Epistemologies of Touch in Early Modern Holy Autopsies

This article explores the epistemic value of touch in Italian Renaissance anatomy. Using archival and printed postmortem records from canonization processes and anatomical writings, it shows that haptic expertise (Greek ἅπτομαι [haptomai] : to touch) entailed not only the acquisition of practical sk...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inRenaissance quarterly Vol. 75; no. 2; pp. 542 - 582
Main Author von Hoffmann, Viktoria
Format Journal Article Web Resource
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge Cambridge University Press 01.01.2022
Renaissance Society of America
Subjects
Arts & humanities
Arts & sciences humaines
Autopsies
Cadavers
Dissection
Early modern period
Epistemology
Haptics
Histoire
History
Knowledge
Religion
Renaissance period
Senses
Touch
touch - anatomy - Renaissance Italy
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Summary:This article explores the epistemic value of touch in Italian Renaissance anatomy. Using archival and printed postmortem records from canonization processes and anatomical writings, it shows that haptic expertise (Greek ἅπτομαι [haptomai] : to touch) entailed not only the acquisition of practical skills but also the ability to discern, experience, and fully describe organic substances. Looking at the practices, languages, and theories underpinning medical and holy anatomies, I propose that haptic epistemologies lay at the heart of the understanding of the body in the early modern period, a time largely recognized to have transformed people's understanding and experience of visuality in the sciences and the arts.
Bibliography:scopus-id:2-s2.0-85134077862
ISSN:0034-4338
1935-0236
DOI:10.1017/rqx.2022.107