Caius (the Latin form of his name that he adopted, which has at least 10 alternative spellings) is best known for his 1552 book A Boke or Counseill against the Disease commonly called the Sweate, or Sweatyng Sicknesse, considered one of the first original descriptions of an epidemic. He was also noteworthy as a physician to three English monarchs, King Edward VI, Queen Mary, and Queen Elizabeth, and a founder of Gonville and Caius College at Cambridge, England's first school for formal medical education. Caius was a notable man of letters, translating and lecturing and publishing on subjects ranging from British dogs to philosophy, to the origins of universities.

Born in Norwich in 1510, he started studying the humanities at Cambridge University's Gonville Hall at the age of 18. It is believed his initial intention was to become a cleric. He switched to medical studies in 1539 but remained interested in theology and...