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 Harold J. Cook scrutinizes a wealth of historical documents relating to the study of medicine and natural history in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and Asia during this era, and his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
Results 1-5 of 63
... continued to disagree vociferously about the details of his identifications. This kind of work on Pliny, Dioscorides, and other sources indicated not only that many of Pliny's manuscripts had become corrupted over the years but that ...
... continued to concentrate on designs of shaped mass greenery combined with rock and water, a keen interest in gardens showing off the form and color of individual plants was also clearly evident by the early sixteenth century, especially ...
... continued solvency of the state throughout the duration of the loan. Because so many persons invested social and financial capital in this way, and directly benefited from state payments, they were also amenable to living with very high ...
... continued to rise, everyone made money, including the notaries who wrote up the contracts. It all depended on having confidence in one's expectations for the future and—at least for those at the heart of the market—a firm understanding ...
... continued to find enjoyable classical edification in the socalled chambers of rhetoric. They had long existed in most cities and many large towns of the low countries as places where learning outside the religious establishments continued ...
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 |