Bulwer, John

John Bulwer, (baptized May 16, 1606, London, England—died October 16, 1656, London), English physician, author, and early educator of the deaf, best known for his four late-Renaissance texts, which called on his knowledge of deafness, sign language, and the human body: Chirologia; or, The Natural Language of the Hand (1644); Philocopus; or, The Deaf and Dumb Man’s Friend (1648); Pathomyotamia; or, A Dissection of the Significative Muscles of the Affections of the Mind (1649); and Anthropometamorphosis; or, The Artificial Changeling (1650).

Chirologia focuses on the meanings of gestures, expressions, and body language. The volume contains a section called “Chironomia,” which discusses the use of gestures in the practice of rhetoric. Philocopus explores the use of lipreading for deaf and mute persons. The work also makes clear Bulwer’s interest in developing a learning academy for the deaf. Pathomyotamia treated the muscles of the head, with proposals to rename the muscles according to the facial expressions, emotions, or behaviours in which they acted. Anthropometamorphosis can be understood as an early example of a work of comparative cultural anthropology. Bulwer examined the ways in which people from different cultures transformed the human body, such as through tattooing, circumcision, or ear piercing. In later editions, woodcut illustrations that depicted the various transformations were added.

Bulwer was influenced by Francis Bacon, Viscount Saint Alban, who criticized Aristotle for his inattention to gestures and the role of the body in rhetorical delivery. Bulwer appears to have also been influenced by his adopted deaf daughter, Chirothea Johnson.