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  • © 2016

Fiber, Medicine, and Culture in the British Enlightenment

Palgrave Macmillan

Authors:

  • Provides a full account of the concept of fiber and fiber theory in eighteenth-century British medicine.

  • Offers an innovative look at the ways the body was no longer seen as an amalgam of the four humors but was believed to be woven of the solid fibers.

  • Challenges the widely held assumption that the eighteenth century was the age of the nerve and instead offers an alternative model of fiber.

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxiv
  2. Prelude to the Fiber Body in the Latter Half of the Seventeenth Century, c.1650–1700

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
  3. The Fiber Body in Eighteenth-Century Medicine

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 27-27
    2. Interlude: Fiber Psychology

      • Hisao Ishizuka
      Pages 163-173
  4. Fiber and Culture

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 175-175
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 241-276

About this book

This book provides a full account of the concept of fiber and fiber theory in eighteenth-century British medicine. It explores the pivotal role fiber played as a defining, underlying concept in anatomy, physiology, pathology, therapeutics, psychology, and the life sciences. With the gradual demise of ancient humoralism, the solid fibers appeared on the medical scene both as the basic building unit of the body and as a dynamic agent of life. As such, fiber stands at the heart of eighteenth-century medicine, both iatromechanism and iatro-vitalism. Touching on the cultural aspects of fiber, the Baroque, and the culture of sensibility, this book also challenges the widely held assumption that the eighteenth century was the age of the nerve and instead offers an alternative model of fiber.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Senshu University Japan , Kawasaki shi, Tama-Ku, Japan

    Hisao Ishizuka

About the author

Hisao Ishizuka is Professor in the Department of English at Senshu University, Japan. He is widely published in journals including Medical History, History of Science and Literature and Medicine.

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 69.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access