New Philosophy of Human Nature: Neither Known to nor Attained by the Great Ancient Philosophers, Which Will Improve Human Life and Health [1587]

This volume is a critical edition of the 1587 treatise by Oliva Sabuco, New Philosophy of Human Nature, written during the Spanish Inquisition. Puzzled by medicine's abject failure to find a cure for the plague, Sabuco developed a new theory of human nature as the foundation for her remarkably modern holistic philosophy of medicine. Fifty years before Descartes, Sabuco posited a dualism that accounted for mind/body interaction. She was first among the moderns to argue that the brain--not the heart--controls the body. Her account also anticipates the role of cerebrospinal fluid, the relationship between mental and physical health, and the absorption of nutrients through digestion. This extensively annotated translation features an ample introduction demonstrating the work's importance to the history of science, philosophy of medicine, and women's studies. Knowledge Of One's Self -- Composition Of The World As It Is -- Things That Will Improve This World And Its Nations -- Treatments And Remedies Of Proper Medicine -- Proper Medicine Derived From Human Nature -- Brief Exposition On Human Nature : Foundations Of The Art Of -- Medicine -- Proper Philosophy Of The Nature Of Composite Things, Of Humans. Oliva Sabuco De Nantes Barrera ; Translated And Edited By Mary Ellen Waithe, Maria Colomer Vintró, And C. Angel Zorita. Originally Published: Castilian, 1587. Work Written By Miguel Sabuco Originally Published With His Daughter's Name On Title Page. Scholars Disagree On Attribution Of Work But Majority Of Research At The Biblioteca Nacional De España Confirms Authorship. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [329]-334) And Index. Translated From The Spanish. "This volume is a critical edition of the 1587 treatise, New Philosophy of Human Nature, written during the Spanish Inquisition by the overlooked Spanish philosopher Oliva Sabuco. Puzzled by medicine's abject failure to find a cure for the plague, Sabuco developed a new theory of human nature as the foundation for her remarkably modern holistic philosophy of medicine." "This extensively annotated translation features an ample introduction demonstrating the work's importance to the history of science, philosophy of medicine, and women's studies."--BOOK JACKET Puzzled by medicine's abject failure to find a cure for the plague, the author developed a theory of human nature as the foundation for her modern holistic philosophy of medicine. She posited a dualism that accounted for mind/body interaction. She argues that the brain controls the body.