Forma Fluens (“flowing form”) is a blog dedicated to the history of the body. A metaphor for life itself, as a rhythmic flow that alters the shape and the diachronic identity of the human being, this space is dedicated to any curious person interested in the history of medicine and the body.
FORMA FLUENS
Histories of the Microcosm
The Blog of the Body
Material from the blog is free to consult and use but must be credited as per the title, author, affiliation and sources displayed in each article. For queries or to express an interest in submitting an article for the blog, feel free to contact the centre in the dedicated section. Enjoy and stay tuned: more is always coming!
The Medicine of Merchants
Through an analysis of trade manuals, personal notebooks (zibaldoni), and family records, Massimo Sbarbaro illustrates how merchants were not only
The Language of the Universal Cure
This article traces how seventeenth-century Naples became a crucible for alchemical debate over the elusive language of the universal cure.
Medicine in the Homeric World
From battlefield wounds to divine remedies, this article explores the Iliad's earliest depictions of physicians, surgery, and drugs in ancient
Ole Borch on Indigenous Plants
The article explores Ole Borch's work "De usu plantarum indigenarum in medicina" (1690) and how his emphasis on indigenous plants
Follow your Heart but Heed your Brain
In this article, Leonardo Graciotti explores Pietro Pomponazzi’s pivotal role in the Renaissance debate on sense perception, examining his challenge
For Health and Pleasure
This article explores the medicinal and culinary uses of melon seeds and milk during the Renaissance, detailing recipes and health
Physica Colonialis in New Granada
This article examines the various debates that were promoted in the Viceroyalty of New Granada (South America) and have survived
The Dawn of Opium Science
This article explores Angelo Sala's masterwork "Opiologia" (1614) and its contributions to the pharmacology of anodyne medicaments.