Activity 1

The Scientific Revolution saw advances in several disciplines, including medicine. One of the earliest contributions to the new understanding of the human body came from the Renaissance physician, Andreas Vesalius, about whom you have read. In 1543 Vesalius published The Fabric of the Human Body which included detailed anatomical diagrams. Consider, for example, Vesalius' depictions of the muscles, blood vessels, and nervous system. Over eighty years later, the English physician, William Harvey, published the results of his observations of the circulatory system. Read the following sample of his discussion in On the Motion of the Heart (1628). How do Vesalius' diagrams and Harvey's discussion exemplify the intellectual values of the Renaissance and Scientific Revolution? Now look at The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolas Tulp (1632) by the Dutch artist, Rembrandt van Rijn. How does the artist represent the process of anatomical study? What do you think is the artist's attitude toward that process? Do you think he shares Vesalius' and Harvey's interest in how the body functions and is structured?

Activity 2

: You have already read an overview of Galileo's discoveries and the reception they received from church authorities. Consider how Galileo himself represented what he hoped to accomplish. Read his letter to Archduchess Christina of Tuscany (1615). In what terms does Galileo describe his the principles guiding his research? What is his attitude toward church doctrine, and how does he view the relationship between it and his science? Now take a look at two responses of the church to Galileo's insights. First read letter on Galileo's theories (1615) by Cardinal Robert Bellarmine. How does the cardinal, as a loyal church official, respond to Galileo's discoveries and their implications? What credit does he give them? Finally, read the church's Indictment and Abjuration (1633) of Galileo. In what terms did the church condemn Galileo's theories? What kind of evidence does the document employ? To what authority does it appeal?