Appel à communications : « Blood, Sweat, and Tears. The Changing Concepts of Physiology from Antiquity into Early Modern Europe » (Intersections, volume 21)

While the topic of anatomy, the structure of the body, has been the
subject of considerable recent study, that of physiology, the theory of
the normal functioning of living organisms, has received much less
attention. To reach a better understanding of what was new in Early
Modern Europe we need a thorough contextual interpretation of Ancient,
Medieval ? including the Arabic tradition ? and Renaissance theories.

If we try to apply the concept of physiology to Ancient (Greek and
Roman) medicine, we encounter some difficulties. Where we would expect
causality, we meet ?only ? with analogy. By the Early Modern era ancient
explanations of physiological phenomena existed alongside newly emerging
methods of explanation based on the study of nature. To what extent were
these two models of explanation in dialogue ? How was early modern
physiology represented ? What was the interrelationship with art ? William
Harvey mentioned the fire hose, but to what extent were such new
technological models, such as those derived from hydraulics, applied ? In
meteorology, geology, cosmology, and political and economic theory,
metaphors derived from physiology gained popularity. The tension and
interplay between experimental practices and metaphysical concepts could
also be an interesting topic.

Finally : in what way, if at all, did the new discoveries influence
general culture ? Is it possible to argue that people could see, hear,
smell, feel and taste in different ways in, say AD 1650, in comparison
with the Augustan era ?

Volume 21 will be edited by Manfred Horstmanshoff, Helen King and Claus
Zittel, and is scheduled to appear in 2010. The volume editors organize
a conference to be held at the Netherlands Institute for Advanced
Studies (Wassenaar, NL), 16-18th April 2009. Proposals, about 300 words,
should be sent (preferably electronically) no later than 1 November,
2008, to either :

Manfred Horstmanshoff
Professor of the History of Ancient Medicine, Universiteit Leiden,
Department of Classics
PO Box 9515, 2300 RA Leiden NL H.F.J.Horstmanshoff@let.leidenuniv.nl

Helen King
Professor of the History of Classical Medicine Department of Classics
University of
Reading, PO Box 218 Whiteknights, Reading RG6 6AA, UK
H.King@reading.ac.uk

Claus Zittel
Max Planck Institut, Florence
Zittel@khi.fi.it

Intersections brings together new material on well considered themes within
the wide area of Early Modern Studies. Contributions may come from
any of
the disciplines within the humanities : history, art history, literary
history, book history, church history, social history, history of the
humanities, of the theatre, of cultural life and institutions. The
themes
are directed towards hitherto little explored areas or reflect a lively
debate within the international community of scholars.

General Information about Intersections or specific issues of the
series are
to be had from :
Prof. Dr. Karl Enenkel (general editor)
Institute of Classical Studies
Department of Latin and Neo-Latin Literature University of Leiden
P.O.Box
9515 2300 RA
Leiden
e-mail : K.A.E.Enenkel@let.leidenuniv.nl
tel. : 0031 71 - 5272668 or 0031 71- 8890826

Dr. Jan L. de Jong (editorial secretary) Institute for the History of Art and Architecture,
Groningen University
P.O. Box 716 9700 AS Groningen
The Netherlands
e-mail : J.L.de.Jong@let.rug.nl
tel. : 0031 50 - 3636091, fax : 0031 50 - 3637362