Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: René Descartes

  • René Descartes

    JMS PearceHull, England René Descartes (1596–1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. So profound and diverse were his writings1,2 that this is no more than a slight sketch of his extraordinarily original ideas and his contributions to medicine. A year after his birth in Touraine, his mother died in childbirth and his grandmother cared…

  • René Descartes found that Sweden was hazardous to his health

    Howard FischerUppsala, Sweden René Descartes (1596–1650) was a French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist. He obtained a law degree in 1616 at his father’s insistence, but in 1618 became an officer in the army of the Dutch Protestant States. He is thought to have influenced the work of Isaac Newton and also created the foundations of…