Matters of Exchange: Commerce, Medicine, and Science in the Dutch Golden AgeA new and unexpected history of the Dutch pursuit of commerce in the 16th and 17th centuries and how it triggered the Scientific Revolution In this wide-ranging and stimulating book, a leading authority on the history of medicine and science presents convincing evidence that Dutch commerce—not religion—inspired the rise of science in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Harold J. Cook scrutinizes a wealth of historical documents relating to the study of medicine and natural history in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and Asia during this era, and his conclusions are fresh and exciting. He uncovers direct links between the rise of trade and commerce in the Dutch Empire and the flourishing of scientific investigation. Cook argues that engaging in commerce changed the thinking of Dutch citizens, leading to a new emphasis on such values as objectivity, accumulation, and description. The preference for accurate information that accompanied the rise of commerce also laid the groundwork for the rise of science globally, wherever the Dutch engaged in trade. Medicine and natural history were fundamental aspects of this new science, as reflected in the development of gardens for both pleasure and botanical study, anatomical theaters, curiosity cabinets, and richly illustrated books about nature. Sweeping in scope and original in its insights, this book revises previous understandings of the history of science and ideas. |
From inside the book
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Commerce, Medicine, and Science in the Dutch Golden Age Harold John Cook. them creatively, not only for material or political advancement but also for entertainment, edification, and pleasure, not only for utilitarian advantage but also ...
... science as an appeal to reason. On the contrary, it was through and through an anti-intellectualist movement. —alfred north whitehead, Science and the Modern World Like most works of history, this book offers an account of how we got to ...
... science, George Sarton, defined the history of science as the ''discovery of objective truth.'' The more recent view of an eminent Dutch historian of science, Reijer Hooykaas, also pointed to the moment when, ''not incidentally but in ...
Commerce, Medicine, and Science in the Dutch Golden Age Harold John Cook. A long list of roots, seeds, flowers, saps, barks, fruits, and woods made up the category of aromatic and tasteful substances known as spices, but the most sought ...
Commerce, Medicine, and Science in the Dutch Golden Age Harold John Cook. common sensitivities marked by good taste ... sciences'' as well as virtues. Yet the kind of arts and sciences developing in Antwerp, like the kind of moral virtues ...
Contents
1 | |
42 | |
82 | |
Four Commerce and Medicine in Amsterdam | 133 |
Five Truths and Untruths from the Indies | 175 |
Descartes in the Republic | 226 |
Seven Industry and Analysis | 267 |
Eight Gardens of the Indies Transported | 304 |
The Medicine of East Asia | 339 |
Sticking to Simple Things | 378 |
Eleven Conclusions and Comparisons | 410 |
Notes | 417 |
Bibliography | 473 |
Index | 537 |
Other editions - View all
Matters of Exchange: Commerce, Medicine, and Science in the Dutch Golden Age Harold John Cook No preview available - 2007 |