Microcosm renaissance1/6/2024 Basel, Switzerland: Michael Furterius, 1517. In Margarita philosophica cum additionibus novis by Gregor Reisch. In Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica, physica atqve technica historia by Robert Fludd. In Fasciculo de Medicina by Joannes de Ketham. Mainz, Germany: Jakob Meydenbach, 1491, pp. “ De Dracone” and “ De Basilisco.” In Historiae Animalium by Konrad Gesner. Merchants and Marvels: Commerce, Science, and Art in Early Modern Europe. Smith, Pamela H., and Paula Findlen, eds.Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2006. The Science of Describing: Natural History in Renaissance Europe. “The Astronomers’ Game: Astrology and University Culture in the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries.” Early Science and Medicine 4, no. 1700–1850.” The British Journal for the History of Science 33, no. “From Medical Astrology to Medical Astronomy: Sol-Lunar and Planetary Theories of Disease in British Medicine, ca. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1999. Cardano’s Cosmos: The Worlds and Works of a Renaissance Astrologer. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1985. Nature in the New World: From Christopher Columbus to Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo. Wonders and the Order of Nature, 1150–1750. “What Can Be a Scientific Object? Reflections on Monsters and Meteors.” Bulletin of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences 52, no. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, LLC., 2006. The Devil’s Doctor: Paracelsus and the World of Renaissance Magic and Science. “Leibniz on the Unicorn and Various Other Curiosities.” Early Science and Medicine 3, no. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1995, pp. For some, like Paracelsus (1493–1541), the connection between humanity and the surrounding world was absolutely central to the practice of medicine. Many physicians took astrological notions into account as part of their medical practice, for example, scheduling certain procedures only when the planets were properly aligned.This notion was the cornerstone of astrology, which examined the links between human life and the motions of the heavens. In many esoteric philosophies, humanity and the wider universe were seen as inextricably connected-the one could have tremendous impact on the other.The voyages of discovery exposed Renaissance thinkers to a wide range of new and unusual plants and animals.Slowly, however, the authority of ancient texts was replaced by the authority of observation and direct contact with nature.In the early Renaissance, authority and credibility were derived from the testimony of ancient authors, many of whom reported the existence of creatures such as unicorns and basilisks.Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, J. “Three times a week they went out to the greenhouses behind the castle to study Herbology…where they learned how to take care of all the strange plants and fungi, and found out what they were used for.” Konrad Gesner, Historiae Animalium, 1551 “I have noticed a relationship between science and natural philosophy…those writings interest me the most which deal with minerals, plants, and animals.” The result of this thinking was a seamless conception of nature that inspired some of the most innovative intellectual changes in Western history. The world was full of an astonishing array of strange and marvelous things, the formation and behavior of which were often dictated by the movements of the heavens. Astrology taught that the motions and properties of the planets directly affected life on Earth, influencing everything from behavior to health.įor many in this period, a variety of intimate connections existed between humanity and nature. The individual was often seen as a microcosm, a miniature reflection of the universe or macrocosm, and the one could have a tremendous influence on the other. The voyages of discovery to the New World brought to light even stranger animals and plants, and many thousands of specimens were shipped back to Europe to fill museums, laboratories, and princely courts.Īt the same time, the universe of Renaissance thinkers extended well beyond animals and plants: a mainstay of many philosophies was the connection between the individual and the surrounding cosmos. Much of what they knew confirmed this belief: unicorns and basilisks had been described and discussed from antiquity, the fatal cry of the mandrake was widely reported, and the bodies of several presumed dragons were found and displayed in 17th-century collections of naturalia. Rowling’s magical world, but the same was also true of many Renaissance naturalists. The existence of such things is taken for granted by those inhabiting J. In the Harry Potter novels, we encounter a range of exotic flora and fauna, from unicorns and dragons to mandrakes and merpeople. “Things Most Strange and Wondrous”: The Hidden Roots of Modern Science and MedicineĬlass 1: Investigating Nature Introduction
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