THE SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION

Unit Two/Ch. 16AP European HistoryMs. Tully - UHS

II. Advances in Medicine & Chemistry

Focus Question

What did Paracelsus, Vesalius, and Harvey contribute to a scientific view of medicine?

Dominance of Galen

2nd C Greek physician

Theory of two different blood systems

Doctrine of four bodily humors: blood, yellow bile, phlegm, black bile

Paracelsus (1493-1541)

Swiss scientists – lone ranger in medicine

Rejected work of Aristotle & Galen

Macrocosm-Microcosm theory

Disease caused by chemical imbalances in specific organs

Disease treatment – “like cures like”

Father of modern medicine

Vesalius (1514-1564)

MD from University of Padua 1536 Professor of surgery

Emphasis on practical research to understand human body

On the Fabric of the Human Body, 1543

William Harvey (1578-1657)

MD from University of Padua in 1602

On the Motion of the Heart and Blood, 1628

Heart starting point for circulation, blood flows in veins & arteries

Chemistry

Robert Boyle (1626-1691) – matter is composed of atoms

Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794) – system for naming chemical elements

III. Women in the Origins of Modern Science

Focus Question:

What role did women play in the Scientific Revolution?

Margaret Cavendish (1623-1673) Prominent female

scientist of 17th C Excluded from

Royal Society Active & critical

participant Example of French

or English woman in science

Maria Merian (1647-1717)

Tradition of female craft production scientific participation

Reputation as important entomologist in 18th C

1699 Merian went to South America to study bugs

Maria Winkelmann (1670-1720) Famous German

female astronomer Married Gottfried

Kirch leading astronomer

Faced typical obstacles in career

Debate on the Nature of Women Querelles des femmes – arguments about

women Medieval males opinions Early modern female arguments women

were rational, education beneficial Science used to support old stereotypical

views Labor & birth transferred from midwives to

men Distribution of misogynistic/scientific literature

perpetuated attitudes against women

IV. Descartes & Rationalism Read Toward a New Earth: Descartes,

Rationalism, and a New View of Humankind on p. 504-505 What is Cartesian dualism, and what were its

social implications? Why is Descartes considered the “founder of

modern rationalism”? Read The Father of Modern Rationalism on

p. 505 & answer the prompt at the end. This will go directly into Section #3:

Classwork/Homework !!

V. The Scientific Method & the Spread of Scientific Knowledge

Focus Question:

How were the ideas of the Scientific Revolution spread, and what impact did they have on society and religion?

Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

Scientific method built on inductive principles

Organized experiments, systematic observations Empiricism

Wanted to contribute to “mechanical arts”

Rene Descartes (1596-1650)

Emphasize deduction and mathematical logic Discourse on Method

Newton synthesized Bacon’s empiricism & Descartes’ rationalism into one method

Scientific Societies

English Royal Society – 1640s French Academy of Sciences – 1650s Both societies practical value of

scientific research primary focus on mechanics & astronomy

German princes & cities sponsored small scale societies

Spread of scientific journals

Science and Society

How did science become such an integral part of Western culture in the 17th & 18th centuries?

Merchants & gentry attracted to science b/c it could exploit resources for profit

Political interests in scientific conception of natural world to create social stability

Leaders supported scientific revolution for military advancement

Science and Religion

Theology the final measure

Dichotomy between science & religion growing secularization

Benedict de Spinoza (1632-1677)

Blaise Pascal (1623-1662)