Galen Reconsidered. Studying Drug Properties and the Foundations of Medicine in the Dutch Republic Ca
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Galen reconsidered. Studying drug properties and the foundations of medicine in the Dutch Republic ca. 1550-1700 Saskia Klerk Galen reconsidered. Studying drug properties and the foundations of medicine in the Dutch Republic ca. 1550-1700 Een nieuwe kijk op Galenus. De studie van de eigenschappen van medicijnen en de grondslagen van de geneeskunde in de Nederlandse Republiek ca. 1550-1700 (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Copyright © 2015 by S. Klerk All rights reserved With kind permission of the Franz Steiner Verlag for the reuse of material for chapter 1 and of Brill for the reuse of material for chapters 2 and 3 Cover illustrations: Title page of Lexicon galeno-chymico-pharmaceuticum universale, of Groot-algemeen apothekers woordenboek (Amsterdam, Elzevier; 1717-1761). Engraving by Proefschrift De Wed. S. Schouten en Zoon, en Gerrit de Groot, 1754. Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden, ter verkijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van VDSAND237 A 8-9 (courtesy of Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden) de rector magnificus, prof. dr. G.J. van der Zwaan, ingevolge het besluit van Cover design: Nathalie Kuijpers and Saskia Klerk het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 16 februari 2015 des middags te 4.15 uur Printed by: Ridderprint BV Pottenbakkerstraat 15 2984 AX Ridderkerk door T 0180 463 962 Saskia Klerk E [email protected] geboren op 6 juni 1985 ISBN 978-90-70786-30-4 te Rotterdam Galen reconsidered. Studying drug properties and the foundations of medicine in the Dutch Republic ca. 1550-1700 Een nieuwe kijk op Galenus. De studie van de eigenschappen van medicijnen en de grondslagen van de geneeskunde in de Nederlandse Republiek ca. 1550-1700 (met een samenvatting in het Nederlands) Copyright © 2015 by S. Klerk All rights reserved With kind permission of the Franz Steiner Verlag for the reuse of material for chapter 1 and of Brill for the reuse of material for chapters 2 and 3 Cover illustrations: Title page of Lexicon galeno-chymico-pharmaceuticum universale, of Groot-algemeen apothekers woordenboek (Amsterdam, Elzevier; 1717-1761). Engraving by Proefschrift De Wed. S. Schouten en Zoon, en Gerrit de Groot, 1754. Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden, ter verkijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Utrecht op gezag van VDSAND237 A 8-9 (courtesy of Universiteitsbibliotheek Leiden) de rector magnificus, prof. dr. G.J. van der Zwaan, ingevolge het besluit van Cover design: Nathalie Kuijpers and Saskia Klerk het college voor promoties in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 16 februari 2015 des middags te 4.15 uur Printed by: Ridderprint BV Pottenbakkerstraat 15 2984 AX Ridderkerk door T 0180 463 962 Saskia Klerk E [email protected] geboren op 6 juni 1985 ISBN 978-90-70786-30-4 te Rotterdam Contents: Acknowledgements i Introduction Beyond the history of disciplines 1 Problematising Galenic pharmacology 3 Medicine in the Dutch Republic 8 Galenism and Hippocratism 9 Promotor: Prof. dr. L.T.G. Theunissen The organisation of the dissertation 14 Chapter 1: Teaching materia medica at Leiden University. Between natural history, botany and the foundations of medicine (1587-1617) Introduction 23 A botanical garden or a place to teach medicine? 23 The foundation and content of the garden 26 Teaching in the garden and through fieldtrips 29 The medicinal properties of plants in De materia medica 33 The text and the garden 39 Natural history and medicine 42 Conclusion 46 Intermezzo 1: 49 Adrianus Spigelius’ Isagoges in rem herbariam libri duo (1606) Chapter 2: Materia medica and the methodus medendi. Galenic pharmacology as part of the Leiden curriculum (1575–1625) Introduction 61 Rembertus Dodonaeus 63 Medicinal properties in Dodonaeus’ herbals 66 Institutiones medicinae: the composition of a textbook 69 Heurnius and the study of plants 74 Institutiones medicinae and the methodus medendi 76 The properties of medical materials 79 Contents: Acknowledgements i Introduction Beyond the history of disciplines 1 Problematising Galenic pharmacology 3 Medicine in the Dutch Republic 8 Galenism and Hippocratism 9 Promotor: Prof. dr. L.T.G. Theunissen The organisation of the dissertation 14 Chapter 1: Teaching materia medica at Leiden University. Between natural history, botany and the foundations of medicine (1587-1617) Introduction 23 A botanical garden or a place to teach medicine? 23 The foundation and content of the garden 26 Teaching in the garden and through fieldtrips 29 The medicinal properties of plants in De materia medica 33 The text and the garden 39 Natural history and medicine 42 Conclusion 46 Intermezzo 1: 49 Adrianus Spigelius’ Isagoges in rem herbariam libri duo (1606) Chapter 2: Materia medica and the methodus medendi. Galenic pharmacology as part of the Leiden curriculum (1575–1625) Introduction 61 Rembertus Dodonaeus 63 Medicinal properties in Dodonaeus’ herbals 66 Institutiones medicinae: the composition of a textbook 69 Heurnius and the study of plants 74 Institutiones medicinae and the methodus medendi 76 The properties of medical materials 79 Conclusion 83 Intermezzo 4: 161 Personal knowledge, trust and medicaments Intermezzo 2: 85 Criticism and approval in Francis Bacon’s Novum organum (1620) Chapter 5: An epistemic labyrinth. The observable and the unobservable, reason and imagination Chapter 3: The trouble with opium. Taste, reason and experience, philosophy and medicine Introduction 173 Introduction 93 Dutch translations of Thomas Willis’ work 174 Innovation in pharmacology 94 Pharmaceutice rationalis 181 Galen or Dioscorides 96 Reason, chemistry, anatomy and magnifying glasses 184 Two ways to discuss secondary qualities 98 Blankaart’s explanation of the properties of drugs 188 Taste and drug properties in the work of Euricius Cordus and 101 Testing, predicting and discovering the properties of drugs 192 Leonhart Fuchs Taste and drug properties according to Fernel, Mattioli, 104 Nieu Ligt reprinted 197 Dodonaeus, Heurnius, Spigelius and Jacchaeus Conclusion 199 Reason, experience and investigating drug faculties 107 Conclusion 203 The problematic properties of opium 109 Bibliography 20 9 Opium and the distinction between manifest and occult qualities 112 Curriculum Vitae 232 Conclusion 115 Intermezzo 3: 117 A crisis in theory? Chapter 4: Medicine for a young Republic. The properties of drugs and the foundations of medicine (1600-1655) Introduction 127 Dodonaeus’ herbal according to the brothers Van Ravelingen 128 Johan van Beverwijck (1594-1647) 134 Van Beverwijck’s response to Michel Eyquem de Montaigne 136 (1533-1592) Methodus medendi in Idea medicinae veterum (1637) 142 Drug properties in Treasure of unhealthiness (1641-1642) 145 Matter theory and the properties of drugs 150 Drug properties according to Albert Kyper (1614-1655) 155 Conclusion 157 Conclusion 83 Intermezzo 4: 161 Personal knowledge, trust and medicaments Intermezzo 2: 85 Criticism and approval in Francis Bacon’s Novum organum (1620) Chapter 5: An epistemic labyrinth. The observable and the unobservable, reason and imagination Chapter 3: The trouble with opium. Taste, reason and experience, philosophy and medicine Introduction 173 Introduction 93 Dutch translations of Thomas Willis’ work 174 Innovation in pharmacology 94 Pharmaceutice rationalis 181 Galen or Dioscorides 96 Reason, chemistry, anatomy and magnifying glasses 184 Two ways to discuss secondary qualities 98 Blankaart’s explanation of the properties of drugs 188 Taste and drug properties in the work of Euricius Cordus and 101 Testing, predicting and discovering the properties of drugs 192 Leonhart Fuchs Taste and drug properties according to Fernel, Mattioli, 104 Nieu Ligt reprinted 197 Dodonaeus, Heurnius, Spigelius and Jacchaeus Conclusion 199 Reason, experience and investigating drug faculties 107 Conclusion 203 The problematic properties of opium 109 Bibliography 20 9 Opium and the distinction between manifest and occult qualities 112 Curriculum Vitae 232 Conclusion 115 Intermezzo 3: 117 A crisis in theory? Chapter 4: Medicine for a young Republic. The properties of drugs and the foundations of medicine (1600-1655) Introduction 127 Dodonaeus’ herbal according to the brothers Van Ravelingen 128 Johan van Beverwijck (1594-1647) 134 Van Beverwijck’s response to Michel Eyquem de Montaigne 136 (1533-1592) Methodus medendi in Idea medicinae veterum (1637) 142 Drug properties in Treasure of unhealthiness (1641-1642) 145 Matter theory and the properties of drugs 150 Drug properties according to Albert Kyper (1614-1655) 155 Conclusion 157 Acknowledgements Writing a dissertation is in principle a solitary endeavour, yet I would not have succeeded without the support of others. First of all, this is Bert Theunissen, my dissertation supervisor. I was immensely privileged to have him as teacher, mentor and later on, fellow traveller. I am profoundly thankful for the many things, great and small, that he taught me. As supervisor, he always focussed my attention on the big picture and was always prepared to be my sounding board even on a topic that was not specifically his own. His faith in me sustained me when self- doubt threatened to prevail. It is thanks to him that I had the opportunity to explore questions that remained with me after writing my master thesis. How did physicians use their medical training to examine plants? Did their experience affect their ideas about medicinal properties? How did they put humanistic ideals into practice? Lodewijk Palm was there from the start of my education in the history of science in 2007 and