Joannes Wierus ( Johan Weyer) 1515-1588 Witchcraft authority. Born in Brabant, he studied under Cornelius Agrippa, who was reputed to be a magician, then went to study medicine in Paris. It was while he was a physician at the court in Cleves that he wrote the volumes which gave him a place in witch hunting history. 1563 - De Praestigiis (on Magic) 1577 - De Lamiis (on Witches) He opposed the worst excesses of the witch hunts and publicly refuted the validity of torture in witch trials. He argued that many of the illnesses attributed to sorcery and flying etc., were due to confused minds and medical conditions; for this he is regarded by many to be the father of modern psychiatry. ?006 TopFoto / Fortean