Hektoen International

A Journal of Medical Humanities

Tag: The Travels Of Marco Polo

  • Marco Polo: A medical perspective

    Marco Polo’s journey from Venice to the court of Kublai Khan and back spanned roughly 24 years, from 1271 to 1295. In his account, Il Milione (also known as The Travels of Marco Polo), he documents many aspects of life and medicine in his time. Leaving Venice at seventeen, he visited the arid deserts of…

  • Science versus religion: The medieval disenchantment

    JMS PearceHull, England History is a novel whose author is the people.—Alfred de Vigny (1797–1863) In medieval times, knowledge, beliefs, and faith were largely centered upon a divine being. Christianity had replaced the paganism and barbarism of earlier centuries. Most experiences not explained by religious creed were attributed to mysterious forces of enchantment. The gradual…