Document Detail


Motus Tonicus: Georg Ernst Stahl's formulation of tonic motion and early modern medical thought.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15591695     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
This paper places in multiple contexts Stahl's formulation of tonic motion, a contractive and relaxative movement of body tissues that was thought to moderate the circulatory blood flowing through their porous structure. The paper analyzes Stahl's theory, elucidates its role in connecting his physiology and pathology, and situates its formulation in his conceptual development as well as the intellectual history of early modern medicine. The theory was at first a post-Harveyan attempt to explain occasional uneven blood flows; it was then expanded to account for the mechanism of blood circulation and metabolism, and formed a fundamental part of Stahl's effort to present a theory of animal heat and fever that would replace the traditional Galenic and fermentational theories. Tonic motion constituted the most important device that counteracted the ineluctable, unceasing corruption of the body, as dictated by its chemical nature; it thus qualified as the preeminent form of what Stahl considered vital motions.
Authors:
Ku-Ming Chang
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Biography; Historical Article; Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Bulletin of the history of medicine     Volume:  78     ISSN:  0007-5140     ISO Abbreviation:  Bull Hist Med     Publication Date:  2004  
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-12-13     Completed Date:  2005-02-14     Revised Date:  2009-11-11    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0141233     Medline TA:  Bull Hist Med     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  767-803     Citation Subset:  IM; Q    
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Blood Circulation / physiology*
History, 17th Century
Humans
Movement / physiology
Muscle Contraction / physiology*
Muscle Relaxation / physiology*
Muscle, Skeletal / physiology*
Philosophy, Medical / history*
Personal Name Subject
Personal Name Subject:
Georg Ernst Stahl

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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