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 Harold J. Cook scrutinizes a wealth of historical documents relating to the study of medicine and natural history in the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe, Brazil, South Africa, and Asia during this era, and his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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... of East Asia 339 ten The Refusal to Speculate: Sticking to Simple Things 378 eleven Conclusions and Comparisons 410 Notes 417 Bibliography 473 Index 537 Preface Those who turn to the past for comfort because. Contents.
... turn to the past for comfort because they suppose that we know how it all turned out travel at their ease; going by other means into this region of unexpected dangers and delights can sometimes transform the voyager. More than fifty ...
... of people, which in turn gave shape to the meaningful questions they asked; once the (ever-changing) rules of their game were in place, people used them creatively, not only for material or political advancement but xii Preface.
... turn emphasize the foundational significance of what we would today call the life sciences and medicine rather than physics and mathematics, although a more complete account would have included more on what is commonly called technology ...
... turn financed the apparatus of their respective nation-states to guarantee their security, and in some places, such as the Dutch Republic, even waged wars abroad in their own right. As they and their associates gained a dominant ...
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 |