Abstract

DONATELLI, Marisa C. de O. F.. MEDICINA E O “GRANDE SÉCULO”: A CRÍTICA CARTESIANA. Educação e Filosofia [online]. 2011, vol.25, n.spe, pp.239-266.  Epub Jan 31, 2024. ISSN 1982-596X.  https://doi.org/10.14393/revedfil.issn.0102-6801.v25nespeciala2011-11.

Literature shows that medicine was one of the favorite objects of Molière’s criticism in theater in the second half of the 17th century. This position is earned, since medicine provides an inexhaustible source for these satirical ideas directed toward it: in addition to the usual therapeutic practices, there is also the typical logorrhea of medical professionals abusively employing the Latin and Greek roots to which they seem inseparably tied. Criticism towards this scientific field was also present in the domain of Philosophy since as early as the first half of the same century: precisely because medicine at that time did not wield its present power, Descartes placed great hopes in this field, not only for improving health and eradicating the ills afflicting the body and spirit, but also for prolonging life and overcoming the deprivations of old age (AT VI, 63). After settling in the Netherlands, he turned to the study of medicine from a different perspective from that usual in his time, and began to effectively achieve his purposes. His project underwent several changes as it evolved over the years. This work aims to describe the role of Descartes in the medical debate of his time, starting from a brief overview of the historical context of medicine in the first half of the 17th century.

Keywords : Cartesian mechanism; Cartesian medicine; Pathology; Therapeutics.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )