The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher: Containing His Complete Masterpiece and Family Physician; His Experienced Midwife, His Book of Problems and His Remarks on Physiognomy
1684
The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher: Containing His Complete Masterpiece and Family Physician; His Experienced Midwife, His Book of Problems and His Remarks on Physiognomy
1684
One of the most popular medical texts of the early modern period, this volume was first published in the late 17th century and went through dozens of editions over two centuries. Though attributed to Aristotle, scholars believe it was actually compiled by an unknown author, making it a fascinating example of how authority was claimed through association with ancient wisdom. The work offers practical guidance on marriage, conception, and childbirth, reflecting what ordinary people once read to understand the mysteries of reproduction. It covers the appropriate age for marriage, the physiology of conception, factors affecting fertility, and differences in generative capacity between sexes. The influence of imagination during conception receives particular attention, along with guidance for midwives and practical family health advice. Later sections address physiognomy and the art of reading character from physical appearance. For modern readers, the book serves as a remarkable time capsule revealing 17th century beliefs about bodies, gender, and the boundaries between medical knowledge and speculation.
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“withal vain-glorious, proud and inconstant. He whose arms are very short in respect to the stature of his body, is thereby signified to be a man of high and gallant spirit, of a graceful temper, bold and warlike. He whose arms are full of bones, sinews and flesh, is a great desirer of novelties and beauties, and one that is very credulous and apt to believe anything. He whose arms are very hairy, whether they be lean or fat, is for the most part a luxurious person, weak in body and mind, very suspicious and malicious withal. He whose arms have no hair on them at all, is of a weak judgment, very angry, vain, wanton, credulous, easily deceived himself, yet a great deceiver of others, no fighter, and very apt to betray his dearest friends. CHAPTER IV Of Palmistry, showing the various Judgments drawn from the Hand. Being engaged in this fourth part to show what judgment may be drawn, according to physiognomy, from the several parts of the body, and coming in order to speak of the hands, it has put me under the necessity of saying something about palmistry, which is a judgment made of the conditions, inclinations, and fortunes of men and women, from the various lines and characters nature has imprinted in their hands, which are almost as serious as the hands that have them. The reader should remember that one of the lines of the hand, and which indeed is reckoned the principal, is called the line of life; this line encloses the thumb, separating it from the hollow of the hand. The next to it, which is called the natural line, takes its””
— Unknown
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Unknown. The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher: Containing His Complete Masterpiece and Family Physician; His Experienced Midwife, His Book of Problems and His Remarks on Physiognomy. Lex, lex-books.com/book/the-works-of-aristotle-the-famous-philosopher-containing-his-complete-masterpiec-503babdd-0fe4-4086-9e4d-b6de858c9c38.Unknown (1684). The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher: Containing His Complete Masterpiece and Family Physician; His Experienced Midwife, His Book of Problems and His Remarks on Physiognomy. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-works-of-aristotle-the-famous-philosopher-containing-his-complete-masterpiec-503babdd-0fe4-4086-9e4d-b6de858c9c38Unknown. The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher: Containing His Complete Masterpiece and Family Physician; His Experienced Midwife, His Book of Problems and His Remarks on Physiognomy. Lex. https://lex-books.com/book/the-works-of-aristotle-the-famous-philosopher-containing-his-complete-masterpiec-503babdd-0fe4-4086-9e4d-b6de858c9c38.


