Microcosm and macrocosm: the dual direction of analogy in Hippocratic thought and the meteorological tradition.
This paper opens a new perspective on the question of the analogy between the body and its environment as it is raised in some of the Hippocratic writings. Studying the structure of analogy in the meteorological treatises, it proposes a reversal of the traditional microcosm/macrocosm representation of the world and shows that medical theories--both Hippocratic and non-Hippocratic--became models for a makranthropic approach to nature. This focus on the direction taken by analogical thought allows us to confirm the unique character of the treatise on On Sevens (De hebdomadibus) within the Hippocratic writings.
Le Blay
Frédéric
F
D004777:Environment; D049690:History, Ancient; D006801:Humans; D008374:Manuscripts, Medical as Topic / Q000266:history*; D008685:Meteorological Concepts; D010684:Philosophy / Q000266:history*