DOCSLIB.ORG

Ulisse Aldrovandi and Antonio Vallisneri: the Italian Contribution to Knowledge of Neuropterous Insects Between the 16Th and the Early 18Th Centuries*

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Ulisse Aldrovandi and Antonio Vallisneri: the Italian Contribution to Knowledge of Neuropterous Insects Between the 16Th and the Early 18Th Centuries* Ann. Mus. civ. St. nat. Ferrara Vol. 8 2005 [2007] pp.9-26 ISSN 1127-4476 Ulisse Aldrovandi and Antonio Vallisneri: the Italian contribution to knowledge of Neuropterous Insects between the 16th and the early 18th centuries* Rinaldo Nicoli Aldini 1, 2 1) Istituto di Entomologia e Patologia vegetale, Facolta di Agraria, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via E­ milia Parmense 84,1-29100 Piacenza (Italy); 2) Scienze degli Alimenti, Polo Scientifico-Didattico di Cesena del­ Ia Facolta di Agraria, Alma Mater Studiorum, Universita degli Studi di Bologna, Piazza Goidanich 60, 1-47023 Cesena (Italy). e-mail: rinaldo.nicoli@unicatUt The oldest evidence of neuropterous insects in Italian scientific literature dates back at least to the 15th-16th centuries and regards antlions. Documents concerning antiions and green lacewings are present in the outstanding corpus of watercolour illustrations of insects built up in the 16th cen­ tury by the great naturalist from Bologna, Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605), and then reproduced in his work De animalibus insectis (1602). His illustrations of some adult antlions and a green lace­ wing are among the earliest to be found in printed works. Between the 16th and the early 18th cen­ turies, other Italian authors mention or deal with lacewings, mainly the outstanding scientist from Reggio, Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730), who published bionomical and behavioural observations on anti ions and green lacewings; he was the first to publish the life cycle of an antlion and to describe and illustrate the stalked eggs of green lacewings. Key words - entomology, neuropterology, history, Italy, anti ions, green lacewings, early authors. Neuropterans in early literature titude on "anti ions" in the present meaning and Italian scholars who dealt of the word seems to have been the Ger­ man Albrecht von Bollstadt, Dominican, with them before Linne bishop of Ratisbon, Saint Albert the Great (ca 1193-1280) (Saitta, 1929); theologian, It is well known that the earliest written philosopher, naturalist, 'the universal tea­ references to neuropterous insects con­ cher' of the thirteenth century. He spoke of cern the most well known since time im­ flattened insects, similar to ticks, digging memorial, antlions. The term "antlion", or pits in the sand for hunting ants (Aldro­ its equivalents and variants in different vandus, 1602, p. 523; 1623, p. 207; languages, occurs in the texts of ancient Wheeler, 1930, p. 6; Kevan, 1992). Patron civilizations even some centuries before saint of naturalists, for this reason we can Christ; but which animal or animals it re­ also consider him the specific patron of ferred to, we don't know with any cer­ neuropterologists! tainty. The first author who wrote with cer- Antlions, animals which prey upon ants, and existing somewhere between * This contribution is dedicated to Prof. Maria Matilde reality and myth in ancient times, were the Principi, Professor Emeritus in the Alma Mater Stu­ subject of early knowledge and beliefs diorum - Universita degli Studi di Bologna, on the occasion of her 90th birthday (May 4th, 2005), as a perhaps partly referring to myrmeleontids; sign of deep gratitude for her encouragement and this idea survived in European culture o­ help to the author at the beginning of his investiga­ ver the Middle Ages, gradually freeing it­ tions on Neuropterida. self from uncertainty and legend and fi- 9 Proceedings of the IX International Symposium on Neuropterology nally referring to well-defined insects. ledge; the love of and wish to document Traces of these early vague ideas are the fascinating diversity of living beings, to be found in Italian authors at least as particularly insects with their metamor­ early as the 15th century. Later, an impor­ phoses; a practical and applied interest in tant representative of 16th-century scien­ nature in relation to man's activities, and tific humanism, Ulisse Aldrovandi, inclu­ possible advantages for him; the specu­ des some neuropterous insects, not only lative desire to classify nature, to reach a antlions, in his work on insects, and illu­ systematic knowledge of the physical strates them (Aldrovandus, 1602). About a world; the goal of investigating and un­ century later, another great Italian scien­ derstanding structures, functions, beha­ tist, Antonio Valiisneri, studied the life and viours, relations. behaviour of insects and gave an example of his observations describing the life cy­ Late Middle Ages and height of cle of an antlion (Valiisneri, 1700a) and the stalked eggs of a green lacewing (Val­ the Renaissance: Decembrio and lisneri, 1717). Besides these two protago­ Cardano nists of the history of biological science and entomology, a few other Italian stu­ In the works of at least two Italians be­ dents working in other branches of scien­ fore Aldrovandi, there is evidence of an ce left more marginal evidence of an inte­ interest in anti ions: towards the end of the rest in these insects in the same period. Middle Ages we find mention of them in Thus, when we write of the Italian au­ the "Codex animalium", a handwritten be­ thors before Linne who studied the insects stiary by the learned humanist from Pavia, we now call neuropterans, we are refer­ Pier Candido Decembrio (Petrus Candi­ ring to a period which lasted over two cen­ dus Decembrius) (1392-1477). This cour­ turies, during which there was radical evo­ tier and diplomat translated classical au­ lution in scientific thought and substantial thors and wrote epigrams and tracts in changes in the way the study of nature prose (Viti, 1987). In the fourth volume of - was approached: from the inheritance of his richly illustrated work, dating back to the Middle Ages, dogmatic and pervaded approximately 1460 (the date of the dra­ by myth, by way of the encyclopaedism of wings is uncertain), there is an illustration the late Renaissance, aimed at the com­ of a possible antlion larva, which the au­ plete recovery of classical knowledge and thor refers to as the so-called "Formicae still subject to the authority principle, to the Indicae" (Decembrius, ca 1460). This illu­ rise of the early scientific academies and stration may be the first true image of an the achievement of a new critical spirit and antlion larva, referred to with an early La­ the experimental method, the basis of mo­ tin name used for denoting the mythical dern science and a prelude to the season "gold-digging" ants. This picture has un­ of cataloguing and classifications of the doubtedly something of the chimerical and Enlightenment. fanciful: on the whole it resembles the te­ This development of methods and trapod larva of an antlion, but the head concepts forms the background to the il­ with palps between the mandibles, and lustrations and writings I am going to pre­ the four legs with strong claws, also recall sent. These documents are evidence of the morphology of a male stag-beetle. In centuries of interest in these insects in the codex, to one side of this image there Italy, and they reflect at least some of the is an illustration representing another mea­ principal driving forces that historically ning of "ant lion" in ancient times: a bigger have promoted the development of ento­ ant which has another much smaller ant in mology itself: the simple desire to preser­ its mouth (Bodenheimer, 1928-1929; Ke­ ve and hand down forerunners' know- van, 1992). 10 R. Nicoli Aldini - Aldrovandi and Vallisneri: the Italian contribution to knowledge of Neuropterous Insects At the height of the Renaissance, the anti ion larva is quoted in the work of ano­ ther student from Pavia, Gerolamo Car­ dano (Hieronymus Cardanus) (1501-1576) (Fig. 1), one among the more notable, ec­ centric and eclectic talents of the 16th century: he was physician, mathematician, physicist, astronomer, musician and phi­ losopher. There are short entomological references mostly in his work De subti/i­ tate libri XXI, published in Paris in 1551 . In another work, the seventh book ("De ani­ malium") of his De rerum varietate (1557), he also refers to antlions, following the description by Albert the Great, as being small animals, enemies of ants, like small grubs. They dig round pits in the sand, li­ ving in small holes at the bottom, where they catch ants for eating (Cardanus, 1557; see also Aldrovandus, 1602, p. 523; Fig. 1 - Portrait of Gerolamo Cardano (1501-1576), 1623, p. 207; Wheeler, 1930, p. 6). Car­ in the frontispiece of the first edition (Basel 1557) of dano seems therefore to give a relatively his De rerum varietate. accurate description of antlions, but he added nothing to what Albert the Great had already said three centuries before, as pointed out by Kevan (1992). When we read certain ancient ac­ counts of undefined insects digging pits in the sand we must remember, however, that they may refer to the larvae of ver­ mileonid dipterans. Scientific Humanism in the late Renaissance: Ulisse Aldrovandi But it was due mainly to Ulisse Aldro­ vandi (alias Aldrovando; Ulysses Aldro­ vandus in his works in Latin) (Fig. 2), who died four hund red years ago, in 1605, that neuropterous insects were introduced into the scientific literature of the Renaissance. This encyclopaedic talent and very re­ nowned naturalist, perhaps the greatest zoologist of the 16th century, was born in 1522 from a ruling family in Bologna - at that time in the Papal States - where he also died. His life was long and adventu­ rous, ruled by his boundless passion for Fig. 2 - Portrait of Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605) (B.U.B., Bologna). natural history. He studied law, philosophy 11 Proceedings of the IX International Symposium on Neuropterology and medicine and he graduated in philo­ sophy and medicine at Bologna in 1553. He was professor for many years - tea­ ching pharmaceutical botany, logic, philo­ sophy, natural history - at Bologna Uni­ versity, and only late in life, when he was seventy-seven years old, he started the publication in Latin of his enormous work, the fruit of a life devoted to the collection of materials gathered together in a natural history museum - one of the first in the world - and to filing the great mass of na­ turalistic notions found in all his predeces­ sors' works, from ancient times onwards.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Ingenuous Investigators”: Antonio Vallisneri’S Correspondents and The
    Ivano Dal Prete Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America Columbia University Fellows Seminar October 24, 2012 “Ingenuous Investigators”: Antonio Vallisneri’s Correspondents and the Making of Natural Knowledge in 18 th -century Italy 1. History of Science in the Postmodern Age In the last two centuries, science has been regarded as the most important agent of change and progress in our society. The narrative of how and why it came to be such a commanding force contributed powerfully to this perception. The rise of modern science has long been portrayed as the triumph of human reason over superstition and authority; its history, a gallery adorned with the images of heroes like Copernicus, Galileo or Darwin who upheld self-evident facts against the prejudices of their times; experimental results and the laws of nature, the only objective “truths” that human beings could attain and agree upon. This narrative still largely informs popular views of the scientific enterprise; yet, the image of science as a disinterested pursuit of truth has come increasingly under question during the last decades, to the point that mistrust of science as a source of objectivie knowledge is considered a defining feature of postmodernity. The history of science as an 1 academic discipline has long participated in this trend,1 but it was not until the 1980s that it ceased to identify with the development of ideas and theories, as formulated by the most illustrious scientists. In their influential 1985 book Leviathan and the Air Pump , Steven Shapin and Simon
    [Show full text]
  • Talking Science at the University of Padua in the Age of Antonio Vallisneri
    Feingold run04.tex V1 - 07/20/2009 4:10pm Page 117 Talking Science at the University of Padua in the Age of Antonio Vallisneri Brendan Dooley Even for an accomplished scholar like Antonio Vallisneri, it was no simple matter to declaim extemporaneously in Latin before a public possibly demanding the best from a setting where Vesalius and Fabricius had once changed medical education forever in the West. Therefore successful completion of the inaugural lecture was a cause for celebration, so he wrote to the Tuscan grand ducal librarian Antonio Magliabechi in 1700: ‘Today is a holy day for me, since I made my solemn entrance into the university favoured by the applause of all the learned, the podesta` [of Padua] and the captain of the city’. The difficulty of the task was underscored by the special requirements of this setting: ‘I was able to speak for a whole hour with total clarity of memory and self-possession, such that I was myself surprised at my weak nature rendered so daring on this magnificently terrible occasion’. He recalled the unfortunate case of a law professor who failed at the same task ‘and died of woe a few days later’.1 But his work was far from done; and already as the school year began, he considered the daunting task before him: ‘I find the job particularly difficult, moreover, having to learn so many lessons by heart, which arrive at the number of eighty or more’2 As first professor of practical medicine, he was supposed to deliver a given number of lessons over portions of the period between September and June when classes were in session; and following a well-established custom, he walked into class each time without notes.
    [Show full text]
  • One Morning in *******1701 Antonio Vallisneri, First Professor Of
    1 The University of Padua and the Learned Journal in the Early Eighteenth Century L'université de Padoue et les journaux savants au début du XVIIIe siècle. - Les leçons de médecine et d'histoire naturelle d’Antonio Vallisneri à l'université de Padoue constituent une source significative pour étudier l'usage des journaux savants dans l'enseignement universitaire au début du XVIIIe siècle. En effet, Vallisneri cite très souvent les journaux et il lui arrive de construire des leçons presqu'entières à partir d'extraits d'articles. Dans ce chapitre, on tentera de dégager la signification de cette utilisation pour l'histoire des journaux savants mais aussi celle des universités. One morning in 1701 Antonio Vallisneri, First Professor of Practical Medicine at the University of Padua, delivered his lecture on diseases of the head to the usual packed audience. As was his custom, he paid as little attention as possible to the official text upon which the lesson was to be based according to the university statutes and the course description as stated in the yearly rotulo or class schedule. In fact, on this particular day he entirely ignored the first Fen, entitled De Febribus, of Avicenna’s Liber Canonis, preferring instead to devote the lesson to recent cases and theories. And in explaining a case of headache caused by worms, he told the story of a young woman who had been resting by a field in a prone position when a worm crawled into her ear and remained there for several weeks—a condition to which the doctors thereupon applied their most ingenious methods.
    [Show full text]
  • Galileo's Microscope Test
    Galileo's microscope Test This is the Test material for verifying the contents of the History and Explore sections of the web application. Texts prepared by the Institute and Museum of the History of Science in Florence. Why a test? The structured test consists of 40 multiple-choice questions designed to verify the main content of the application. Galileo's microscope was created for the purpose of furnishing, in an attractive but strictly scientific way, a great body of information on microscopy in the 17 th and 18 th centuries. To reinforce the educational effect, it has been deemed useful to provide a tool of evaluation to be used by teachers, or of self-evaluation for others. For each question, reference is made to the section in which the answer can be found, allowing users the chance to verify the content. Standard timing for the answers is generally 1 minute for each multiple-choice question (34) and 30 seconds for each true/false question (6). The whole test should thus be completed within 37 minutes. 2 1. During what period was the microscope invented? a) □ In the late 15 th – early 16 th century. b) □ Around the middle of the 16 th century. c) □ In the late 16 th – early 17 th century . d) □ Around the middle of the 17 th century. Reference: HISTORY section – The compound microscope. 2. During what period was the “Galilean” microscope constructed (IMSS inv. 3429)? a) □ First half of the 17 th century. b) □ Second half of the 17 th century . c) □ First half of the 18 th century.
    [Show full text]
  • Ulisse Aldrovandi and Antonio Vallisneri: the Italian Contribution to Knowledge of Neuropterous Insects Between the 16Th and the Early 18Th Centuries*
    Ann. Mus. civ. St. nat. Ferrara Vol. 8 2005 [2007] pp. 9-26 ISSN 1127-4476 Ulisse Aldrovandi and Antonio Vallisneri: the Italian contribution to knowledge of Neuropterous Insects between the 16th and the early 18th centuries* Rinaldo Nicoli Aldini 1· 2 1) lstituto di Entomologia e Patologia vegetale, Facolta di Agraria, Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via E­ milia Parmense 84, 1-29100 Piacenza (Italy); 2) Scienze degli Alimenti, Polo Scientifico-Didattico di Cesena del­ la Facolta di Agraria, Alma Mater Studiorum, Universita degli Studi di Bologna, Piazza Goidanich 60, 1-47023 Cesena (Italy), e-mail: [email protected] The oldest evidence of neuropterous insects in Italian scientific literature dates back at least to the 15th-16th centuries and regards antlions. Documents concerning antlions and green lacewings are present in the outstanding corpus of watercolour illustrations of insects built up in the 16th cen­ tury by the great naturalist from Bologna, Ulisse Aldrovandi (1522-1605), and then reproduced in his work De animalibus insectis (1602). His illustrations of some adult antlions and a green lace­ wing are among the earliest to be found in printed works. Between the 16th and the early 18th cen­ turies, other Italian authors mention or deal with lacewings, mainly the outstanding scientist from Reggio, Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730), who published bionomical and behavioural observations on antlions and green lacewings; he was the first to publish the life cycle of an antlion and to describe and illustrate the stalked eggs of green lacewings. Key words - entomology, neuropterology, history, Italy, antlions, green lacewings, early authors.
    [Show full text]
  • Medicinay Seguridaddel Trabajo
    2014 Med Segur Trab (Internet) 2014; Suplemento Extraordinario n.º 2: 79-87 MEDICINA y SEGURIDAD del trabajo Some interesting facts about the life and work of Bernardino Ramazzini, as an Epilogue Algunas curiosidades sobre la vida y obra de Bernardino Ramazzini, a modo de Epílogo Jorge Veiga de Cabo Head of Divulgation, Research and Services Area National School of Occupational Medicine Carlos III Institute of Health. Madrid. Spain Correspondencia Jorge Veiga de Cabo Jefe de Área de Divulgación, Investigación y Servicios Escuela Nacional de Medicina del Trabajo Instituto de Salud Carlos III C/ Melchor Fernández Almagro 3 28029 Madrid - España [email protected] Abstract In commemoration of the III Centenary of the death of Ramazzini, it is intended to provide a global view about some peculiarities, many of them better known than others, related to facts as his date of birth, date of death, the inspiration moment that led him to write Diseases of Workers including its main Spanish translations and his complementary work titled The health of Princes, among others. Key Words: Bernardino Rammazzini, Teatrise, Dissertation, Artisans, Diseases, Occupational Health. About the Diseases of Workers (De Morbis artificum diatriba). Resumen Con motivo de la conmemoración del III Centenario de la muerte de Ramazzini, se pretende dar una visión general sobre algunas curiosidades, algunas más conocidas que otras, sobre determinados aspectos relacionados con su fecha de nacimiento y fallecimiento, el momento de inspiración para escribir el Tratado de las enfermedades de los artesanos y sus principales traducciones al español, así como de su obra complementaria titulada Del Cuidado de la salud de los príncipes, entre otras.
    [Show full text]
  • The Zoology Museum of Padua University: a Rediscovered Historical Heritage
    4_PAG 88-93_Nicolosi_UNITO 02/12/16 12.26 Pagina 88 MUSEOLOGIA SCIENTIFICA nuova serie • 10: 88-93 • 2016 ISSN 1123-265X Museologia descrittiva e storica The Zoology Museum of Padua University: a rediscovered historical heritage Paola Nicolosi Museo di Zoologia, Università di Padova, Via Jappelli, 1/a. I-35121 Padova. E-mail: [email protected] ABSTRACT The Zoological Museum of the University of Padova was founded in the 18 th century thanks to the legacy of Antonio Vallisneri and donated by his son, Antonio, to the University. In the following century many acquisitions, donations and expeditions enriched the collections of the museum of valuable specimens. During the 20 th century, the Museum went through a period of decline due to the World Wars and the frequent changes of seat, up to its total closure at the end of the 1970 decade. Fortunately, the long and important history of this Museum had a happy ending. The building and the collections have been recently restored and exposed to the public. In 2014 the current setting was completed in time to celebrate ten years from its re-opening (2004-2014). The event was dedicated to professor Margherita Turchetto, who worked on the project of the new Museum since its beginning, always believing in the importance of museums for scientific knowledge. Key words: zoological collections, University of Padova, historical specimens, new opening. RIASSUNTO Il Museo di Zoologia dell’Università di Padova: un patrimonio storico ritrovato. Il Museo di Zoologia dell’Università di Padova affonda le sue radici nel XVIII secolo grazie alla donazione della collezione privata di Antonio Vallisneri (1661-1730) da parte del figlio.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Science Society Annual Meeting Cleveland, 3-6 November
    History of Science Society Annual Meeting Cleveland, 3-6 November Session Abstracts Alphabetized by Session Title. Abstracts only available for organized sessions. Paper abstracts begin on page 23. Aesthetics and Politics: Towards Building Relationships between Media Studies and History of Science Abstract: This session will explore the political implications of aesthetics with an eye towards furthering the ongoing conversation between media studies and the history of science. Each of these papers engages with a central moment or theme in the history of science and technology and analyses it through an interdisciplinary framework. Our papers are all linked by a central concern with the relationship between the embodied self and political and socials structures dominated by scientific and technological rhetoric. We all explore issues of design, the visual, images, and imagination in order to begin to build a new methodology around mediation, politics, and aesthetics in the scientific imaginary. All at Sea? Oceanography and Geopolitics in the Twentieth Century Abstract: Inspired by Ronald Doel's call for more critical analysis of the links between physical scientists and 'environmental' knowledge, specifically the desire to control as well as observe the earth, this panel examines the interface between oceanographers and the political/economic contexts in which they worked during the twentieth century. Lajus uses the under-examined history of Soviet oceanography to explore the role of major international projects -- notably the 1932-33 International Polar Year – in shaping a disciplinary community, as oceanography became an asset to state action in Arctic environments. Roberts argues that the oceanographic career of Hans Pettersson (best known to historians of science for his work in nuclear physics) reveals that the massive influx of money during the 1950s produced new geographies of patronage, most notably international networks with heavy American state influence.
    [Show full text]
  • How to Become a Renowned Writer
    How to become a renowned writer: Francesco Algarotti (1712-1764) and the uses of networking in eighteenth-century Europe Cheryl Lynn Smeall Department of History McGill University, Montreal August 2010 A thesis submitted to McGill University in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy © Cheryl Lynn Smeall, 2010 Table of Contents Abstract vii Résumé ix Acknowledgements xi List of Figures xiv List of Abbreviations xv Introduction: Algarotti’s place in the history of eighteenth-century Europe 1 Historiography of Algarotti Why study Algarotti? Intellectual glory: what Algarotti wanted The importance of networks: the tactics Algarotti made use of in trying to achieve his goals Scholarly conditions in Italy Scholarly conditions in France Scholarly conditions in England Methodology Summary of chapters Conclusion 1 Networking starts at home: Algarotti’s Italian contacts and how he came to form them 54 Initial contacts Advertising intellectual talents: science Using science to meet others Forging contacts through written works Forging contacts through travel Intellectual and financial conditions in Italy: further motivations for travel Conclusion 2 Cultivating networks in cultural capitals: Algarotti’s travels in Paris and London, 1734-1736 102 The intellectual and cultural capital of the world: France in the eighteenth century Science in Paris in the eighteenth century How Algarotti’s reputation and connections helped him to penetrate Parisian scientific circles Other factors that enabled Algarotti to expand
    [Show full text]
  • The Calculus War: the Ultimate Clash of Genius
    University of Tennessee, Knoxville Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects University of Tennessee Honors Program 12-2017 The alcC ulus War: The Ultimate Clash of Genius Walker Briles Bussey-Spencer [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj Part of the Educational Methods Commons, History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Other History Commons, Other Mathematics Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Recommended Citation Bussey-Spencer, Walker Briles, "The alcC ulus War: The Ultimate Clash of Genius" (2017). University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects. https://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_chanhonoproj/2154 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Tennessee Honors Program at Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. It has been accepted for inclusion in University of Tennessee Honors Thesis Projects by an authorized administrator of Trace: Tennessee Research and Creative Exchange. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 The Calculus War: The Ultimate Clash of Genius The Instructor’s Manual Version 1.11 Walker Bussey-Spencer 1 The game is ready to be play tested. Future addition and modifications will be made accordingly thereafter. 2 Contents Introduction for Instructors 3 How to Teach RTTP 3 Brief Introduction to the Game 7 Game Setup 8 Model Schedules 8 Preparation For Game Session 10 Assigning Roles 11 Overview of game play
    [Show full text]
  • Marketing Nature: Apothecaries, Medicinal Retailing, and Scientific Culture in Early Modern Venice, 1565-1730
    Marketing Nature: Apothecaries, Medicinal Retailing, and Scientific Culture in Early Modern Venice, 1565-1730 by Sean David Parrish Department of History Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ John Jeffries Martin, Supervisor ___________________________ Thomas Robisheaux ___________________________ Peter Sigal ___________________________ Valeria Finucci Dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 ABSTRACT Marketing Nature: Apothecaries, Medicinal Retailing and Scientific Culture in Early Modern Venice, 1565-1730 by Sean David Parrish Department of History Duke University Date:_______________________ Approved: ___________________________ John Jeffries Martin, Supervisor ___________________________ Thomas Robisheaux ___________________________ Peter Sigal ___________________________ Valeria Finucci An abstract of a dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History in the Graduate School of Duke University 2015 Copyright by Sean David Parrish 2015 Abstract This dissertation examines the contributions of apothecary craftsmen and their medicinal retailing practices to emerging cultures of scientific investigation and experimental practice in the Italian port city of Venice between 1565 and 1730. During this important period in Europe’s history, efforts to ground traditional philosophical
    [Show full text]
  • Matrices, Not Seeds. Vallisnerits Research On
    J. E. Ortiz, O. Puche, I. Rábano and L. F. Mazadiego (eds.) History of Research in Mineral Resources. Cuadernos del Museo Geominero, 13. Instituto Geológico y Minero de España, Madrid. ISBN 978-84-7840-856-6 © Instituto Geológico y Minero de España 2011 MATRICES, NOT SEEDS. VALLISNERi’s RESEARCH ON MINES: BETWEEN EMPIRICISM AND PHILOSOPHY Francesco Luzzini Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale, Dipartimento di Studi Umanistici, Via G. Ferraris 116, 13100 Vercelli, Italy. Edizione Nazionale delle Opere di Antonio Vallisneri, Via A. De Togni 7, 20123 Milan, Italy. [email protected] Abstract. Since the beginning of his scientific activity the physician and naturalistAntonio Valli- sneri (1661-1730) devoted many studies to the Earth sciences. In those years his interest focused particularly on the features of mineral kingdom and its relationship with spring water. The first observations date back to the last decade of XVII century, when the author analysed the gypsum and sulphur veins on the Monte Gesso, in the Duchy of Modena and Reggio. Some years later, during one of his journeys across the northern Apennines in search for the origin of springs, Vallisneri reached the Este domain of Garfagnana. There he explored the iron caves of Fornovolasco: this experience allowed him to support his theory with many empirical information, later exposed in the Lezione Accademica intorno all’Origine delle Fontane (1715). The many data collected by Vallisneri encouraged him to outline a theoretical interpretation of mineral genesis. He supposed the mineral veins as developed by ‘seeds’ released in the Earth by God. The successful growth of ore veins, therefore, depended on the more or less favourable environment they would have found by accident.
    [Show full text]