Chapter 43 "Galileo in China"
How did the Japanese react to the idea of a heliocentric solar system?
They did not reject the idea, and soon accepted and praised it.
What was Paracelsus’s main field of study?
Disease.
What did Galen first begin practicing on?
Wounded Roman gladiators.
Why were dissections so difficult back in Vesalius's time?
There was no electricity, which meant no refrigeration was available, and no artificial light had been invented yet. Also, because of lack of refrigeration, dissections had to be done quickly, which left hardly any room for students to ask quickly or take a second look.
How old was Galen when he began studying medicine?
What did the Chinese center their study of astronomy around?
Astrology.
Why were some people hesitant to visit a doctor?
Doctors, still very uneducated and lacking proper learning tools, often offered extreme (and sometimes harmful) solutions to minor problems.
“From my very youth I despised the opinion of the multitude and longed for truth and knowledge, believing that there was for man no possession more noble or divine.”
Who is the author of this quote?
Galen (c. 130-200).
Dissections of cadavers were typically looked down on, but after the Black Plague, in what condition were they allowed?
After the Black Death, if a person died of unknown causes, a dissection was required to determine whether the person died of the plague.
What did Paracelsus specifically encounter that proved not all diseases are caused from within?
He visited a mine and noted the decreasing health of the miners over a period of time. He concluded that some diseases were caused by different occupations.
What is the difference between astronomy and astrology?
Astronomy is the study of the cosmos, while astrology is the study of how the cosmos spiritually effect the earth and life in general.
What is a cardinal humor and how many are there?
There are four cardinal humors. These are fluids in the body that everyone contains.
Galen is said to have approximately how many of his own writings?
500.
What was the main source of cadavers?
Executions. In fact, Vesalius would often stand by to watch them and collect the bodies in order to perform a fresh dissection.
At the age of 23, after several years of studying and just 2 days after being given the label of "Doctor," Vesalius began what occupation?
The Professor of Surgery and Anatomy at the University of Padua.
While the rest of the world was focused on optical science, what were the Chinese more interested in?
Making mirrors.
Why did Paracelsus defy the argument that plants were a God-given remedy that needed to be used?
He believed that if God gave humanity plants to heal people, then we should also use the other resources he gave us. He said that even plants would be poison if a large enough dose was taken, so not all non-botany related resources should be seen as poison to man.
Why did the advancement and popularity of anatomy not heavily interest the Christians?
The Christians believed the body and soul were separate. The soul lasts forever while the body is temporary, and gets left behind at death.
How did Vesalius often respond to a student that asked him an anatomical question?
"I do not want to give my opinion, please do feel yourselves with your own hands and trust them."
What are the four cardinal humors?
Blood, phlegm, choler, and melancholy (black choler).
Why did Father Ricci bring Galileo to China?
He noticed several flaws in their astronomy, and brought "the great mathematician" to help them, which would hopefully cause China to "open its gates and enable us to live more freely," but also "give us a great face." He was thinking politically.
Paracelsus was right about a truth that many people disbelieved in, relating to the cause of disease. What was the truth that Paracelsus was correct about?
Paracelsus believed that diseases were caused by something outside of the body, while many doctors believed all diseases were caused because of the imbalance of internal humors.
What was Da Vinci's flaw regarding his personal studies of anatomy?
He observed many things that would have made him popular if he had published his works, but his flaw was that he failed to recognize universal concepts of the body. He also chose to keep his work private, which meant he grew in his own knowledge but withheld it from others.
What was Vesalius's famous work that he published in 1543, the same year that Copernicus published his ground-shaking theory of the heliocentric solar system?
A book containing details and structures of human anatomy based off his personal research, called "De Humanis Corporis Fabrica."
Who first developed the notion of rectilinear light waves?
Al-Kindi (813-873)