The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin

Download or read book The Birth of Modern Neuroscience in Turin written by Lorenzo Lorusso and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2022-02 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In the early 18th century, Piedmontese intellectuals and scientists were keen on dialoguing with colleagues and academic institutions across the Alps. They had a truly cosmopolitan approach to research and its dissemination. Physicians were particularly active, and ideas started to circulate. Turin and Piedmont found themselves within a network connecting the most important European capitals, but also their scientific societies and the universities. This stimulating environment was further enriched by the growth of the civil society: new academies were funded and scientific works were published. These became the pillars of a renewed 'cosmopolitan spirit'. During the second half of the century, exchanges among academic institution and societies, but also friendships and personal contacts (sometimes even occasional) favoured the 'process of Europeanisation' (and of 'deprovincialization') of Piedmontese culture and its medicine. This process was defined and described by Vincenzo Ferrone, an historian of the Enlightenment. As a result, Turin joined the league of other European capitals, such as Paris, Berlin and Saint Petersburg (Ferrone, 1988). This became especially evident under Victor Amadeus II, were rationalisation programmes against myths and false beliefs flourished"--