Joseph Duchesne (1544-1609), French physician. Duchesne was an influential figure of his time and an advocate of 'chemical' medicine. He took the position that the ancients, such as Hippocrates and Galen, were worthy of study, but that more recent discoveries such as the use of metallic salts should be taken into account in the treatment of disease. His was a conciliatory approach to the old and the new ways. The main exponents of the new chemical medicine were Paracelsus and Agricola. Duchesne published numerous works. He was the editor of 'Pharmacopoea' (1607), in which this artwork appeared. He is aged 60 here ('LX' at upper left).