Cornelius Gemma
Encyclopedia
Cornelius Gemma (1535–1578) was a physician, astronomer and astrologer, and the oldest son of cartographer and instrument-maker Gemma Frisius
. He was a professor of medicine at Louvain
, and shared in his father's efforts to restore ancient Ptolemaic practice
to astrology, drawing on the Tetrabiblos
.
As an astronomer, Gemma is significant for his observations of a lunar eclipse
in 1569 and of the 1572 supernova appearing in Cassiopeia
, which he recorded on 9 November, two days before Tycho Brahe
, calling it a "New Venus." With Brahe, he was one of the few astronomers to identify the Great Comet of 1577
as superlunary. Gemma is also credited with publishing the first scientific illustration of the aurora
, in his 1575 book on the supernova.
Another milestone appears in his medical writings: in 1552, Gemma published the first illustration of a human tapeworm.
Gemma's two major works, De arte cyclognomica (Antwerp, 1569) and De naturae divinis characterismis (Antwerp, 1575), have been called "true 'hidden gems' in early modern intellectual history," bringing together such topics as medicine, astronomy, astrology, teratology
, divination
, eschatology
, and encyclopaedism.
Gemma also has the distinction of being called "the first true orchid hobbyist, in the modern sense."
in Mechlin
. He began studying with the arts faculty at Louvain at the age of 15, and continued at the medical faculty. In 1569, he succeeded professor Nicolas Biesius and obtained a doctorate in 1570.
Gemma died around 1578 in an epidemic of the plague, to which a third of the population at Louvain
also succumbed. Although he had already proven to be a prolific writer, he was only in his mid-forties. His epitaph
consists of two elegiac couplet
s in Latin
, punning on lapis ("stone, precious stone, tombstone") and Gemma ("precious stone, gem"). He was survived by two sons: Raphael, who entered the priesthood, and Philip, who followed family tradition as a medical doctor.
to carry an official notice of approval from the Roman Catholic Church
. Gemma moved away from judicial astrology
and renounced astrological predictions about political events, and seems to have gradually confined himself to predictions about astronomical phenomena and meteorological astrology
. His predictions for 1561, for example, provided detailed information on every lunar phase
, and most planetary aspects
and phases of fixed stars in relation to the sun, with a thoroughness that surpassed the predictions of his contemporaries. He remained committed to astrologic medicine
, however, and believed that predictable atmospheric conditions, extending to astral conjunctions, generated disease.
Gemma attempted to formulate a universal philosophy that brought together inferiors and celestials, nature, soul and intellect, numbers, ideas and external objects. In the three volumes De arte cyclognomica, he synthesized the teachings of Hippocrates
, Plato
, Galen
, and Aristotle
by a method perhaps derived from Lullius
. This "cyclognomic art" is an arrangement of seven concentric circles, starting from the outermost:
A profusion of charts, celestial diagrams, and spherical triangles
is characteristic of Gemma's ars cyclognomica, as is the use of three as a mystic number. Disciplines are grouped under three faculties or spheres:
Gemma's two volumes De naturae divinis characterismis (1575), on divine marks or features in nature, included tales of medical marvels. An example may be found online in the Compendium Maleficiarum of Francesco Maria Guazzo
: a 15-year-old girl was reported to excrete a live eel and to vomit a prodigious stream of hairs, skin fragments, stones and bones. Although the cause was thought to be demon
ic, Gemma is said to have approached treatment with "natural causes." Guazzo also says that Gemma discussed spontaneous sex change in humans
.
Gemma viewed the relation of prodigies
and cosmology
in light of his medical practice; that is, just as a physician could interpret a patient's symptom
s to predict disease, a reading of prodigies in nature could provide insight into divine intention in the universe. He regarded this ars cosmocritica as a new science.
, which he first observed on 14 November of that year. Gemma was one of the few astronomers — most famously Tycho Brahe
, but also Helisaeus Roeslin
, William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
and Michael Mästlin — who identified the comet as superlunary. Brahe was highly critical of his colleague's mathematical deficiencies, but praised his section on macrocosmic portents and on the comet's physical characteristics. Gemma subordinated his accurate astronomical observations to a moral purpose; "to Gemma," writes Tabitta van Nouhuys, "the investigation of the comet's mathematical and physical characteristics was not an end in itself, but a means of gaining an insight into the arrangement of the cosmos and the divinely inspired sympathies between its parts."
Additional bibliography may be found at the conference website.
Gemma Frisius
Gemma Frisius , was a physician, mathematician, cartographer, philosopher, and instrument maker...
. He was a professor of medicine at Louvain
Catholic University of Leuven
The Catholic University of Leuven, or of Louvain, was the largest, oldest and most prominent university in Belgium. The university was founded in 1425 as the University of Leuven by John IV, Duke of Brabant and approved by a Papal bull by Pope Martin V.During France's occupation of Belgium in the...
, and shared in his father's efforts to restore ancient Ptolemaic practice
Geocentric model
In astronomy, the geocentric model , is the superseded theory that the Earth is the center of the universe, and that all other objects orbit around it. This geocentric model served as the predominant cosmological system in many ancient civilizations such as ancient Greece...
to astrology, drawing on the Tetrabiblos
Tetrabiblos
The Tetrabiblos , also known under the Latin title Quadripartitum , is a text on the philosophy and practice of astrology, written in the second century AD by the Alexandrian scholar Claudius Ptolemy ....
.
As an astronomer, Gemma is significant for his observations of a lunar eclipse
Lunar eclipse
A lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes behind the Earth so that the Earth blocks the Sun's rays from striking the Moon. This can occur only when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are aligned exactly, or very closely so, with the Earth in the middle. Hence, a lunar eclipse can only occur the night of a...
in 1569 and of the 1572 supernova appearing in Cassiopeia
Cassiopeia (constellation)
Cassiopeia is a constellation in the northern sky, named after the vain queen Cassiopeia in Greek mythology, who boasted about her unrivalled beauty. Cassiopea was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century Greek astronomer Ptolemy, and it remains one of the 88 modern constellations today...
, which he recorded on 9 November, two days before Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, calling it a "New Venus." With Brahe, he was one of the few astronomers to identify the Great Comet of 1577
Great Comet of 1577
The Great Comet of 1577 was a comet that passed close to Earth during the year 1577 AD. It was viewed by people all over Europe, including famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. From his observations of the comet, Brahe was able to discover that comets and similar objects travel above the Earth's...
as superlunary. Gemma is also credited with publishing the first scientific illustration of the aurora
Aurora (astronomy)
An aurora is a natural light display in the sky particularly in the high latitude regions, caused by the collision of energetic charged particles with atoms in the high altitude atmosphere...
, in his 1575 book on the supernova.
Another milestone appears in his medical writings: in 1552, Gemma published the first illustration of a human tapeworm.
Gemma's two major works, De arte cyclognomica (Antwerp, 1569) and De naturae divinis characterismis (Antwerp, 1575), have been called "true 'hidden gems' in early modern intellectual history," bringing together such topics as medicine, astronomy, astrology, teratology
Teratology
Teratology is the study of abnormalities of physiological development. It is often thought of as the study of human birth defects, but it is much broader than that, taking in other non-birth developmental stages, including puberty; and other non-human life forms, including plants.- Etymology :The...
, divination
Divination
Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual...
, eschatology
Eschatology
Eschatology is a part of theology, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events in history, or the ultimate destiny of humanity, commonly referred to as the end of the world or the World to Come...
, and encyclopaedism.
Gemma also has the distinction of being called "the first true orchid hobbyist, in the modern sense."
Life
Cornelius Gemma attended Latin schoolLatin School
Latin School may refer to:* Latin schools of Medieval Europe* These schools in the United States:** Boston Latin School, Boston, MA** Brooklyn Latin School, New York, NY** Brother Joseph C. Fox Latin School, Long Island, NY...
in Mechlin
Mechelen
Mechelen Footnote: Mechelen became known in English as 'Mechlin' from which the adjective 'Mechlinian' is derived...
. He began studying with the arts faculty at Louvain at the age of 15, and continued at the medical faculty. In 1569, he succeeded professor Nicolas Biesius and obtained a doctorate in 1570.
Gemma died around 1578 in an epidemic of the plague, to which a third of the population at Louvain
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
also succumbed. Although he had already proven to be a prolific writer, he was only in his mid-forties. His epitaph
Epitaph
An epitaph is a short text honoring a deceased person, strictly speaking that is inscribed on their tombstone or plaque, but also used figuratively. Some are specified by the dead person beforehand, others chosen by those responsible for the burial...
consists of two elegiac couplet
Elegiac couplet
The elegiac couplet is a poetic form used by Greek lyric poets for a variety of themes usually of smaller scale than the epic. Roman poets, particularly Ovid, adopted the same form in Latin many years later...
s in Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, punning on lapis ("stone, precious stone, tombstone") and Gemma ("precious stone, gem"). He was survived by two sons: Raphael, who entered the priesthood, and Philip, who followed family tradition as a medical doctor.
Works
Gemma edited his father's posthumous work De astrolabo catholica (1556). In 1560, he began publishing his own work in the annual series Ephemerides meteorologicae, printed by Joannes Withagen. The Ephemerides is the earliest known astrological work from the Low CountriesLow Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
to carry an official notice of approval from the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. Gemma moved away from judicial astrology
Judicial astrology
Judicial astrology is the art of forecasting future events by calculation of the planetary and stellar bodies and their relationship to the Earth...
and renounced astrological predictions about political events, and seems to have gradually confined himself to predictions about astronomical phenomena and meteorological astrology
Meteorological astrology
Meteorological astrology or astrometeorology is the practice of applying the astrological/astronomical placements of the Sun, Moon, and planets to forecast the weather.Astrometeorology is thousands of years old and based on astronomical positions that directly affect the weather...
. His predictions for 1561, for example, provided detailed information on every lunar phase
Lunar phase
A lunar phase or phase of the moon is the appearance of the illuminated portion of the Moon as seen by an observer, usually on Earth. The lunar phases change cyclically as the Moon orbits the Earth, according to the changing relative positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun...
, and most planetary aspects
Astrological aspect
In astrology, an aspect is an angle the planets make to each other in the horoscope, and also to the ascendant, midheaven, descendant, lower midheaven, and other points of astrological interest. Aspects are measured by the angular distance in degrees and minutes of ecliptic longitude between two...
and phases of fixed stars in relation to the sun, with a thoroughness that surpassed the predictions of his contemporaries. He remained committed to astrologic medicine
Medical astrology
Medical astrology is an ancient medical system that associates various parts of the body, diseases, and drugs as under the influence of the sun, moon, and planets, along with the twelve astrological signs. Each of the astrological signs is associated with different parts of the human body...
, however, and believed that predictable atmospheric conditions, extending to astral conjunctions, generated disease.
Gemma attempted to formulate a universal philosophy that brought together inferiors and celestials, nature, soul and intellect, numbers, ideas and external objects. In the three volumes De arte cyclognomica, he synthesized the teachings of Hippocrates
Hippocrates
Hippocrates of Cos or Hippokrates of Kos was an ancient Greek physician of the Age of Pericles , and is considered one of the most outstanding figures in the history of medicine...
, Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...
, Galen
Galen
Aelius Galenus or Claudius Galenus , better known as Galen of Pergamon , was a prominent Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher...
, and Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
by a method perhaps derived from Lullius
Ramon Llull
Ramon Llull was a Majorcan writer and philosopher, logician and tertiary Franciscan. He wrote the first major work of Catalan literature. Recently-surfaced manuscripts show him to have anticipated by several centuries prominent work on elections theory...
. This "cyclognomic art" is an arrangement of seven concentric circles, starting from the outermost:
- substances;
- accidents;
- absolute predicates;
- relatives;
- virtues;
- vices;
- questions.
A profusion of charts, celestial diagrams, and spherical triangles
Spherical trigonometry
Spherical trigonometry is a branch of spherical geometry which deals with polygons on the sphere and the relationships between the sides and the angles...
is characteristic of Gemma's ars cyclognomica, as is the use of three as a mystic number. Disciplines are grouped under three faculties or spheres:
- imaginatio (physics, astronomy, medicine and related fields);
- ratio (grammar, rhetoric, cyclognomic, dialecticDialecticDialectic is a method of argument for resolving disagreement that has been central to Indic and European philosophy since antiquity. The word dialectic originated in Ancient Greece, and was made popular by Plato in the Socratic dialogues...
); - intellectus (metaphysicsMetaphysicsMetaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
subdivided into mathematics, ethicsEthicsEthics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, and theologyTheologyTheology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
).
Gemma's two volumes De naturae divinis characterismis (1575), on divine marks or features in nature, included tales of medical marvels. An example may be found online in the Compendium Maleficiarum of Francesco Maria Guazzo
Francesco Maria Guazzo
Francesco Maria Guazzo, aka Guaccio, aka Guaccius was an Italian priest in Milan. He wrote a book, the Compendium Maleficarum , in which he cited numerous experts on the subject, among them Nicholas Remy....
: a 15-year-old girl was reported to excrete a live eel and to vomit a prodigious stream of hairs, skin fragments, stones and bones. Although the cause was thought to be demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
ic, Gemma is said to have approached treatment with "natural causes." Guazzo also says that Gemma discussed spontaneous sex change in humans
Sex change
Sex change is a term often used for gender reassignment therapy, that is, all medical procedures transgendered people can have, or specifically to sexual reassignment surgery, which usually refers to genitalia surgery only...
.
Gemma viewed the relation of prodigies
Omen
An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change...
and cosmology
Cosmology
Cosmology is the discipline that deals with the nature of the Universe as a whole. Cosmologists seek to understand the origin, evolution, structure, and ultimate fate of the Universe at large, as well as the natural laws that keep it in order...
in light of his medical practice; that is, just as a physician could interpret a patient's symptom
Symptom
A symptom is a departure from normal function or feeling which is noticed by a patient, indicating the presence of disease or abnormality...
s to predict disease, a reading of prodigies in nature could provide insight into divine intention in the universe. He regarded this ars cosmocritica as a new science.
The Great Comet of 1577
One of Gemma's more scientifically significant works dealt with the Great Comet of 1577Great Comet of 1577
The Great Comet of 1577 was a comet that passed close to Earth during the year 1577 AD. It was viewed by people all over Europe, including famous Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. From his observations of the comet, Brahe was able to discover that comets and similar objects travel above the Earth's...
, which he first observed on 14 November of that year. Gemma was one of the few astronomers — most famously Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe
Tycho Brahe , born Tyge Ottesen Brahe, was a Danish nobleman known for his accurate and comprehensive astronomical and planetary observations...
, but also Helisaeus Roeslin
Helisaeus Roeslin
Helisaeus Roeslin was a German physician and astrologer who adopted a geoheliocentric model of the universe. He was one of five observers who concluded that the Great Comet of 1577 was located beyond the moon...
, William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
William IV, Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel
William IV of Hesse-Kassel , also called William the Wise, was the first Landgrave of Hesse-Kassel . He was the founder of the oldest line, which survives to this day.-Life:...
and Michael Mästlin — who identified the comet as superlunary. Brahe was highly critical of his colleague's mathematical deficiencies, but praised his section on macrocosmic portents and on the comet's physical characteristics. Gemma subordinated his accurate astronomical observations to a moral purpose; "to Gemma," writes Tabitta van Nouhuys, "the investigation of the comet's mathematical and physical characteristics was not an end in itself, but a means of gaining an insight into the arrangement of the cosmos and the divinely inspired sympathies between its parts."
Further reading
- Hirai, Hiro, editor. Cornelius Gemma: Cosmology, Medicine and Natural Philosophy in Renaissance Louvain. Fabrizio Serra, 2008. Proceedings from an international conference on Cornelius Gemma held on 23 February 2007, at Ghent UniversityGhent UniversityGhent University is a Dutch-speaking public university located in Ghent, Belgium. It is one of the larger Flemish universities, consisting of 32,000 students and 7,100 staff members. The current rector is Paul Van Cauwenberge.It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands...
. ISBN 8862271182 ISBN 9788862271189
- Contents:
- "A Poem on the Copernican System: Cornelius Gemma and His Cosmocritical Art" by Fernand Hallyn;
- "Il linguaggio universale dei cieli: Cornelio Gemma, Tycho Brahe, Tommaso CampanellaTommaso CampanellaTommaso Campanella OP , baptized Giovanni Domenico Campanella, was an Italian philosopher, theologian, astrologer, and poet.-Biography:...
" by Germana Ernst; - "'Vere Gemmeum est?': Cornelio Gemma e la stella nuova del 1572" by Dario Tessicini;
- "La notion de prodige selon Cornelius Gemma" by Jean Céard;
- "Cornelius Gemma et l'épidémie de 1574" by Concetta Pennuto;
- "Prisca TheologiaPrisca theologiaPrisca theologia is the doctrine within the field of comparative religious studies that asserts that a single, true, theology exists, which threads through all religions, and which was given by god to man in antiquity...
and Neoplatonic Reading of Hippocrates in FernelJean FernelJean François Fernel was a French physician who introduced the term "physiology" to describe the study of the body's function. He was the first person to describe the spinal canal...
, CardanoGerolamo CardanoGerolamo Cardano was an Italian Renaissance mathematician, physician, astrologer and gambler...
and Gemma" by Hiro Hirai; - "Cornelius Gemma and Universal Method" by Stephen Clucas;
- "Cornelius Gemma, Philosophie und Methode: Eine Analyse des ersten Buches der Ars cyclognomica" by Thomas Leinkauf.
Additional bibliography may be found at the conference website.
External links
- Cornelius Gemma, De arte cyclognomica, University of Oklahoma Libraries, History of Science Collections, digital facsimile title page and other sample pages