farfel_n09_045_591

C. Gresner his fame as a scientist rests
on the first of his large scientific encyclopedias
the 5 volume Historia animalium. While he
continued to write his magnum opius. (the
Historia animalium) he also published during
the 5 years. 1552-57, more than a dozen works
among them important contributions to medicine,
botony, chemistry and philosophy.

Gesner's works were influential for a period of
almost 2 centuries. The Historia animalium
remained one of the standard zoologicla reference
works until the early 17th century

Printing
+ the Mind
of Man

One of the great polymaths of the Renaissance
He was a German Swiss who studied at Basel, Paris,
Montpellia; became professor of Greek at Lausannet
finally professor of medicine at Zurich where he died
of the plague.

Historia minalium--most of the woodcuts were
prepared specially for this work, others were borrowed.
remained the most authoritative zoological book
between Aristotle + the publication of Ray's
classification of fauna in 1693. It was reprinted
many times, although it often suffered at the hand
of editors.

"There is no more notable man in the history of learning
+ science in the 16th C." A suggestion of Gesner's
versatility can be seen in the fact that for a quarter
of a century he was professor of both ethics +
physics at Zurich + a practicing physician
during the same period. He was astonishingly
productive publishing 72 works + leaving 18
others unfinished.