a column proving that Shakespeare did _not_ have a formal medical education, because he described symptoms correctly. (He contrasted this with a book by a practicing doctor from the time, who described patients purely in terms of the four humors -- creating fanciful descriptions unrecognizable to a modern practitioner.) Come to think of it, there was also a book published a few years ago about US president James Garfield's death in the late 19th century. He didn't die of being shot in the back; he died of receiving the best medical care in the world.