ABSTRACT
Sixteenth-century natural philosophers and physicians crafted novel ideas on bodies and their internal powers. These ideas often went far beyond the framework of the traditional perspectives, influencing the broader philosophical scene of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Although the principal actors in sixteenth-century natural philosophy had a variety of motivations and points of departure, many of them were medically educated humanists or humanistically trained physicians. This was the case, for example, for Jean Fernel, Girolamo Cardano, and Julius Caesar Scaliger. Under the influence of these figures, writers such as Bernardino Telesio and Justus Lipsius, though not educated as physicians, took pains to engage in questions related to the medical realm. Their writings exerted a considerable impact on later generations.
