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!
Welfare Reform and Hospital Architecture in Portugal at the Dawn of Modernity
By the end of the Middle Ages hospitals began to manifest the symptoms of an institutional crisis. This situation will
Dioscorides and the Madrake
Some of the plants mentioned by Dioscorides are still used in modern pharmacopoeias. One such plant is the mandrake which
Surgical Thread in Early Modern Europe
Silk thread or metallic wire? This article focuses on the figure of Johann Rhode (1587-1659), a Danish philologist and physician
The Ages of Man in the Kitāb al-Malakī
The "Kitāb al-Malakī" (or 'Royal Book', KM), written by the Zoroastrian physician ʿAlī ibn al-ʿAbbas al-Maǧūsī is one of the
Drinking Water Cures and the Body in 17th-Century Tuscany
Bacon believed that the key to extending life lay not in the curricula as taught in the medical faculties of
Who Wants to Live for Ever? Roger Bacon on Prolongation of Life
Bacon believed that the key to extending life lay not in the curricula as taught in the medical faculties of
Albert the Great and the Configuration of the Embryo
In the 13th century, ‘embryology’ as a specific branch of biology did not exist, and the study of the configuration
Medical Notes on Agresto
This post explores Agresto, an acidic substance obtained from boiling and subsequent pressing of "unripe grapes", which was used in