The Early Medicine, from the Body to the Stars
by Gerald D' Andiran
Hardback (Published)
(November 2010)
ISBN: 9783796527098
Price: $150.00
On back order
A unique publication and exhibition on the history of medicine In the autumn of 2010, the Martin Bodmer Foundation (Geneva) organizes a unique exhibition on the history of medicine. From Antiquity to the 17th century, 250 items chronicle major developments from a historical and scientific perspective. Step by step, the exhibition follows the path of knowledge as it was formed by a large variety of contacts and influences. The organization of the exhibition is entrusted to Dr. Gerald d’Andiran, Curator and Editor, and to Professor Charles Mela, Director of the Foundation, with the support of Professors Vincent Barras and Bernardino Fantini. From medicine as it was practised in Ancient Egypt, the exhibition illustrates the Greek origins of the medical art and how knowledge was transmitted through Nestorians, Jews and Arabs. Manuscripts dating from the 8th and 9th centuries suggest an autonomous monastic medical tradition. The medieval herbals and the treatises on Theriaca confirm the close attachment to nature. The hand, exalted in a philosophical text by Galen, becomes a symbol of harmony and knowledge. In the Middle Ages, antique concepts and the erudition of learned men let Hippocrates coexist with astronomy (zodiacal man, astrolabe) and alchemy. The medieval development accompanies the humanist renewal of the 12th century and the writings of Hildegard von Bingen, exalting the soul. It also underlines the social dimension of the Hotel-Dieu. In parallel with the science of proportions, the reinvented anatomy becomes an expression of beauty. This is followed by the generalization of manuscripts, the development of surgery and clinical teachings, and the scientific contributions from the 14th to the 17th century. Asia also forged its paths of medicine, with acupuncture and ayurvedic therapy. Thirty documents, never presented before, include “wishes for health and long life” (Ming dynasty) and a scroll with the calligraphy of the Buddhist healer’s name, Yakushi Bhaisajyaguru. Among prestigious foreign partners, we mention the British Library and the Wellcome Library (London), the Bodleian Library (Oxford), the Bibliotheque nationale de France and the Musee du Louvre (Paris), the Biblioteca apostolica Vaticana, the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana (Firenze), and the National Library of Sweden (Stockholm). The catalogue will contain notes from 98 international contributors.
- By (author) Gerald D’ Andiran
Similar Books
A Collaborative Tapestry in Honour of Shirley Ann Brown / Une fresque brodée en l’honneur de Shirley Ann Brown
The Bayeux Tapestry Seen by her Colleagues and Friends / La Tapisserie de Bayeux vue par ses collègues et amis
Balthasar Caymox of Nuremberg
Early Modern German Print Publishers: Popular Prints of the Seventeenth Century
Diagnostic Techniques in Public Health
Analytical and Chemometric Approaches in Disease Detection and Management
ENTANGLED AFRICA
Intra-African Relations Between Rain Forest and Mediterranean from Around 4,000 BCE to 1,500 CE
Gold, Silver and Glass: Power Networks, Cultural Identities, Technology Transfers and Agency across the Old World (7th Century BC – 1st Century AD)
Proceedings of a Conference Held at the British Museum, 16–18 June 2023
