Category: History of Science

An Anatomy of Thomas Jefferson

October 18, 2023

Among the books in Thomas Jefferson's Library that Congress purchased in 1815 was a copy of William Cheselden's The Anatomy of the Human Body, and Jefferson's annotations show that he studied the text carefully, connecting it to his study of ancient literature and history.

Posted in: American History, History of Science, Provenance

Woodcut image of a human head with lines extending from the tongue, eyes, ears, and nose into a common point beneath the forehead.

The Other Common Sense, or, Why Your Student Isn’t a Cabbage

June 16, 2023

Posted by: Marianna Stell

This post introduces readers to a once popular but now obsolete use of the term "common sense," as it is presented in Gregor Reisch (1467-1525)'s enormously popular text book, Margarita Philosophica, first printed in 1503.

Posted in: History of Science, Manuscript and Letterpress (Hand Press)