‘Mathematics Made No Contribution to the Public Weal’: Why Jean Fernel (1497-1558) Became a Physician

Abstract

This paper offers a caution that emphasis upon the importance of mathematics in recent historiography is in danger of obscuring the historical fact that, for the most part, mathematics was not seen as important in the pre-modern period. The paper proceeds by following a single case study, and in so doing offers the first account of the mathematical writings of Jean Fernel (1497-1558), better known as a leading medical innovator of the 16th century. After establishing Fernel's early commitment to mathematics, and attempt to forge a career as a cosmographer, it goes on to explain his abandonment of mathematics for a career in medicine. The 'mathematization of the world picture' is usually explained in terms of the perceived usefulness of mathematics, but Fernel's case shows that for many pre-modern thinkers, mathematics was not regarded as a useful pursuit. The paper should serve as a reminder, therefore, that the take-up of mathematics by natural philosophers was by no means inevitable, but had to be carefully managed by early modern mathematical practitioners. The case of Fernel indicates that perhaps he was not the only would-be mathematical practitioner to abandon mathematics in favor of a calling that was more appreciated by contemporaries.

Traces of a University Career in Renaissance Brandenburg

“…43 Craig was not a candidate for that position, as he set his sights on the medical profession, which enjoyed higher social status and income. 44 to Peter Young, the king's counsellor. 52 Brahe reciprocated with an Ovidian elegy:…”

Errors and Corrections in Mathematics Literature

“…The highest, or "mathematical", rigor is regarded as an obstacle to investigation [14]. 4 The issue of appropriate rigor cannot be excised from a discussion of mathematics by restricting the literature, because interdisciplinary mathematics largely develops in the allied fields [18], as, for example, the analysis of algorithms.…”

“…-John von Neumann [22] Variations in rigor (or in philosophies thereof) are not viewed as errors in core mathematics, because, as in the sciences, evidence is distinct 4 Quinn [15, p. 36] observes that many interdisciplinary researchers are "several generations removed" from core mathematics "and some are actually hostile to core methodology." For rigor in quantum theory see [12], [14], and in engineering see [16], [17].…”