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Converting Death into Life: Spontaneous Generation from Aristotle's Biology to Albert the Great's Analysis of Plants
No full textThe theory of spontaneous generation was developed by Aristotle, mainly in his
biological works. In Aristotle, this issue was linked with some significant doctrines, such as that of pneuma. In medieval thought, the theory was known as generatio ex putrefactione.
Albert the Great addresses it not only to explain the generation of certain animals, such as insects, but also to elucidate the generation of certain plants. Moreover, in Albert the Great’s De vegetabilibus, putrefaction is conceived as a process that simply pertains to the life of plants: putredo is one of the three principles of plant generation, meaning that
plants need putrefaction to germinate and grow, even if seeds initially bring them about.
In Albert’s explanation, there is only a thin line between spontaneous and conventional generation in plants, so that putrefaction and generation are two symbiotic concepts in the vegetal world
How Do Plants Live and Grow? Radical Moisture and Digestion in Albert the Great's De vegetabilibus
No full textIn his De vegetabilibus Albert the Great elaborates a complex physiological
explanation in order to describe the vital functions of plants. This explanation is based
on some relevant medical doctrines, such as that of radical moisture and digestion, which
Albert translates from human into plant physiology. On the basis of these doctrines, Albert
develops an intricate system of moistures, by means of which he detailedly explains the
generation of each part of plants, such as the leaves, flowers and fruits. In this study, after
briefly reconstructing the history of these doctrines, the main aspects of Albert’s plant
physiology will be analysed
On the Trail of the scientia plantarum: an Analysis of the Sources of Albert the Great's De vegetabilibus
No full textThis article proposes an analysis of the sources used in Albert the Great’s De
vegetabilibus to explain the compilative strategy with which the Dominican master tries
to reconstruct the botanical science. Following a classification of the genres, the main
encyclopaedic, lexicographical, medical and pharmacological sources that influenced the
work of the doctor universalis are listed. It is also aimed at analysing the interest that
motivates Albert’s content choices. In this way, the work is put in relation to the main
texts that constituted the botanical panorama, outlining the innovation of its contribution
La medicina nel basso Medioevo. Tradizioni e conflitti
No full textReport of the Congress "La Medicina nel Basso Medioevo", 14-16 ottobre 2018, Todi (Italia
Catena aurea entium. Liber VII. Ansae 1–2 (De plantis)
No full textDer im Folgenden edierte erste Teil (Ansae I-II) von Buch VII der Catena aurea entium, wird von folgenden Handschriften überliefert:
B = Erfurt, Universitätsbibliothek, Dep. Erf., CA 2° 371, ff. 1ra–32rb.
V = Città del Vaticano, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, cod. Vat. Lat. 4310, ff. 202va–238ra
JOHN KROSBEIN'S COMMENTARY ON THE PSEUDO-ARISTOTELIAN DE PLANTIS: A CRITICAL EDITION
No full textA Critical Edition of John Krosbein's Commentary on De planti
Plants Changing Species. The Latin Debate on the transmutatio plantarum
No full textThe change of plant species, that is the transmutatio plantarum, is a crucial
topic, which raises significant philosophical problems. Here, almost unnoticed, hides a
significant moment of the process of reception of Aristotelian philosophy. The question is
addressed in the first book of the pseudo-Aristotelian De plantis, where some examples
of plants are reported that change their own species. The Latin commentators of the De
plantis who dealt with this issue showed a certain interpretative vivacity. Adam of Buckenfield
states that plants can change their own species because their shape when compared
to that of animals is closer to matter and therefore less perfect. Meanwhile, their matter
is less determined than that of minerals. Among all commentators, Albert the Great and
Roger Bacon show best the complexity of the question at hand, disclosing two opposite
philosophical positions. In spite of Bacon, who admits just a mutation of accidents and
denies the possibility that labor could change the form of a plant, Albert assigns to ars the
possibility to change the form of plants
LA RICEZIONE DEL DE VEGETABILIBUS DI ALBERTO MAGNO NELLA CATENA AUREA ENTIUM DI ENRICO DI HERFORD
No full textThis study focuses on Book VII of the Catena aurea entium (ansae 1-2) by the Dominican
friar Henry of Herford, which constitutes a distinctive case of the reception of Albert
the Great’s De vegetabilibus. Henry’s work represents a very significant case of the dissemination
and reworking of doctrinal contents derived from Albert’s work, especially those
pertaining to the philosophy of nature. The case of Book VII of the Catena aurea entium is
even more significant in so far as it represents a moment of fundamental syncretism within
the Dominican botanical culture: Albert’s solid theoretical apparatus is in fact enriched by
notions and excerpta taken from new medical sources circulating in the 14th century, most notably Averroes’ Colliget
Girolamo Mercuriale, On Pestilence: A Renaissance Treatise on Plague, translated and with an Introduction by Craig Martin (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2022)
No full textLa classification des abeilles, de l'Antiquité au début de l'ère moderne
No full textPanarelli, Marilena (2020): La classification des abeilles, de l'Antiquité au début de l'ère moderne. Anthropozoologica 55 (13): 187-198, DOI: 10.5252/anthropozoologica2020v55a1
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