04462 - History of Science and Technique

Learning outcomes

The history of science is by now a discipline present in almost all Italian universities and part of many degree courses of study, both in the humanities and sciences. The central role this course plays in university education is principally based on two fundamental motivations: 1) the recognition of the history of science as an ideal discipline in order to surpass the problematic fracture between humanist culture and scientific culture 2) the evidence that the development of science and technology is the most decisive and apparent aspect of the contemporary world. The history of science and technique course is therefore firstly characterised by its highly interdisciplinary content and by the possibility to offer outlooks of analysis and study that differ from and are alternative to the traditional approach of fields of knowledge, both in the humanist and scientific worlds.

Course contents

Heart, Soul, and Brain in Premodern ScienceThe course examines various models developed in ancient medical and physiological thought to explain the relationships between body, mind, and soul. On the one hand, it will present the principal theoretical and practical features of Greco-Roman medical science, focusing on the main phases of its historical development, from Hippocrates to the reception of Galenic medicine in the Byzantine and Eastern—Syriac and Arabic—worlds. On the other hand, it will address the specific relationship between body and “mind,” with particular attention to the Hippocratic writings, Aristotle’s biological works, and the Galenic tradition.

Through the reading and discussion of primary sources in translation, the course will explore various models proposed by ancient thinkers to explain the relationship between bodily physiology and the activities of the soul. What roles do the heart and brain play in these models? Can the soul become ill? What do conditions such as mania, phrenitis, and melancholy involve?

The main topics covered in the course will include:

• Magical medicine and rational medicine
• Hippocrates and the tradition of temple medicine
• The Hippocratic Corpus
• Aristotelian biology
• Hellenistic medicine
• Medical schools and the development of Roman medicine
• Galen of Pergamon
• The reception of Galenism from Byzantium to Baghdad

Readings/Bibliography

To prepare for the exam, students should study the following texts (International students may agree on an English-language reading list with the instructor):

Monographs 

(1) Valentina Gazzaniga, La medicina antica. Roma: Carocci, 2018.

(2) Paola Manuli, Mario Vegetti, Cuore, sangue e cervello. Biologia e antropologia nel pensiero antico. Milano: Episteme editrice, 1977 (ristampa in Petite Plaisance, 2009).

(3) Jackie Pigeaud, La follia nell'antichità classica. La mania e i suoi rimedi. A cura di Antonietta D'Alessandrio. Milano: Marsilio, 1995, pp. 66-159.

Primary sources in translation

(4) Ippocrate,La malattia sacra. A cura di Amneris Roselli. Venezia: Marsilio, 1996.

(5) Galeno, Se le proprietà dell'anima seguono i temperamenti del corpo (Quod animi mores), in Martino Menghi, Mario Vegetti (a cura di), Galeno, Le passioni e gli errori dell'anima. Venezia: Marsilio, 1994, pp. 95-129.

(6) Selection of texts, which include works attributed to Hippocrates, Aristotle and Araeteus of Cappadocia (The selection will be uploaded on Virtuale).

Students who do not attend classes should study the entire monograph listed as no. 3 (by J. Pigeaud).

Teaching methods

Lecture on the course’s topics.

Reading and in-class commentary of relevant passages from primary sources in the history of pre-modern science.

Students will be encouraged to deliver short presentations on discreet topics (either individually or as part of a group)

Assessment methods

The exam consists in a oral interview during which the methodological and critical skills acquired by the student will be evaluated. The student will be invited to discuss texts covered during the course and to expand on their historical context. The achievement of a systematic knowledge of the topics addressed in class and of a critical approach to the sources together with the use of precise language will be assessed with grades of excellence (28-30). Mechanical and/or mnemonic knowledge of the topics together with proper exposition will be assessed by good grades (23-27); gaps in the mastery of the topics of the course, superficial contextualization and knowledge of the texts will be assessed with sufficient grades (18-22). Lack of any of the above requirements will lead to a negative grade.

Exam sessions
During the 2026/2027 academic year, exam sessions are scheduled in the following months: October - December - January - March - June - July - September

Students with disabilities and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)
Students with disabilities or Specific Learning Disorders have the right to special adjustments according to their condition, following an assessment by the Service for Students with Disabilities and SLD. Please do not contact the instructor but get in touch with the Service directly to schedule an appointment. It will be the responsibility of the Service to determine the appropriate adjustments. For more information, visit the page:

https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students

It is recommended that students contact the University office in advance. Any proposed adjustments must be submitted at least 15 days in advance for the instructor’s approval, who will evaluate their appropriateness in relation to the learning objectives of the course.

Teaching tools

Use of ppt slides, multimedia material, and recordings of some classes.

Office hours

See the website of Matteo Martelli