[Doctors and apothecaries as botanists in the renaissance]

Area of Science:

• History of Science
• Botany
• Renaissance Studies

Context:

• Renaissance botanical classification efforts were influenced by Aristotelian principles.
• Existing explanations for classification challenges include insufficient morphological knowledge, terminology issues, and difficulties identifying ancient plant descriptions.
• The influx of new plant species from global exploration presented identification hurdles.

Purpose:

• To supplement existing explanations for the late development of plant classification during the Renaissance.
• To analyze botanical dialogues from the 1530s discussing ambiguities in the nascent science of botany.
• To investigate the primary drivers of botanical studies among medical doctors in the Renaissance.

Summary:

• Analysis of 1530s botanical dialogues reveals discussions on scientific ambiguities.
• Medical doctors' botanical studies primarily focused on identifying 'simplicia' for pharmacies.
• The practical need for identifying medicinal plant components (simplicia) prioritized pharmacognosy over systematic classification.

Impact:

• The study suggests that the practical demands of pharmacognosy and the limitations of Aristotelian systems for identifying plant parts contributed to a delayed interest in systematic botany.
• Highlights the role of practical application (drug identification) in shaping scientific inquiry during the Renaissance.
• Underscores the disconnect between classification needs for medicinal purposes and the requirements for broader systematic botanical understanding.