Thomas Bowdler

Thomas Bowdler (July 11, 1754 – February 24, 1825), an English physician, is best known as the source of the eponym bowdlerise (or bowdlerize{{an|spelling}}), the process of censorship by arbitrary deletion of "objectionable" material from a work of literature to "purify" it. Although the term is consistently used disapprovingly, some defend the process, either as a means of exposing children to works which might otherwise be considered too "adult" for them, or to "salvage" works which might otherwise be banned entirely. In modern times, the term is also used in reference to adaptations of a work from one medium to another (e.g. a comic book based on a novel, or a television broadcast of a movie).

References

• Dr. Bowdler's Legacy: a history of books in England and America, by Noel Perrin. David R. Godine, Boston, 1969. ISBN 0-87923-861-5.