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The 16th Century and the Renaissance

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Abstract

At the dawn of the 16th century, the supreme authority in the sciences and biology was still Aristotle, and in medicine, Galen. The study of the pulse and uroscopy (inspection of the urine) were still the most important actions of the learned physician, as can be seen on many contemporary miniatures. Notable advances had been made in the fields of eye diseases and optics, mainly by the Arabs and by the introduction of spectacles, which the Venetian glass workers began to manufacture as early as the end of the 13th century. On the other hand epidemics, especially waves of several forms of the plague, had decimated the population of Europe. Other epidemics, of such diseases as typhoid, paratyphoid, syphilis and tuberculosis, were caused by wars, povery, dirt and prostitution.

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© 1982 V. C. Medvei

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Medvei, V.C. (1982). The 16th Century and the Renaissance. In: A History of Endocrinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7304-6_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-7304-6_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-009-7306-0

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-7304-6

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