Astrology Beliefs among Undergraduate Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sugarman, Hannah; Impey, Chris; Buxner, Sanlyn; Antonellis, Jessie

2011-01-01

A survey of the science knowledge and attitudes toward science of nearly 10000 undergraduates at a large public university over a 20-year period included several questions addressing student beliefs in astrology and other forms of pseudoscience. The results from our data reveal that a large majority of students (78%) considered astrology "very" or…

Belief in astrology inventory: development and validation.

PubMed

Chico, Eliseo; Lorenzo-Seva, Urbano

2006-12-01

After the paper by Mayo, White, and Eysenck in 1978, a considerable number of papers studied the so-called sun-sign-effect predicted by astrology: people born with the sun in a positive sign are supposed to be extraverted, and those with the sun in a negative sign are supposed to be introverted. In these papers, researchers used ad hoc questionnaires with a few questions related to belief, knowledge, experience, or attitude toward astrology. However, an appropriate inventory with known psychometric properties has yet to be developed to assess the belief in astrology. In the present paper, the Belief in Astrology Inventory is presented with some psychometric data. The participants were 743 undergraduates studying Psychology and Social Sciences at a university in Spain. Correlation of scores on Belief in Astrology and Extraversion was small but significant (r = .22; r2 = .04) for positive sun-sign participants. This value accounts for negligible common variance. Women had significandy higher scores on the inventory than men.

Health promotion, preventive and curative aspects of diseases in astrology.

PubMed

Sharma, Bhuvnesh Kumar; Subhakta, P K J P; Narayana, A

2007-01-01

The whole universe is intermingling into a unit in the period of globalization. Different cultures, life-styles and sciences are co-operating with each other in this situation. World Health Organization is working towards collaborating all prevalent medical sciences for attainment of good health and family welfare for each and every individual by 2020. Astrology is a part of Indian heritage. Astrology means the art of predicting or determining the influence of the planets and stars on human affairs. The origin of this word is from Greek word astron, star + logos (discourse). The account of deeds of good and bad during the present life and previous lives, their consequences of health or ill health during this life i.e. what, when and how the things takes place will be clearly known through Astrology. Highly advanced knowledge related to Astrology on medicine is preserved in Indian scriptures and the knowledge was transmitted from generation to generation. It is also a good source for health promotion, preventive, curative and other medical aspects. Brief direction related to astrological medical aspects is also available in Ayurvedic literature (Carakasamhită, Suśrutasamhhită, Aşţăngasangraha, Aşţăngahŗdaya, Sărngadharasamhită , Băvaprakăśa etc.) Some Ayurvedic practitioners, scholars and scientists realize the need of astrological knowledge related to medicine in the present time. In ancient times physician, astrologer and purŏhita (Hindu priest) simultaneously looked after the health and family welfare of individual, families and country. Astrologer guides medication and suitable time for the better cure of ailments. Even the medicinal herbs were collected and treated at appropriate time for their efficacy. Astrology and Ayurvĕda are inseparable sciences of life. Hence, in this article, a concise astrological evaluation related to health promotion, preventive and curative aspects of Astrology is being presented.

Astrology: Science, Art or Prophesy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeghiazaryan, Anahit

2016-12-01

The subject in question is the link between humanity's two earliest disciplines - astronomy and astrology. Is it realistic to assume that the arrangement of celestial bodies, planets and stars can provide an opportunity to unequivocally predetermine the faith of the flora and fauna, of single individuals or entire nations living on planet Earth of the Solar System in the entirety of the Universe? Is it possible to ascertain whether astrology is science, art or prophesy?

Astrology: Science, Art or Prophesy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeghiazaryan, A. A.

2015-07-01

The subject in question is the link between humanity's two earliest disciplines - Astronomy and Astrology. Is it realistic to assume that the arrangement of celestial bodies, planets and stars can provide an opportunity to unequivocally predetermine the faith of the flora and fauna, of single individuals or entire nations living on planet Earth of the Solar System in the entirety of the Universe? Is it possible to ascertain whether astrology is science, art or prophesy?

Astrology in Ancient Greek and Roman Culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campion, Nicholas

2018-04-01

This article deals with astrology in Greek and Roman culture. It considers astrology's theoretical background, technical basis, interpretative conventions, social functions, religious and political uses, and theory of fate, as well as critiques of it. Astrology is the name given to a series of diverse practices based in the idea that the stars, planets, and other celestial phenomena possess significance and meaning for events on Earth. It assumes a link between Earth and sky in which all existence—spiritual, psychological, and physical—is interconnected. Most premodern cultures practiced a form of astrology. A particularly complex variety of it evolved in Mesopotamia in the first and second millennia BCE from where it was imported into the Hellenistic world from the early 4th century BCE onward. There it became attached to three philosophical schools: those pioneered by Plato, Aristotle, and the Stoics, all of which shared the assumption that the cosmos is a single, living, integrated whole. Hellenistic astrology also drew on Egyptian temple culture, especially the belief that the soul could ascend to the stars. By the 1st century CE the belief in the close link between humanity and the stars had become democratized and diversified into a series of practices and schools of thought that ranged across Greek and Roman culture. It was practiced at the imperial court and in the street. It could be used to predict individual destiny, avert undesirable events, and arrange auspicious moments to launch new enterprises. It could advise on financial fortunes or the condition of one's soul. It was conceived of as natural science and justified by physical influences, or considered to be divination, concerned with communication with the gods and goddesses. In some versions the planets were neither influences nor causes of events on Earth, but timing devices, which indicated the ebb and flow of human affairs, like the hands on a modern clock. Astrology had a radical view of

Teste Albumasare cum Sibylla: astrology and the Sibyls in medieval Europe.

PubMed

Smoller, Laura Ackerman

2010-06-01

In the 1480s Dominican humanist Filippo de' Barbieri published an illustration of a supposedly ancient female seer called the 'Sybilla Chimica', whose prophetic text repeated the words of the ninth-century astrologer Abu Ma'shar. In tracing the origins of Barbieri's astrological Sibyl, this article examines three sometimes interlocking traditions: the attribution of an ante-diluvian history to the science of the stars, the assertion of astrology's origins in divine revelation, and the belief in the ancient Sibyls' predictions of the birth of Christ and other Christian truths. Medieval authors from the twelfth century on began to cite these traditions together, thereby simultaneously authorizing the use of astrology to predict religious changes and blurring the categories of natural and supernatural as applied to human understanding. This blending of astrology and prophecy appears notably in works by such authors as John of Paris, John of Legnano, Johannes Lichtenberger, and Marsilio Ficino. Ultimately the trajectory that produced Barbieri's astrological Sibyl would lead to a wave of astrological apocalyptic predictions in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as to the harnessing of astrology for the defense of the faith in the form of an astrological natural theology, sacralizing science as well as nature.

Defining Astrology in Ancient and Classical History

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campion, Nicholas

2015-05-01

Astrology in the ancient and classical worlds can be partly defined by its role, and partly by the way in which scholars spoke about it. The problem is complicated by the fact that the word is Greek - it has no Babylonian or Egyptian cognates - and even in Greece it was interchangeable with its cousin, 'astronomy'. Yet if we are to understand the role of the sky, stars and planets in culture, debates about the nature of ancient astrology, by both classical and modern scholars, must be taken into account. This talk will consider modern scholars' typologies of ancient astrology, together with ancient debates from Cicero in the 1st century BC, to Plotinus (204/5-270 AD) and Isidore of Seville (c. 560 - 4 April 636). It will consider the implications for our understanding of astronomy's role in culture, and conclude that in the classical period astrology may be best understood through its diversity and allegiance to competing philosophies, and that its functions were therefore similarly varied.

Astrological counseling in contemporary India.

PubMed

Pugh, J F

1983-09-01

Astrological counseling constitutes an important but relatively unexplored sector of India's medical and psychiatric traditions. The present paper provides a critique of studies of divination-as-therapy and presents a symbolic or phenomenological approach to the analysis of astrology as a form of situation-focused counseling. Three arts of medicine--the art of dialogue, the art of prediction, and the art of remedy--organize the therapeutic effectiveness of the counseling session. In analyzing these arts, the discussion extends the idea of performative efficacy by developing the concept of "therapeutic space," defining it as the topographical framework which encompasses both the scene of the advisory session and the scene of the client's everyday life. The experiential continuities which are established in this space are constituted through imaginal activity, which is indigenously understood as "picturing" the client's situation. The discussion focuses on the text of an advisory session between an astrologer and his politician-client in the city of Banaras.

Tycho Brahe's attitude towards astrology and his relations to Heinrich Rantzau

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oestmann, Günther

Contrary to his astronomical works and observations, the astrological activities of Tycho Brahe have received less attention and are usually treated as an aberration characteristic for an astronomer of the early modern period. The paper deals with Tycho's astrological commissions for the Danish court, his attempts to create a reformed astrology and his relations to Count Rantzau (1526-1599), who was himself an ardent believer in astrology.

Iatromathematica (medical astrology) in late antiquity and the Byzantine period.

PubMed

Papathanassiou, M

1999-01-01

Byzantium inherited the rich astrological tradition of Late Antiquity, especially that of Alexandria, where even in the 6th century A.D., astrology was taught in philosophical schools. The great number of Byzantine astrological MSS, which preserve works of famous authors and many anonymous treatises, shows the survival and continuity of astrology in Byzantium. Through medical astrology physicians can better understand the temperament of an individual man and find out about his bodily constitution and psychic faculties, his inclination to chronic and acute diseases, the possibilities of curable or incurable cases, and finally the periods of major danger for his health. They can conjecture about the evolution of a disease, choose a favorable time for an operation, or initiate a cure.

[John Flamsteed's horoscope for laying the groundwork of Greenwich astronomy and astrology].

PubMed

Oestmann, Günther

2002-01-01

The paper deals with the astronomical and astrological contents of a horoscope cast by John Flamsteed in 1675 for the foundation of Greenwich Observatory. So far no analysis of its astronomical contents has been made. It can be shown that the chart has been drawn correctly, as is to be expected from a competent astronomer. For calculating the planetary positions he most likely used tables issued by Johann Hecker, a pupil of Hevelius, based on Kepler's "Tabulae Rudolphinae" in 1627. The cusps of the twelve astrological houses Flamsteed calculated trigonometrically; so he used no table of houses. Flamsteed employed a method of house division (domification) which was commonly used in the 16th and 17th century and connected with the name of Johannes Regiomontanus. Positional circles joining in the north and south points of the observer's horizon are laid through distances of 30 degrees on the celestial equator, thus giving unequal sections of the ecliptic. By consulting contemporary sources for the interpretation of the chart (Ramesey's Astrologia Restaurata, 1653) it appears that the time for laying the foundation stone was well chosen from the astrological point of view. There were precursors in this practice, e.g. the Italian astrologer Luca Gaurico, who was commissioned to submit an astrological report for the foundation for the Franse Wing in the Vatican in 1543, and Tycho Brahe, who performed a solemn ceremony on the island of Hven in 1576 at the laying of the foundation stone of his observatory in an astrologically propitious moment. This leads to the question whether Flamsteed believed in astrology. Michael Hunter has already given evidence that Flamsteed was indeed well-versed with astrological techniques and supplied astrologers with data. But at the same time he expressed hostility towards astrological interpretations issued frequently by different parties during Civil War in England. In an unpublished preface for Hecker's Tables (edited by Hunter) Flamsteed

Nephrology and astrology--is there a link?

PubMed

Hughes, S

1990-07-01

Astrologers presume a link between the susceptibility of particular organs to disease and signs of the Zodiac. A simple test of the positive connection between renal disease and the sign of Libra was undertaken by studying the birth dates of consecutive nephrology in-patient admissions. No significant link was found on analysis, thus disproving the traditional astrologers' claims.

Astrology and other occult sciences in seventeenth-century New Spain.

PubMed

Avalos, Ana

2006-01-01

This article focuses on the relationship and mutual influence of astrology and other so-called occult sciences within the context of seventeenth-century New Spain. By presenting some case studies of inquisitorial trials against astrologers, it explores the interrelation between astrological and physiognomical ideas and practices in order to shed some light on the moral dimension of these natural philosophical fields of knowledge. During the early modern period, both astrology and physiognomy were regarded as tools for self-understanding and the understanding of others by means of interpretation of natural signs. Thus their history is key for understanding the shaping of the boundaries between the natural and the moral realms.

Hiding in plain sight: Jung, astrology, and the psychology of the unconscious.

PubMed

Buck, Stephanie

2018-04-01

Astrology was a lifelong interest for C.G. Jung and an important aid in his formulation of psyche and psychic process. Archetypally configured, astrology provided Jung an objective means to a fuller understanding of the analysand's true nature and unique individuation journey. Jung credits astrology with helping to unlock the mystery of alchemy and in so doing providing the symbol language necessary for deciphering the historically remote cosmology of Gnosticism. Astrology also aided Jung's work on synchronicity. Despite astrology's worth to Jung's development of analytical psychology, its fundamental role in guiding his discoveries is all but absent from historical notice. The astrological natal chart seems rarely used clinically, and many clinicians seem unaware of its value as a dynamic diagram of the personality and the potentialities within which nature and nurture foster and/or discourage for individual growth and development over the lifespan. This paper charts Jung's interest in astrology and suggests why his great regard for it and other paranormal or occult practices remains largely neglected and unknown. © 2018, The Society of Analytical Psychology.

The astrological roots of mesmerism.

PubMed

Schaffer, Simon

2010-06-01

Franz Anton Mesmer's 1766 thesis on the influence of the planets on the human body, in which he first publicly presented his account of the harmonic forces at work in the microcosm, was substantially copied from the London physician Richard Mead's early eighteenth century tract on solar and lunar effects on the body. The relation between the two texts poses intriguing problems for the historiography of medical astrology: Mesmer's use of Mead has been taken as a sign of the Vienna physician's enlightened modernity while Mead's use of astro-meteorology has been seen as evidence of the survival of antiquated astral medicine in the eighteenth century. Two aspects of this problem are discussed. First, French critics of mesmerism in the 1780s found precedents for animal magnetism in the work of Paracelsus, Fludd and other early modern writers; in so doing, they began to develop a sophisticated history for astrology and astro-meteorology. Second, the close relations between astro-meteorology and Mead's project illustrate how the environmental medical programmes emerged. The making of a history for astrology accompanied the construction of various models of the relation between occult knowledge and its contexts in the enlightenment.

Self, other, and astrology: esoteric therapy in Sri Lanka.

PubMed

Perinbanayagam, R S

1981-02-01

HARRY STACK SULLIVAN'S argument that anxiety as a fundamental human experience is alleviated by the use of various procedures that he called "security operations" is used in this paper to examine the meaning of astrology in Sri Lanka. Astrology and the doctrine of karma provide the relevant framework in which various forms of misfortune are understood and handled. An examination of cases in Sri Lanka reveals that astrology and the doctrine of karma enable a person of that culture to create a number of structures which have a therapeutic effect.

The Astrologer's Apparatus: The Material Culture of an Astronomical Specialty in Greek Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, J.

2002-12-01

While astrology was certainly of Babylonian origin, it was enthusiastically embraced by the Greeks in Egypt, starting in the second century BC. Astrology triumphed because it resonated with many other aspects of Greek culture: astronomy and mathematics, as well as religion and philosophy, magic and mysticism. We have half a dozen Greek and Latin manuals of astrology, written between the first and fifth centuries AD, so we know a lot about the history of astrological doctrine. However, until recently, we have known very little about the social and material circumstances of astrological consultations. Who were the practitioners? Where did they practice? What apparatus did they use? What took place in an astrological consltation? By drawing on a wide range of sources, including literary texts, mathematical papyri, engraved gems, coins, statues and mummy portraits, we can now sketch a very detailed picutre of the professional practice of astrology in Greek Egypt.

Judicial astrology in theory and practice in later medieval Europe.

PubMed

Carey, Hilary M

2010-06-01

Interrogations and elections were two branches of Arabic judicial astrology made available in Latin translation to readers in western Europe from the twelfth century. Through an analysis of the theory and practice of interrogations and elections, including the writing of the Jewish astrologer Sahl b. Bishr, this essay considers the extent to which judicial astrology was practiced in the medieval west. Consideration is given to historical examples of interrogations and elections mostly from late medieval English manuscripts. These include the work of John Dunstaple (ca. 1390-1453), the musician and astrologer who is known have served at the court of John, duke of Bedford. On the basis of the relatively small number of surviving historical horoscopes, it is argued that the practice of interrogations and elections lagged behind the theory.

Early-Years Educators' Attitudes to Science and Pseudo-Science: The Case of Astronomy and Astrology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kallery, Maria

2001-01-01

Surveyed Greek elementary teachers' attitudes toward astrology, investigating whether they could distinguish between astronomy as the science and astrology as the pseudoscience. Teacher surveys indicated that 60 percent of respondents subscribed more or less to the astrological principles, and 59 percent viewed both astronomy and astrology as…

William Harvey, Aristotle and astrology.

PubMed

Gregory, Andrew

2014-06-01

In this paper I argue that William Harvey believed in a form of astrology. It has long been known that Harvey employed a macrocosm-microcosm analogy and used alchemical terminology in describing how the two types of blood change into one another. This paper then seeks to examine a further aspect of Harvey in relation to the magical tradition. There is an important corollary to this line of thought, however. This is that while Harvey does have a belief in astrology, it is strongly related to Aristotle's views in this area and is quite restricted and attenuated relative to some contemporary beliefs in astrology. This suggests a more general thesis. While Harvey was amenable to ideas which we associate with the natural magic tradition, those ideas had a very broad range of formulation and there was a limit to how far he would accept them. This limit was largely determined by Harvey's adherence to Aristotle's natural philosophy and his Christian beliefs. I argue that this is also the case in relation to Harvey's use of the macrocosm-microcosm analogy and of alchemical terminology, and, as far as we can rely on the evidence, this informs his attitudes towards witches as well. Understanding Harvey's influences and motives here is important in placing him properly in the context of early seventeenth-century thought.

Instruments and demonstrations in the astrological curriculum: evidence from the University of Vienna, 1500-1530.

PubMed

Hayton, Darin

2010-06-01

Historians have used university statutes and acts to reconstruct the official astrology curriculum for students in both the arts and medical faculties, including the books studied, their order, and their relation to other texts. Statutes and acts, however, cannot offer insight into what actually happened during lectures and in the classroom: in other words, how and why astrology was taught and learned in the medieval university. This paper assumes that the astrology curriculum is better understood as the set of practices that constituted it and gave it meaning for both masters and students. It begins to reconstruct what occurred in the classroom by drawing on published and unpublished lecture notes. These offer insight into how masters presented the material as they did, and why. The paper argues three points: first, the teaching of astrology centered on demonstrations involving astrological instruments: specifically, various kinds of paper astrolabes. Second, the astrological instruction focused on conveying the pragmatics of astrology rather than esoteric, theoretical issues. Finally, astrology as it was taught in the arts curriculum was explicitly intended to provide a foundation for students who would advance to study medicine at the university.

Is there an association between astrological data and personality?

PubMed

Hume, N

1977-07-01

A test was made of the hypothesis that personality characteristics can be predicted on the basis of various features of the individual's astrological chart. Astrological charts were prepared for 196 college-age Ss who also were administered the MMPI and the Leary Interpersonal Check List. Ss were divided into those who had extreme scores on any of the 13 personality variables studied and those who did not. For each personality variable, comparisons were made on a large number of astrological dimensions between distributions of Ss with and without extreme test scores. Six hundred thirty-two such comparisons were made and evaluated with chi-square tests. In that the obtained number of statistically significnat chi-squares was less than what would be expected on a chance basis, the hypothesis was rejected.

Studies of Astrology and Personality.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kelley, I.W.

1979-01-01

Reviews the behavioral evidence of the possible relationship between the movements of the planets and personality variables. Concludes that astrology is a science consisting primarily of false data claims and much further research is required before any supported conclusions can be reached. (Author)

Astrological signs and personality in Kuwaitis and Americans.

PubMed

Abdel-Khalek, Ahmed; Lester, David

2006-04-01

Samples of Kuwaiti (N=460) and American (N=273) undergraduates responded to six personality questionnaires to assess optimism, pessimism, suicidal ideation, ego-grasping, death anxiety, general anxiety, and obssessive-compulsiveness. Each participant was assigned to the astrological sign associated with date of birth. One-way analyses of variance yielded nonsignificant F ratios for all the seven scales in both Kuwaiti and American samples, except for anxiety scores among Americans. It was concluded that there was little support for an association between astrological sun signs and scores on the present personality scales.

The Church of San Miniato al Monte, Florence: Astronomical and Astrological Connections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrimplin, V.

2011-06-01

The church of San Miniato al Monte is examined in the context of interest in astrology and astronomy in early Renaissance Florence. Vitruvius emphasised the need for architects to "be acquainted with astronomy and the theory of the heavens" in his famous Ten Books of Architecture and, at San Miniato, astronomical and astrological features are combined in order to link humanity with the celestial or spiritual realm. The particular significance of Pisces and Taurus is explored in relation to Christian symbolism, raising questions about the role of astronomy and astrology in art and architecture.

'Astronomy' or 'astrology': a brief history of an apparent confusion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losev, Alexandre

2012-03-01

The modern usage of the words 'astronomy' and 'astrology' is traced back to distinctions that are largely ignored in recent scholarship. Three interpretations of celestial phenomena (in a geometrical, a substantialist and a prognostic form) co-existed during the Hellenistic Period. From Plato to Isidore of Seville, the semiotic contrast is evidenced, and its later developments are sketched. The concept of astronomy is found to be rather constant and distinct from changing views about astrology.

Plato's Cosmic Theology: A Rationale for a Polytheistic Astrology?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henriques, André

2015-05-01

Plato's cosmology influenced classical astronomy and religion, but was in turn influenced by the polytheistic context of its time. Throughout his texts, including the cosmological treatise Timaeus, and the discussions on the soul in the Phaedrus, Plato (c.428-c.348 BC) established what can be generalised as Platonic cosmological thought. An understanding of the philosophical and mythical levels of Platonic thought can provide a rationale for polytheistic and astrological worldviews, pointing to some cosmological continuity, alongside major shifts, from ancient Greek religion to the astrological thought of ancient astronomers such as Claudius Ptolemy.

Horoscopes Versus Telescopes: A Focus on Astrology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraknoi, Andrew, Ed.

1988-01-01

Criticizes astrology and uses student interest to help encouraging critical thinking and the scientific method. Provides some thought-provoking questions, three activities, and resource materials and a list of astronomy organizations. (YP)

An Astrological Diary of the Seventeenth Century - Samuel Jeake of Rye 1652-1699

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hunter, Michael; Gregory, Annabel

1988-04-01

A seventeenth-century merchant and nonconformist from Rye in Sussex, Samuel Jeake had a passionate interest in astrology. In his diary--recently recovered in Los Angeles and published here for the first time--Jeake not only recorded the events of his life; he subjected them to astrological scrutiny, interspersing his text with horoscopes. The result is one of the most interesting 17th-century diaries to be published in many years, throwing important light on the history of astrology, commerce, medicine, and religion. An illuminating introduction by the editors places the diary in the context of the preoccupations and priorities of Jeake's age.

How to read Simon Forman's casebooks: medicine, astrology, and gender in Elizabethan London.

PubMed

Kassel, L

1999-04-01

Simon Forman's astrological casebooks record thousands of medical consultations. Amidst the wealth of information in these documents, however, it is unclear to what extent Forman relied on the stars for diagnoses and therapies, or how the casebooks reflect the dymanic between Forman and his clients. This article attempts to answer these questions by reading the casebooks alongside Forman's guide to astrological physic. This approach reveals that astrology was paramount in Forman's evaluations and treatments of his patients. According to Forman, in order for him to effect a cure, he had to be trusted. It was particularly difficult to treat women because their health depended on the state of their wombs, and on their sexual activity, subjects about which women were notoriously duplicitous. The task of the astrologer was first to assess whether or not a woman was sexually active, and only then could he make a judgement about her disease. At the same time, in demonstrating an ability to discern whether or not she was being honest about her sexual activities, Forman won her confidence. By accounting for the role of astrology and the dynamics between the patient and the physician, this article provides the framework within which to read one of the most comprehensive records of medical practices in early modern England.

Mysteries of attraction: Giovanni Pico della Mirandola, astrology and desire.

PubMed

Rutkin, H Darrel

2010-06-01

Although in his later years Giovanni Pico della Mirandola (1463-1494) vehemently rejected astrology, he earlier used it in a variety of ways, but primarily to provide further evidence for positions to which he had arrived by other means. One such early use appears in his commentary on his friend Girolamo Benivieni's love poetry, the Canzone d'amore, of 1486-1487. In the passages discussed here, Pico presents an intensive Platonic natural philosophical analysis based on a deep astrologically informed understanding of human nature as he attempts to explain a perennial question, namely, why one person is attracted to a certain person (or people), and another to others. I will place this discussion of the mysteries of attraction and desire in historical perspective by tracing Pico's changing relationship to astrology during the course of his short but passionate life, and in historiographic perspective by revising Frances Yates's still influential views concerning Pico's contribution to Renaissance thought and his relationship with Marsilio Ficino.

Astrological birth signs in suicide: hypothesis or speculation?

PubMed

Salib, Emad

2003-04-01

Astrology is no longer regarded as a science by many, because its claims are almost impossible to test empirically in controlled laboratory conditions and it can not meet the scientific need to be reproducible. However, the majority of those who read their 'star signs' can identify aspects of their personality in what they read and it is possible that this may influence their attitudes and actions. The literature has neglected astrological signs as a possible predictor of suicide ideation. To see whether astrological birth signs are associated with suicide and the method used, data was collected from the Public Health Department in North Cheshire representing all the Cheshire Coroner's verdicts of suicide, and open verdicts, in all deceased aged 60 and above between 1989 and 2000. The observed occurrence of deaths due to natural causes, and suicide, in relation to birth signs did not differ significantly from what would be expected from chance. However, the distribution of suicide by hanging appeared significantly higher in those with a birth sign of Virgo and lowest in Sagittarius and Scorpio. The distribution of violent and non-violent suicides in relation to star signs showed higher occurences of violent death in persons born in the summer months.

La enseñanza de la astrología en la Universidad de Salamanca (1460 - 1530).

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

García Castillo, P.

With the creation of the chair of Astrology at the University of Salamanca in 1460 starts an astrological development, which collects critically the classical and the medieval Arab and Jewish texts. Continuing the work of Alphons X it initiates the theoretical and practical development of astrology, which anticipates the Copernican revolution. The paper presents a general overview of the teachers of that chair and a summary of the most important texts.

On the Intercourse Between Indian and the Arabic/Persian Astrologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beinorius, Audrius

2015-05-01

The history of astrology offers to its students a primary challenge: the complexity of its career in transmission from one cultural area to another and in transformation of its doctrines and methods to fit the interests and cultural circumstances of its eager recipients. The translation movement between the Indian and Arabic/Persian cultures is still rarely studied. In this paper I am discussing the relations (intellectual voyages) between Indian and Arabic/Persian astrological traditions from historical and cultural perspectives. By using the various examples from Sanskrit, Pahlavī, Arabic and Persian sources I try to display the intimate scientific exchanges, by emphasizing the field of astrology and divination, between two geographically close, but in a religious and philosophical sense, very different cultural areas. The conclusion is made that the influence of Hindu astro-sciences on Islamic culture was comparatively greater but the impact of the Islamic sciences on Hindus was no less significant. On both sides a fruitful process of enculturation and integration of technical astral concepts and applied methods took place.

Hebrew and Latin astrology in the twelfth century: the example of the location of pain.

PubMed

Burnett, Charles

2010-06-01

The formative period of Latin and Hebrew astrology occurred virtually simultaneously in both cultures. In the second quarter of the twelfth century the terminology of the subject was established and the textbooks which became authoritative were written. The responsibility for this lay almost entirely with two scholars: John of Seville for the Latins, and Abraham ibn Ezra for the Jews. It is unlikely to have been by coincidence that the same developments in astrology occurred in these two cultures. John of Seville and Abraham ibn Ezra were both brought up within the Islamic culture of Spain, and their astrology was Arabic astrology. Moreover, some scholars have thought that John's origins were Jewish, while Ibn Ezra is known to have collaborated with Latin scholars (whose names are not recorded). It cannot be a coincidence that they forged the science of astrology for their respect co-religionists at almost the same time. Yet, very little research has been done on the possible relations between the two scholars. The purpose of this paper is to begin to explore this relationship, and to illustrate it in particular by their shared doctrine concern the location of pain.

INTEREST IN ASTROLOGY AND PHRENOLOGY OVER TWO CENTURIES: A GOOGLE NGRAM STUDY.

PubMed

Genovese, Jeremy E C

2015-12-01

The Google Ngram Viewer shows the frequency of words in a large corpus of books over two centuries. In this study, the names of two pseudosciences, astrology and phrenology, were compared. An interesting pattern emerged. While the level of interest in astrology remained relatively stable over the course of two centuries, interest in phrenology rose rapidly in the early 1800s but then declined. Reasons for this pattern are discussed.

Adapting Traditional Ideas for a New Reality: Cosmographers and Physicians Updating Astrology to Encompass the New World.

PubMed

Lanuza Navarro, Tayra M C

2016-08-01

This paper aims to demonstrate that astrology was one of the disciplines that most strongly experienced the process that led European natural philosophers, once they were confronted with the nature of the New World, to recognise that previous knowledge was not as complete or absolute as previously assumed, and that the content of several disciplines had to be renewed, both epistemologically and methodologically. This paper focuses on the work by the cosmographer Henrico Martinez, Repertorio de los tiempos (1606), in which he established the astrological influences specific to Mexico, and the work Sitio, naturatezay propiedades de la Ciudad de Mexico (1618) by the physician Diego Cisneros, who refuted Martinez's astrology for Mexico and created his own instructions for the use of astrology in the practice of medicine in New Spain.

The political uses of astrology: predicting the illness and death of princes, kings and popes in the Italian Renaissance.

PubMed

Azzolini, Monica

2010-06-01

This paper examines the production and circulation of astrological prognostications regarding the illness and death of kings, princes, and popes in the Italian Renaissance (ca. 1470-1630). The distribution and consumption of this type of astrological information was often closely linked to the specific political situation in which they were produced. Depending on the astrological techniques used (prorogations, interrogations, or annual revolutions), and the media in which they appeared (private letters or printed prognostica) these prognostications fulfilled different functions in the information economy of Renaissance Italy. Some were used to legitimise the rule of a political leader, others to do just the opposite. Astrological prorogations and interrogations were often used to plan military and political strategies in case of the illness or death of a political leader, while astrological prognostications were generally written to promote certain political leaders while undermining others. While certainly often partisan to this game, astrologers, for their part, worked within a very well established tradition that gave authority to their forecasts. This paper argues that, as indicators of deeper political tensions otherwise not always explicitly manifest, these prognostications are privileged sources of information providing a better understanding of the political history of the period.

[Pietro d'Abano and the astrological and scientific image in Padova during the XIV century: from Giotto to Carraresi].

PubMed

Mariani Canova, Giordana

2008-01-01

The paper intends to prove the incidence that scientific doctrines, mostly Pietro d'Abano's astrological and medical studies, had on Giotto's painting at the Cappella degli Scrovegni in Padova and his lost astrological cycle in the Sala della Ragione. It is emphasized how in no other painting of his, Giotto displayed as much intellectualism as in the Cappella degli Scrovegni. There we can note the importance of the physical representation of the sky and stars and figures' particular physiognomic characterization referable to Pietro d'Abano's theories presented in his astrological treatises and in his Compilation Phisionomiae. Even the ecceptional botanical realism displayed in the representation of plants can be probably referred to Pietro d'Abano's scientific teaching. An hypotetical reconstruction, according to Ptolomeus' theories and Pietro d'Abano's physiognomic, of Giotto's astrological cycle in the Sala della Ragione is also proposed.

Born under a bad sign? Astrological sign and suicide ideation.

PubMed

Stack, S; Lester, D

1988-04-01

This study tests the thesis that the internalization of the traits associated with astrological signs affects suicide ideation. Data are from a national sample (N = 7,508). Only the most negativistic sign of Pisces was significantly associated with suicide ideation.

The Chinese "Jing Xing" of 1006: Its Identity and Astrological Meaning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiaochun

2006-08-01

The outburst of supernovae 1006 was one of most spectacular astronomical events in history. This event was observed in almost all civilizations. In the Song China, it was known as the appearance of a jing xing , one type of "guest stars". Based on a the descriptions given by various observers from China, Japan and Arabic world, this paper reconstructs the light curve of this supernovae. A close examination of the Chinese descriptions of its location also suggests that the remnant of this supernova might be identified with another radio source other than widely recognized "SN1006". Furthermore, this paper examines the astrological interpretations of this event given by the Chinese astronomers. It shows that such astronomical events had tremendous political implications and their astrological interpretations were shaped by political situation of the time.

Twenty-Year Survey of Scientific Literacy and Attitudes Toward Science: Students’ Acceptance of Astrology and Pseudoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugarman, Hannah R.; Impey, C.; Buxner, S.; Antonellis, J.

2010-01-01

Our survey used to collect data during a twenty-year long investigation into the science literacy of undergraduates (see Impey et al., this meeting), contains several questions addressing how students conceptualize astrology, and other pseudoscientific ideas. This poster presents findings from the quantitative analysis of some of these question responses from almost 10,000 undergraduate students enrolled in introductory astronomy courses from 1989 to 2009. The results from our data reveal that a large majority of students (78%) and half of science majors (52%) consider astrology either "very” or "sort of” scientific. Students performed comparatively better on all other pseudoscientific questions, demonstrating that belief in astrology is pervasive and deeply entrenched. We compare our results to those obtained by the NSF Science Indicators series, and suggest possible reasons for the high susceptibility to belief in astrology. These findings call into question whether our education system is adequately preparing students to be scientifically literate adults. You can help! Stop by our poster and fill out a new survey that will give us important parallel information to help us continue to analyze our valuable data set. We acknowledge the NSF for funding under Award No. 0715517, a CCLI Phase III Grant for the Collaboration of Astronomy Teaching Scholars (CATS) Program.

Using Astrology to Teach Research Methods to Introductory Psychology Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Roger A.; Grasha, Anthony F.

1986-01-01

Provides a classroom demonstration designed to test an astrological hypothesis and help teach introductory psychology students about research design and data interpretation. Illustrates differences between science and nonscience, the role of theory in developing and testing hypotheses, making comparisons among groups, probability and statistical…

The stars and the state: Astronomy, astrology, and the politics of natural knowledge in early medieval Japan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buhrman, Kristina Mairi

This dissertation examines the social factors involved in the practices of observational astrology (Ch. tianwen, Jp. tenmon ) and calendrical astronomy (Ch. lifa, Jp. rekihō) at the Japanese court. The production and monopolization of astrological and astronomical knowledge had, from the time of the Han Dynasty in China, been part of the state bureaucracy and one of the signs of legitimate rule. In the seventh century, Japan too had imported and implemented these state sciences of the Chinese-style imperium. However, by the twelfth century, while state control of astronomical knowledge continued to operate at a surface level, within the Japanese court bureaucracy dissent and debate reigned. A number of lineages and factions cooperated or competed over astronomical and astrological facts, which resulted in a situation where there was no unified "truth" about the stars accepted by the majority of elite members of the court. The political fragmentation and factionalism that characterized the early medieval Japanese state was also to be found in knowledge about the natural world circulating at court. The major reason for this fragmentation of knowledge was the diversity of the population that produced this same knowledge, a population that did not share either a common identity or definition of practice. Astrological and astronomical knowledge was no longer produced solely by the technical bureaucrats whose offices had been established in the eighth-century Chinese-style law codes (Jp. ritsuryō)—instead, these officials contested with other legitimate but non-official purveyors of natural knowledge: Buddhist monks and court scholars and mathematicians prominent among them. Furthermore, the statements of fact produced by all three of these factions were subject to critique and revision by members of the top echelon of the court bureaucracy, the elite nobility. Clearly there were no

Publishing the works of Nicholas Culpeper, astrological herbalist and translator of Latin medical works in seventeenth-century London.

PubMed

McCarl, M R

1996-01-01

This investigation attempts primarily to untangle the complex publishing history of the works of Nicholas Culpeper (1616-54), astrological herbalist and translator of Latin medical works. It therefore identifies those works published in seventeenth-century London: the study indicates that London stationers capitalized on the reputation of Nicholas Culpeper to build the widest possible market for his original astrological/herbal medical works and his translations from continental authors.

Casebooks in early modern England: medicine, astrology, and written records.

PubMed

Kassell, Lauren

2014-01-01

Casebooks are the richest sources that we have for encounters between early modern medical practitioners and their patients. This article compares astrological and medical records across two centuries, focused on England, and charts developments in the ways in which practitioners kept records and reflected on their practices. Astrologers had a long history of working from particular moments, stellar configurations, and events to general rules. These practices required systematic notation. Physicians increasingly modeled themselves on Hippocrates, recording details of cases as the basis for reasoned expositions of the histories of disease. Medical records, as other scholars have demonstrated, shaped the production of medical knowledge. Instead, this article focuses on the nature of casebooks as artifacts of the medical encounter. It establishes that casebooks were serial records of practice, akin to diaries, testimonials, and registers; identifies extant English casebooks and the practices that led to their production and preservation; and concludes that the processes of writing, ordering, and preserving medical records are as important for understanding the medical encounter as the records themselves.

Variations in Vietnamese marriages, births and infant deaths by months of the Julian calendar and years of the Vietnamese and Chinese astrological calendars.

PubMed

Nguyen, M T; Swenson, I

1996-07-01

The timing of births and marriages in Vietnam appears to have some statistically significant relationships with the signs of the Chinese and Vietnamese astrological calendars. Years considered to be good years have significantly more births and marriages than years that are not considered as desirable. Births and marriages also have some significant variations with seasons of the year. Infant deaths do not appear to have any significant relationships with the astrological signs although infant mortality has some significant relationships with seasons of the year. The findings indicate that there is some purposeful planning for marriages and births to coincide with optimal times defined in the astrological calendars.

With Weekly Astronomy Tips Against the Weekly Papers' Astrology Humbug

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szécsényi-Nagy, G. A.

2006-08-01

The true democracy - following a long lasting monolithic political-cultural system of the so-called Peoples' Democracy -- freed the sluices in the early nineties for any absurd written idea. No really powerful newspapers or widely circulated magazines were allowed to publish any destructive astrological advice during those 40 years. Although here and there, somehow, it appeared cloaked but was unable to reach the wide public. The first signs of these unwanted changes reached our nation through the electronic media (first of all television, of course ) but very soon a whirl of everyday astrology has occupied a substantial part of almost every newspaper.This situation urges professional and amateur astronomers, astrophysicists, as well as other skeptic scientists and journalists to set their face against any ideas of pseudo-science. In our country, the most has been done by the Hungarian Astronomical Association and the Roland Eötvös Physical Society.I intend to call the attention of our colleagues from other countries and regions to these brave initiatives, and inform them on some useful steps and their first results. I also expect a vivid exchange of the opinions and strategies that can build and develop a wiser society in the over-industrialized or consuming-oriented countries

When the Chinese met the West: A Review of the Dissemination and Influence of Indian, Arabic and European Astronomy and Astrology in the Imperial China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yunli

2012-09-01

In traditional Chinese ideology, the tianwen (Celestial Patterns) and lifa (Calendar) are important matters in the legitimization and maintenance of a regime. From very early times, astrology and astronomy became a crucial element in statecraft and establishments were always installed in the government to take care of these matters, which formed a tradition very scrupulously observed and documented by every Chinese dynasty without substantial interruption in thousands of years. A special system consisting of astrology and astronomy was developed and kept on developing on its own track. Such a long and well established tradition did not prevent China from receiving, though sometimes with reluctance and selection, arts and knowledge in astronomy and astrology from outside that might supplement and enhance the indigenous ones. This talk will give a survey on the history of the Chinese reception of astronomical and astrological knowledge from ``the West'', namely, India in the 7th to 10th centuries, Arabic area in the 13th to 15th centuries and Europe in the 16th to 18th centuries. Except tracing down the cultural impacts of the new knowledge from outside, I will concentrate on how the new knowledge was appropriated by Chinese governments, as well as by Chinese astronomers and astrologers.

'Magic coins' and 'magic squares': the discovery of astrological sigils in the Oldenburg Letters.

PubMed

Roos, Anna Marie

2008-09-20

Enclosed in a 1673 letter to Henry Oldenburg were two drawings of a series of astrological sigils, coins and amulets from the collection of Strasbourg mathematician Julius Reichelt (1637-1719). As portrayals of particular medieval and early modern sigils are relatively rare, this paper will analyse the role of these medals in medieval and early modern medicine, the logic behind their perceived efficacy, and their significance in early modern astrological and cabalistic practice. I shall also demonstrate their change in status in the late seventeenth century from potent magical healing amulets tied to the mysteries of the heavens to objects kept in a cabinet for curiosos. The evolving perception of the purpose of sigils mirrored changing early modem beliefs in the occult influences of the heavens upon the body and the natural world, as well as the growing interests among virtuosi in collecting, numismatics and antiquities.

Cosmic Thing: Astrology, Space Science, and Personal Cartography in Robert Rauschenberg's Autobiography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carey, C. L.

2011-06-01

The following paper undertakes an iconographic analysis of Robert Rauschenberg's large scale print, Autobiography (1967). The artist's interest in astronomy and astrology, visual metaphors aligning the body with the cosmos, and the cartographic representation of self are discussed. Autobiography is placed in cultural and historical context with other works by the artist, elaborated as a personal narrative-an alternative to traditional self portraiture.

Science versus the stars: a double-blind test of the validity of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory and computer-generated astrological natal charts.

PubMed

Wyman, Alyssa Jayne; Vyse, Stuart

2008-07-01

The authors asked 52 college students (38 women, 14 men, M age = 19.3 years, SD = 1.3 years) to identify their personality summaries by using a computer-generated astrological natal chart when presented with 1 true summary and 1 bogus one. Similarly, the authors asked participants to identify their true personality profile from real and bogus summaries that the authors derived from the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI; P. T. Costa Jr. & R. R. McCrae, 1985). Participants identified their real NEO-FFI profiles at a greater-than-chance level but were unable to identify their real astrological summaries. The authors observed a P. T. Barnum effect in the accuracy ratings of both psychological and astrological measures but did not find differences between the odd-numbered (i.e., favorable) signs and the even-numbered (i.e., unfavorable) signs.

The certitude of astrology: The scientific methodology of Al-Qabīsī and Abū Ma'shar.

PubMed

Burnett, Charles

2002-01-01

Abū Ma'shar (787-886) and al-Qābīsī (mid-10th century) were active astrologers and defenders of the scientific character of their discipline. They wrote works on criticisms brought forward against the discipline and challenged practitioners whom they considered as detrimental for the esteem and future fate of their science. Nevertheless, both writers can be seen as heirs to a single tradition of thought, which took its origins in Ptolemy's Tetrabiblios and developed largely independently of the religious philosophical beliefs of a specific community. The arguments developed for proving the scientific value of astrology are interesting in their own right, and merit further study not only by historians of science but also by historians of philosophy.

[Diego de Cisneros and novo-Hispanic astrological and geographical medicine].

PubMed

Rodríguez-Sala, M L

1994-01-01

The collection of geographical information about the New World which was originated during the XVI century started being organized during the XVI century started being organized and explained, in the field of medicine, towards the end of the century and continued during the earliest decades of the following. Writers in the medical profession of these days are characterized by their interest, sometimes coexisting with or alternated with the outlooks of geography of illness and astrology. Diego Cisneros is a outstanding writer of a single place of valuable work so far Known, who was born in Madrid, became a doctor at Alcala de Henares and then arrive in New Spain in 1612. His book represents the incipient baroque of the time and is a valuable contribution to the Knowledge of geography and medicine and is also a piece of art work. It contains one of the first plans of the City of Mexico and its neighbouring sites drawn ina a typical baroque style. The scientific importance of the book consists of the clearcut separation between science and belief leading to assert the freedom of Mankind to put an end to medieval astrology which imprisoned the individual. Because of his leanings towards the Alcala School he upholds the idea of the utility of science and experience linked up to objective clinical observation. Cisneros contributes through his work to the unfolding of two significant processes in the history of national culture: one relates to identity and the other one to scientific community. These pages contain an analysis of the development of his work.

HISTORIA Alexandri Magni: Astronomy, Astrology and Tradition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papathanassiou, M.

A popular text on the birth, life and death of Alexander the Great is that attributed to Pseudo-Callisthenes. According to this Byzantine text Alexander is the son of the last king of Egypt, the Pharao Nectanebo, who left his country and following Apollo's oracle visited Macedonia. Nectanebo was famous for his astronomical, astrological and magical knowledge which he used to prevent Alexander's birth for some hours until a favoured time comes. In only one manuscript (Paris. gr. 1711, 11th century) of this work there is a unique passage in which astronomical information is given regarding the positions of the Sun, the Moon, and the five planets at the time of Alexander's birth. In this paper I attempt a study of all information related to the astronomical instruments and their use as mentioned in the text as well as of the astronomical information regarding Alexander's birth.

Inter relationship of Ayurveda and Astrology

PubMed Central

Dwivedi, Jaiprakash Narayan

2013-01-01

In the universe all the creatures are related to Adhivyadhi, which indicates mental agony or bodily pain. Acharyas of Ayurveda like Charaka, Sushruta and Kashyap have classified diseases into various categories like Agantuja, Sharirika, Manasika, Swabhavika, etc. Charaka classified diseases based on the prognosis like Sadhya, Asadhya, Mrudu and Daruna. Ayurveda also suggested Daiva Vyapashraya Chikitsa which includes of Manidharana and chanting Mantras. Astrological sciences suggest 10 types of remedial measures in the treatment of diseases. This science considers that causative factors of various disorders are the Navagrahas (nine planets). The influence of the planets on various procedures like drug processing, bath taking, performing Yajna, wearing Ratna, etc. are well documented in Jyotishashastra. Drugs processed in Chandra Nakshatra acts as ambrosia and subdues Tridoshajanya Vyadhi. Medicated baths are suggested for diseases engendered due to involvement of different planet effects viz. Sarshpa for Shukra, Haridra and Daruharidra for Shani Lodhra for Ketu, Sharpunkha for Rahu, etc. In a close scrutiny it appears that Jyotishashastra Siddhanta can play crucial role in the management of chronic diseases. PMID:24049402

Inter relationship of Ayurveda and Astrology.

PubMed

Dwivedi, Jaiprakash Narayan

2013-01-01

In the universe all the creatures are related to Adhivyadhi, which indicates mental agony or bodily pain. Acharyas of Ayurveda like Charaka, Sushruta and Kashyap have classified diseases into various categories like Agantuja, Sharirika, Manasika, Swabhavika, etc. Charaka classified diseases based on the prognosis like Sadhya, Asadhya, Mrudu and Daruna. Ayurveda also suggested Daiva Vyapashraya Chikitsa which includes of Manidharana and chanting Mantras. Astrological sciences suggest 10 types of remedial measures in the treatment of diseases. This science considers that causative factors of various disorders are the Navagrahas (nine planets). The influence of the planets on various procedures like drug processing, bath taking, performing Yajna, wearing Ratna, etc. are well documented in Jyotishashastra. Drugs processed in Chandra Nakshatra acts as ambrosia and subdues Tridoshajanya Vyadhi. Medicated baths are suggested for diseases engendered due to involvement of different planet effects viz. Sarshpa for Shukra, Haridra and Daruharidra for Shani Lodhra for Ketu, Sharpunkha for Rahu, etc. In a close scrutiny it appears that Jyotishashastra Siddhanta can play crucial role in the management of chronic diseases.

The Palazzo della Ragione in Padua: Representation and Communication of Art, Architecture, and Astrology of a Civic Monument

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borgherini, M.; Garbin, E.

2011-06-01

Eight centuries of the history of art and of Padua's scientific and technological culture deposited on the stones and frescoes of its Palace of Law ("Palazzo della Ragione") make this great work of urban architecture a part of the city's collective identity. This "palimpsest", legible only to a restricted circle of specialists, should be accessible to a vaster public interested in understanding this object symbol of local culture. The project planned for interactive exploration on the web is a series of digital models, employing tomographic-endoscopic visualizations and, in future, multi-resolution images. The various models devised allow the visitor to superimpose the Palace's current conditions on the various transformations undergone over the centuries. Similarly, comparisons can be made between the astrological fresco cycle with maps of the heavens, cosmological hypotheses, ancient and contemporary astrological treatises, and the related exchange of knowledge between the Orient and the Occident.

Testing multiple statistical hypotheses resulted in spurious associations: a study of astrological signs and health.

PubMed

Austin, Peter C; Mamdani, Muhammad M; Juurlink, David N; Hux, Janet E

2006-09-01

To illustrate how multiple hypotheses testing can produce associations with no clinical plausibility. We conducted a study of all 10,674,945 residents of Ontario aged between 18 and 100 years in 2000. Residents were randomly assigned to equally sized derivation and validation cohorts and classified according to their astrological sign. Using the derivation cohort, we searched through 223 of the most common diagnoses for hospitalization until we identified two for which subjects born under one astrological sign had a significantly higher probability of hospitalization compared to subjects born under the remaining signs combined (P<0.05). We tested these 24 associations in the independent validation cohort. Residents born under Leo had a higher probability of gastrointestinal hemorrhage (P=0.0447), while Sagittarians had a higher probability of humerus fracture (P=0.0123) compared to all other signs combined. After adjusting the significance level to account for multiple comparisons, none of the identified associations remained significant in either the derivation or validation cohort. Our analyses illustrate how the testing of multiple, non-prespecified hypotheses increases the likelihood of detecting implausible associations. Our findings have important implications for the analysis and interpretation of clinical studies.

Science News or Astrological Debating: Chinese Records of the Transit of Venus of 1874

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Lingfeng

2012-09-01

The Venus transit is very important in the measuring of the distance between the sun and the earth. It ever occurred in 1874, but this time it was visible only in China and some other places in eastern sphere. So many astronomers of the western countries had to come to China to observe it. In traditional Chinese astrological explanation, the sun represented the emperor. If the sun were invaded by other stars, it means that the emperor and the country would have some ominous disasters. In late 19th century, western astronomical knowledge was widely translated into Chinese and understood by Chinese intellectuals. The Venus transit should easily be understood by Chinese intellectuals as one kind of astronomical phenomena. But early before the Venus transit taking place in 1874, many Chinese publications had to introduce this kind of celestial phenomena as science news because at same time, some influential news papers and journals also had some discussion on what astrological connection between the Venus transit of this time and the fortune of the country. This article collects these interesting Chinese records and discusses what different attitude to the Venus transit by Chinese intellectuals and officials during that period in which western learning was widely disseminated in China.

Criticism and Study of the Astrology of the Eckankar Based on the Teachings of Islam

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mahmoudi, Abdolreza; Shamsaie, Maryam; Kakaei, Hashem

2017-01-01

The subject of astrology in the School of Eckankar has two main bases of Karma and reincarnation. Karma or the very law of action and reaction can be called the moral basis of the Eckankar. The totality of this law is accepted by the reason and tradition. But yet what casts doubt and therefore a serious damage to this law would be a tight…

["Nicolaus Ficke... who practiced physiognomy, astrology, etc. was also a bad man"].

PubMed

Lenke, Nils; Roudet, Nicolas

2012-01-01

This arcticle summarizes what could be learned from newly discovered documents about the biography of Nicolas von Vicken, first known reader of Kepler's "Astronomia Nova" and Kepler's partner in an exchange of more than a dozen letters over several years. Von Vicken stems from a rich and influential family of merchants in Riga, made noble by the Polish King (who ruled Riga at the time) in 1580. His education included legal studies at the universities of Königsberg, Leipzig and Rostock, partially overlapping with a stay of ten years at the Polish court. There von Vicken pursued family business but also served in an official court role. In 1600/1 von Vicken switched sides and started to serve the Swedish ruler (and later king) Duke Carl IX, who was at war with Poland to gain control over Riga and Livonia. In 1602 a mission for Sweden to Northern Germany brought him in conflict with Francis II, Duke of Saxe-Lauenburg, who accused von Vicken of withholding money from him, which was supposed to be used for hiring troops. Von Vicken, together with his brother Heinrich, was imprisoned, but could flee. During a mission to Maximilian III, Archduke of Austria, in 1599/1600 von Vicken had been initiated as an alchemist and astrologer through reading the works of Paracelsus and his future stations in life were influenced by this. These include an attempt to get employed at the Saxon court in Dresden, and stays in Wolfenbiittel and Halberstadt, both ruled by Duke Henry Julius of Brunswick-Lüneburg. Von Vicken offered various astrological and alchemical services to the Duke and private investors. With one of them he got into a serious conflict over the alleged non-fillment of a contract to produce steel in an alchemical way. During that von Vicken got imprisoned twice, in 1609 and between 1611 and 1614. A subsequent attempt to get employed by Ernst of Schaumburg left us with several letters that detail von Vicken's alchemical and astrological thinking, two of these are

Intelligent Design, A Young Universe, Astrology, UFO's, and More: Tackling Astronomical Pseudo-science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraknoi, A.

2008-11-01

During IYA educators and scientists will interact with the public in many ways. There will likely be public questions at IYA events about pseudo-scientific topics. While the particular pseudo-sciences that are in vogue change with time, these days popular astronomical pseudo-science includes creationism and intelligent design (and their denial of the age of the universe), astrology, UFO's as extra-terrestrial spaceships, selling star names, the ``face'' on Mars, the claim that the moon landings were a hoax, etc. We discuss some of the recent surveys of belief in pseudo-science and some ways to respond to questions about these topics. A separate resource guide to help answer questions about astronomical pseudoscience is also included in this volume.

An Application of the Cosmologic Concepts and Astronomical Symbols in the Ancient Medical Science and Astrology Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pikichyan, H. V.

2015-07-01

Employing the cosmologic concepts and astronomical symbols, the features of the ancient subjective approach of the achievement or perception of the knowledge and its systematic delivery ways are presented. In particular, the ancient systems of the natural medical science and the art of astrology are discussed, whereas the relations of the five cosmological elements, three dynamical agents, nine luminaries and twelve zodiac signs are applied. It is pointed out some misunderstandings encountered in the contemporary interpretation on the evaluation of ancient systems of the knowledge.

[Mathematics - astronomy - astrology special library].

PubMed

Gluch, Sibylle

2011-01-01

About 1560 Elector August of Saxony created an unusual library--one distinguished within its period by both its specialization and location. Situated within the Kunstkammer this library was mostly dedicated to the mathematical sciences and related disciplines. It contained works by the most important authors on mathematics, astronomy, and astrology from the classical, medieval, and early modern periods. This essay traces the formation and composition of August's library, and examines its function: What kind of relationship existed between the library and the Kunstkammer? In what way did the library mirror the interests of the Elector, and to what extend does it permit inferences regarding the Elector's knowledge of mathematics? From the analysis August emerges not as a specialist with a deep understanding of mathematics, but as a particular aficionado of mathematical applications. As a practitioner and general follower of the mathematical arts he took part in a far-reaching intellectual network the center of which lay in the University of Wittenberg. Here, Melanchthon had effectively strengthened the importance of the mathematical disciplines within the university curriculum. He regarded mathematics as the foremost science, arguing that before all other disciplines its method enabled man to recognize the harmonic order of the world, and to discern divine providence. Thus, mathematics offered consoling stability and support in an often seemingly chaotic world torn by religious controversies. This kind of esteem for the mathematical sciences did not presuppose expert knowledge. Hence, the fact that August does not appear to have read the mathematical books he collected does not come as a contradiction. On the contrary, for August it sufficed to recognize the potential of the mathematical sciences, which he brought into life through the creation of a specialized library that developed a rhetoric of its own. The collection of his Kunstkammer library spoke of a

[The role of ancient astrology in preparation for a secular natural science and medicine].

PubMed

Geller, Markham J

2011-01-01

The Persian period in the Near East (from c. 500 BCE) represented the first example of globalisation, during which advanced cultural centres from Egypt to Afghanistan were united under a single rule and common language. Paul Unschuld has drawn attention to a scientific revolution in the late first millennium BC, extending from Greece to China, from Thales to Confucius, which saw natural law replace the divine law in scientific thinking. This paper argues for new advances in astronomy as the specific motor which motivated changes in scientific thinking and influenced other branches of science, including medicine, just as the new science of astrology, which replaced divination, fundamentally changed the nature of medical prognoses. The secularisation of science was not universally accepted among ancient scholars, and the irony is that somewhat similar reservations accompanied the reception of modern quantum physics.

From medical astrology to medical astronomy: sol-lunar and planetary theories of disease in British medicine, c. 1700-1850.

PubMed

Harrison, M

2000-03-01

After 1700, astrology lost the respect it once commanded in medical circles. But the belief that the heavens influenced bodily health persisted - even in learned medicine - until well into the nineteenth century. The continuing vitality of these ideas owed much to the new empirical and mechanical outlook of their proponents. Taking their cue from the work of Robert Boyle and Richard Mead, a number of British practitioners amassed statistical evidence which purported to prove the influence of the Moon upon fevers and other diseases. Such ideas flourished in the colonies and in the medical services of the armed forces, but their exponents were not marginal men. Some, like James Lind, were widely respected and drew support for their views from such influential figures as Erasmus Darwin.

The Altdorf mathematics and physics teacher Abdias Trew (1597-1669): astronomer, astrologer, calendar maker and theologician. (German Title: Der Altdorfer Mathematik- und Physikdozent Abdias Trew (1597-1669): Astronom, Astrologe, Kalendermacher und Theologe)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaab, Hans

Although Abdias Trew (1597-1669) had studied theology, he obtained the chair of mathematics at Altdorf University, and in 1650, the chair of physics was added. In 1654, in addition, he became the ast official calendar maker of the city of Nuremberg. He is kept in memory as the last important protestant astrologer who tried to provide scientific foundations for this field. In this context, his adherence to the Lutheran confession played a role. Although he aimed at integrating new insights, he adhered to his end to Aristotelian physics, since it served his Wittenberg professors since his student days as a foundation of Lutheran dogmatics. After an extensive biography, separate chapters deal with Trew's works in mathematics, geography, optics, mechanics and musical theory, his writings in astronomy, especially those dealing with comets, as well as his “reformation astrology” in connection with the opinions of Melanchthon, Kepler and others. Trew also took part in the discussions about the introduction of the Gregorian calendar, which was going on during the whole 17th century. After short biographical sketches of some of his contemporaries, the book closes with an extensive bibliography of Trew's writings, manuscripts and letters.

The Context of Demarcation in Nature of Science Teaching: The Case of Astrology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Turgut, Halil

2011-05-01

The aim of developing students' understanding of the nature of science [NOS] has been considered an important aspect of science education. However, the results of previous research indicate that students of various ages and even teachers possess both inaccurate and inappropriate views of the NOS. Such a failure has been explained by the view that perceptions about the NOS are well assimilated into mental structures and resistant to change. Further, the popularization of pseudoscience by the media and the assimilation of pseudoscience into previously established scientific fields have been presented as possible reasons for erroneous popular perceptions of science. Any teaching intervention designed to teach the NOS should first provoke individuals to expose their current ideas in order to provide them the chance to revise or replace these conceptual frameworks. Based on these assumptions, the aim of this study was to determine whether a teaching context based on the issue of demarcation would provide a suitable opportunity for exposing and further developing the NOS understandings of individuals enrolled in a teacher education course. Results indicate that a learning intervention based on the issue of demarcation of science from pseudoscience (in the specific case of astrology) proved an effective instructional strategy, which a majority of teacher candidates claimed to plan to use in their future teachings.

Bad astronomy : misconceptions and misuses revealed, from astrology to the moon landing "hoax"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plait, Philip C.

2002-02-01

Advance praise for Philip Plait s Bad Astronomy "Bad Astronomy is just plain good! Philip Plait clears up every misconception on astronomy and space you never knew you suffered from." --Stephen Maran, Author of Astronomy for Dummies and editor of The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia "Thank the cosmos for the bundle of star stuff named Philip Plait, who is the world s leading consumer advocate for quality science in space and on Earth. This important contribution to science will rest firmly on my reference library shelf, ready for easy access the next time an astrologer calls." --Dr. Michael Shermer, Publisher of Skeptic magazine, monthly columnist for Scientific American, and author of The Borderlands of Science "Philip Plait has given us a readable, erudite, informative, useful, and entertaining book. Bad Astronomy is Good Science. Very good science..." --James "The Amazing" Randi, President, James Randi Educational Foundation, and author of An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural "Bad Astronomy is a fun read. Plait is wonderfully witty and educational as he debunks the myths, legends, and 'conspiracies that abound in our society. 'The Truth Is Out There' and it's in this book. I loved it!" --Mike Mullane, Space Shuttle astronaut and author of Do Your Ears Pop in Space?

Acceptance of general personality interpretations prior to and after receipt of diagnostic feedback supposedly based on psychological, graphological, and astrological assessment procedures.

PubMed

Snyder, C R; Larsen, D L; Bloom, L J

1976-04-01

There was no difference in the acceptance of a general personality interpretation supposedly based on psychological, graphological, or astrological assessment procedures. Ss told that their general personality interpretation was based on one of the three assessment procedures, however, accepted the interpretation to a greater degree than did Ss told the interpretation was "generally true of people." S faith in all assessment procedures and perceived diagnostician skill increased significantly from before to after receipt of the diagnostic feedback. Ss elicited a halo response after they had received the interpretation, such that they generated a highly consistent positive (or negative) view of the assessment procedures and diagnostician skills. Implications of results from this acceptance paradigm were discussed for diagnosticians and therapists.

A 'college of astrology and medicine'? Charles V, Gervais Chrétien, and the scientific manuscripts of Maître Gervais's College.

PubMed

Boudet, Jean-Patrice

2010-06-01

Considered an institution mainly devoted to astrology and medicine by Simon de Phares and by some historians who believe that he was reliable, the college founded in 1371 by Charles V's first physician, Gervais Chrétien, was in fact primarily dedicated to theological students. It was not before 1377 that there were created there two bursaries for scholares regis, specialising in 'licit mathematical sciences', and two medical fellowships. Yet the influence of the activity of these fellows seems to have been rather moderate and-as far as we can learn from the material still extant, notably from manuscripts that belonged to Maître Gervais' College and to some of its members-this institution was devoted much more to theological studies than to medicine and the quadrivium.

INTEGRATION OF AIRBORNE DATA RECORDERS AND GROUND-BASED COMPUTERS FOR ENGINE MAINTENANCE PURPOSES.

DTIC Science & Technology

what is known as ASTROLOG . The other parts of the ASTROLOG include FAA crash recording capability on an extra channel of the existing voice recorder...and a continuously recording, magnetic tape, flight performance recorder. Highlights of the engine maintenance recorder portion of the ASTROLOG are discussed.

Star quality.

PubMed

Sewell, Rupert

Many people will read their horoscopes as they look at the year ahead. But astrologists claim horoscopes can also give clues about illnesses to which you might be predisposed. They believe: Astrology can determine potential health problems as well as personality types. An accurate horoscope depends on good information about birth date and time. Anatomical regions correspond to astrological signs. Astrological signs are grouped into four function types.

Intelligent Design, A Young Universe, Astrology, UFO'S, and More: A Guide for Those Involved with IYA on Tackling Pseudo-science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraknoi, Andrew; Bobrowsky, M.; Thaller, M.; Plait, P.

2008-05-01

During IYA educators and scientists will interact with the public in many ways. There will likely be public questions at IYA events about pseudo-scientific topics. While the particular pseudo-sciences that are in vogue change with time, astronomical pseudo-science includes creationism, intelligent design, astrology, UFO's as extra-terrestrial spaceships, selling star names, the "face" on Mars, the claim that the moon landings were a hoax, etc. We cover information, techniques, resources, and activities for responding sensitively to such claims and for explaining the nature of science. Whether you do programs in a formal classroom, a community setting, a museum, or on the radio, you will need this kind of arsenal of critical-thinking responses for these topics when you face the public. Attendees will receive a resource guide for responding to pseudo-science claims. One of the frequently heard attacks on science deals with "alternatives to evolution" (intelligent design and various forms of creationism). While some think this is a matter with which only biologists need to be concerned, some of the same arguments used against biological evolution are invoked to argue against our understanding of the age of the earth and the universe. We will provide background information on and responses to these ideas, particularly as they concern attacks on cosmology and cosmic evolution. We will also discuss how such questions will give IYA presenters an opportunity to engage the public in discussions about the scientific method and worldview. We will see that some of the agendas and issues we face are not that different from what Galileo faced 400 years ago.

Jean-Pierre Luminet: Renaissance Communicator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pullen, L.; Russo, P.

2009-02-01

As science communicators dealing with astronomy we often find a strong interest amongst the public in astrology - how the stars and planets directly affect our individual lives. Nowadays astrology is at odds with the scientific nature of astronomy, but this has not always been the case. Presented here is a background to astrology, to give a deeper understanding of where it has come from and why it has such an enduring place in all forms of global media.

Padua and the Stars: Medieval Painting and Illuminated Manuscripts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Canova, G. M.

2011-06-01

In the Middle Ages, the University of Padua was one of the most prominent centre for astrological studies in Europe. The Paduan doctor and philosopher, Pietro d'Abano, who lived in the first decades of the 14th century, was the main figure in this field. At the end of the 13th century, during a long stay in Paris, he got in contact with the new astrological doctrines flourished after the translation into Latin of Ptolemy's and Arab's works in Spain. Thus, when he went back to Padua, he published several studies on the influence of celestial bodies on human life and human physical characteristics and psychology. These ideas deeply affected the Paduan society of the 14th century and, consequently, the most important painters chose or were asked to evoke the images of stars, planets, and their properties. This adventure began with Giotto who shows a surprising interest in celestial bodies in the Scrovegni Chapel where he represented a comet, and soon after he produced a cycle of astrological paintings on the vault of the Palazzo della Ragione in the Public Palace of Padua. Unfortunately, in 1420, these paintings were destroyed in a fire, but the magnificent cycle of astrological frescoes realized soon after on the walls of the same room gives us some clues on Giotto's work and shows us the complexity of the Medieval astrological science. Other astrological paintings, still preserved, were realized by the painters of the Carrarese Court such as Guariento, who painted the planets and their influences on human ages in the church of the Eremitani, and Giusto dei Menabuoi who represented a superb zodiac around a realistic map of Earth in the Cathedral Baptistery. So Padua really became the capital of astrological painting in Europe. Other evidence of the astrological image in the Veneto Region, between the 14th and 15th centuries, can be found in the manuscripts illuminated in the milieu of the University of Padua and in the first books printed in Venice.

Constructive Decision Theory

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-06-16

quantitative issues like price/earnings ratio to be relevant to the future value of Google, while the other considers astrological tables relevant to...Google’s future value. The DM who uses astrology might not understand price/earnings ratios (the no- tion is simply not in his vocabulary) and, similarly

[Early Egyptian forerunners of the Paranatellonta?].

PubMed

Quack, J F

1999-01-01

The term "paranatellonta" is well-known in greek astrological literature. It designates stars either rising together with the sun or being in other conspicuous positions to it. Tentatively, a forerunner of this conception is identified in an egyptian depiction attested several times from the 13th century BC onwards. There, "gods" are depicted who are defined by their positions in regard to the sun-god. It seems possible to connect their positions with the typical meanings of the word paranatellonta. Some reflections on the contribution of Egypt to hellenistic astrology are added, including some references to the largely unpublished corpus of demotic egyptian astrological texts.

Stars, demons and the body in fifteenth-century England.

PubMed

Ralley, Robert

2010-06-01

In 1441, Eleanor Cobham, duchess of Gloucester, was arrested, together with three associates: Margery Jourdemayne, the 'Witch of Eye', Roger Bolingbroke, Oxford cleric and astrologer, and Thomas Southwell, MB, canon of St. Stephen's, Westminster. They were accused of plotting to kill King Henry VI by necromancy, but contemporary chronicles differed on the precise nature of their crime: had they summoned demons or cast an astrological chart? This paper explores the relationship between astrology and demonic magic, focusing on feelings, rites and apparatus, and perceptions that the more the practitioner's body was implicated in the divinatory procedure, the more likely it was to be illicit.

[Signs of the zodiac and personality].

PubMed

Angst, J; Scheidegger, P

1976-01-01

3074 young men resident in the canton of Zurich, representing 50% of the 19 year old male population, form the fully representative sample of our large scale investigation. We investigated whether personality traits measured by means of the differentiated "Freiburger personality inventory" (FPI) could in any way be correlated to the signs of the zodiac under which the young men were born. The statistical analysis did not reveal any correlation between signs of the zodiac and personality. The claim made by astrologers that people can be characterized according to their sign of the zodiac (sagitarius, taurus, cancer, scorpion) must be refuted. Of course the astrologically founded description of human personality does not base itself on the position of the sun only, however the latter does form a very essential part of the astrological evaluation of people. This, at any rate has been shown to be without any scientific basis. The fact that astrological evaluation of human personality is so popular nowadays can be explained by the fact that even modern people are inclined towards magical thinking.

The Jagiellonians and the Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baczek, K.; Wszołek, B.

2007-12-01

The largest centre for astronomical and astrological study in the fifteenth century was the University of Cracow, which always was under special care of Jagiellonians. The use of astronomy and astrology at Jagiellonian courts in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were very common. We try to convince the reader about this, exposing very limited historical sources.

Scientists Look at 2010: Carrying on Margaret Mayall's Legacy of Debunking Pseudoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Krinstine

2010-06-01

In 1941 Margaret Mayall, the future director of the AAVSO, and Harvard colleague Bart Bok authored a critical study of astrology and its impact on society entitled "Scientists Look at Astrology." They chastised the scientific community for thinking the debunking of astrology to be "below the dignity of scientists." In contrast, they opined that it is one of the duties of scientists to "inform the public about the nature and background of a current fad, such as astrology, even though to do so may be unpleasant." Fast-forward 68 years in the future, and the astronomical community now faces a pseudoscientific enemy just as insidious as astrology, yet just as ignored by the general professional and amateur community as astrology had been when Mayall and Bok took up the charge in 1941. The pseudoscience in question is the well-publicized "prediction" that the Mayan calendar will end on December 21, 2012, causing the end of civilization in concert with one of a number of possible astronomical calamities, including (but not limited to) the gravitational pull of the center of the Milky Way (somehow enhanced by an "alignment" with our solar system), the near-approach by a mythical 10th planet (often named Nibiru), large-scale damage to the planet by solar flares larger than those ever recorded, or the shifting of the earth's axis of rotation (often confused with a proposed sudden and catastrophic reversal of the earth's magnetic polarity). As a scientific and educational organization, the AAVSO and its members have a responsibility to follow in Mayall's footsteps, shining the light of reason and knowledge on the dark corners of ignorance which far too often permeate the Internet, radio and television programming, and recent films, most notably 2012. This talk will highlight some of the basic premises of the 2012 hysteria and suggest ways that the AAVSO and its members can use variable stars and the history of the AAVSO to counteract some of the astronomical misinformation

The Faces of Saturn: Images and Texts from Augustus through Dürer to Galileo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shank, M. H.

2013-04-01

This paper follows the thread(s) of Saturn in astrology and art from the Babylonians to Galileo, paying special attention to the planet's political importance from Augustus to the Medici and to its medical/psychological significance from Ficino through Dürer. In passing, I extend David Pingree's astrological interpretation of Dürer's Melencholia I and propose a very personal rationale for the engraving, namely as a memorial to his mother.

Accuracy in Orbital Propagation: A Comparison of Predictive Software Models

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

astrology and astronomy , as ancient cultures observed patterns in the sun and moon [2]. These early observers and philosophers sought to devise...methods and observations of the time would shape the science and mathematics still in use in modern orbital mechanics [3]. Astronomy and astrology...B.C.), who gained early fame by predicting eclipses, and would go on to be one of the founders of Greek philosophy and astronomy [4]. He was the

On the Jupiter's ephemeris in the Ch'i-Yao Jang-Tsai-Chüch.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Weixing; Jiang, Xiaoyuan

Jupiter's ephemeris preserved in the Ch'i-Yao Jang-Tsai-Chüch is interpreted. Then the time and position coordinates of Jupiter's first stationary point, second stationary point, first visibility in the east and last visibility in the west, which recorded in the ephemeris are analysed. The accuracy of the ephemeris is also discussed. Finally, it is identified that the ephemeris has been used as an astrological handbook by Japanese astrologers in 973 - 1132.

A linguist's angle on the Star of Bethlehem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coates, Richard

2008-10-01

There is no shortage of suggestions for the astronomical events that may have given rise to the Bible's descriptions of the Star of Bethlehem. In this account, I consider the question from a linguist's point of view, focusing on the language used to describe phenomena in the sky around 2000 years ago. What would an astrologer have meant by ``we have seen his star in the East''? And what events might have been both visible in the conditions described, and considered of significance? Scholars working in this area cluster in groups: the comet group, the planetary group, the supernova group, and so on. None has yet succeeded in delivering a fatal blow to the others' accounts. I may be in a group of one for the time being: the astrological group. I present here a type of argument that may reconcile astronomical events, astrological learning of 2000 years ago and biblical accounts.

Astronomy and Politics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steele, John M.

The relationship between astronomy and politics is a complex but important part of understanding the practice of astronomy throughout history. This chapter explores some of the ways that astronomy, astrology, and politics have interacted, placing particular focus on the way that astronomy and astrology have been used for political purposes by both people in power and people who wish to influence a ruler's policy. Also discussed are the effects that politics has had on the development of astronomy and, in particular, upon the recording and preservation of astronomical knowledge.

Observation of Celestial Phenomena in Ancient China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Xiaochun

Because of the need for calendar-making and portent astrology, the Chinese were diligent and meticulous observers of celestial phenomena. China has maintained the longest continuous historical records of celestial phenomena in the world. Extraordinary or abnormal celestial events were particularly noted because of their astrological significance. The historical records cover various types of celestial phenomena, which include solar and lunar eclipses, sunspots, "guest stars" (novae or supernovae as we understand today), comets and meteors, and all kinds of planetary phenomena. These records provide valuable historical data for astronomical studies today.

Ancient Persian Skywatching and Calendars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sołtysiak, Arkadiusz

The peoples of Iran used lunisolar calendars until the early fifth century BCE when the 365-day calendar with 30 months and 5 epagomenal days was introduced. This calendar was not corrected to the actual length of the tropical year, and therefore, seasonal festivals gradually moved away from their seasons. Finally, around the turn of the fifth century CE, a partially successful calendar reform was undertaken, and the feasts were restored to their original seasons. In that time, Sasanian kings were interested in astrology, and some Greek and Hindu astrological texts were translated into Persian, but there is no evidence of indigenous contributions to skywatching.

The Hermetic Frontispiece: Contextualising John Dee's Hieroglyphic Monad.

PubMed

Forshaw, Peter J

2017-05-01

This essay examines the elaborate title pages of some of alchemist, astrologer, and bibliophile John Dee's publications with a focus on the two best known works that feature his famous Hieroglyphic Monad, the Propaedeumata Aphoristica (1558) and Monas Hieroglyphica (1564). The aim is to cast light on its context, identify sources for some textual influences in the works, unpack the visual symbolism in the two "monadic" title pages in relation to the two complementary sciences of "superior" and "inferior" astronomy, speculate on some of the more enigmatic details, and conclude with a brief discussion of a possible astrological significance to the dates of composition of the Monas Hieroglyphica.

Examination and notes to the astronomical records in >SUISHU<.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Ciyuan

1996-06-01

Astronomical records are an important part in Chinese official historical books. Their main purpose was for astrology and they are an obstacle for historians who read those books. With modern astronomical methods, one can compute and examine most of those ancient records. By comparing the computed results with the original texts, one can examine the texts, find their mistakes, study their observation method and regulation, inspect astrological theory, take a deeper understanding to those important historical materials. As an example the author deals with the astronomcial records of Dynasties Liang and Chen for 60 years in >SUISHU<, the official history of Dynasty Sui. He also synthesized other historical sources in addition to the astronomical computation.

[SCIENCE AND DREAMS IN THE MIDDLE AGES: IL "DE SOMNIIS" DI BOEZIO DI DACIA].

PubMed

Feti, Viola

2015-01-01

Boethius of Dacia's opera "De somnis" can be defined as a brief treaty that partially follows the traditional quaestio scheme. It includes a passage that seems to copy Etienne Tempier's proposition number sixty-five, which condemns the importance attributed to astrology by many medieval authors. Boethius moves off Aristotle's "De somno et vigilia" idea of physiological dreams to assert a new kind of oneiric phenomena linked to constellations, that, according to the author, aren't divinely inspired, whereas they are to be considered as natural events. Boethius isn't the only philosopher who writes about this particular type of dream as another medieval author, Albertus Magnus, in his "Speculum Astronomiae", describes astrology and its relationship to medicine.

Philippus Feselius - Biographical notes on the unknown medicus of Kepler's Tertius Interveniens. (German Title: Philippus Feselius - Biographische Notizen zum unbekannten Medicus aus Keplers Tertius Interveniens)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenke, Nils; Roudet, Nicolas

Until now, Philipp Feselius has been perceived only indirectly as Kepler's antagonist. Not much is known about his life besides his work as Baden private physician and his book against astrology which was cited intensely in Kepler's «Tertius Interveniens». This paper traces the stations of his career as a physician, about his presumable provenance and education in Strasbourg, his academic career in Tübingen, Strasbourg, Rostock and Padua, the doctorate in Basel in 1592, up to his employment, in 1599, as a court physician in Sulzburg and later in Durlach. Further hand-written and printed traces of Feselius are presented, and his social environment is investigated so that his personality becomes clearer, and relations can be established between his education and his writing against astrology.

The Discovery of the Regular Movements of Celestial Bodies and the Development of Monotheism in the Ancient Near East

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanfranchi, G. B.

2011-06-01

For Ancient Mesopotamians, astronomical phenomena were signs signifying the gods' judgment on human behaviour. Mesopotamian scholars studied celestial phenomena for understanding the gods' will, and strongly developed astrology. From the 8th to the 6th century BC Assyrian and Babylonian astronomers achieved the ability to predict solar and lunar eclipses, and the planets' movements through mathematical calculations. Predictability of astral phenomena solicited the awareness that they are all regular, and that the universe is governed by an eternal, immutable order fixed at its very beginning. This finally favoured the idea that the cosmic order depended on the will of one god only, displacing polytheism in favour of monotheism; and astrology lost its religious importance as a mean to know the divine will.

Ephemerides and information: Investigations on the content of Berlin calendars up to Bode's Astronomisches Jahrbuch. (German Title: Ephemeriden und Informationen: Inhaltliche Untersuchungen Berliner Kalender bis zu Bodes Astronomischem Jahrbuch)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamel, Jürgen

This contributions investigates a line of tradition which started already with the oldest calenders, i.e. to add an `educating' appendix. As a wide-spread medium, calendars were suitable for the dissemination of astrological views, the explanation of astronomical facts, of important activities for the home and the stable, for health protection, agriculture, and social connections. The calendars of the Berlin Academy, authored by Gottfried Kirch and his successors, fit well into this picture: also astrology played an important role. Kirch had added to his ephemerides of 1681 to 1692 own and other observations and contributions. This lead to a form, which superseded `normal' calenders, a form in which also Johann Elert Bode's Berliner Astronomisches Jahrbuch appeared from 1776 to 1829.

The art and science of prognostication in early university medicine.

PubMed

Demaitre, Luke

2003-01-01

Prognosis occupied a more prominent place in the medieval curriculum than it does at the modern university. Scholastic discussions were rooted in the Hippocratic Aphorisms and shaped by Galen's treatises On Crisis and On Critical Days. Medical prediction, as an art dependent on personal skills such as memory and conjecture, was taught with the aid of the liberal arts of rhetoric and logic. Scientific predictability was sought in branches of mathematics, moving from periodicity and numerology to astronomy. The search for certitude contributed to the cultivation of astrology; even at its peak, however, astrological medicine did not dominate the teaching on prognostication. The ultimate concern, which awaits further discussion, was not even with forecasting as such, but with the physician and, indeed, the patient.

Transmission of Babylonian Astronomy to Other Cultures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, Alexander

Babylonian astronomy and astrology were extensively transmitted to other civilizations in the second and first millennia BC. Greek astronomy in particular was largely shaped by knowledge of Babylonian observations and mathematical astronomy.

Johannes Kepler on Christmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kemp, Martin

2009-12-01

Kepler's interpretation of the supernova of 1604, De Stella Nova, interwove the science of astronomy with astrology and theology in an attempt to determine the correct birthdate of Jesus, explains Martin Kemp.

News

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davenhall, Clive

2012-06-01

Herschel papers catalogued and accessible; Maskelyne papers accepted for the nation; centenary of the Hamburg Observatory; oldest astrologer's board found; Groupe Flammarion sold; ancient sundial found; keeping time (modern folk song about John Harrison).

Chaucer's Dantean Presentation of Time in The Canterbury Tales: Libra and the Moon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Osborn, Marijane

In the last of his several chronographiæ — astronomically expressed descriptions of time — contained in The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer uses language that has led modern readers to believe that he is making elementary errors about the altitude of the Sun above the horizon and about the astrological relationship between Libra and the Moon. In this essay, I argue that the errors are ours, not his. If one reads the altitude of the Sun by means of Chaucer's observing instrument, the astrolabe, and — forgetting astrology — perceives the Moon's relationship to the sign/constellation of Libra as a real one much like Dante's similar image at the end of The Divine Comedy, both the astronomical and spiritual meanings of the passage in the Tales become clearer.

Tycho Brahe.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thoren, V. E.

Contents: 1. Tycho's cosmological activities. 2. The Tychonic system. 3. Tycho's astrological views. 4. The renovation of astronomy. 5. The solar theory. 6. The star catalogue. 7. The lunar theory. 8. The end of Uraniborg.

Material Culture of Greek and Roman Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Evans, James

In the Greek and Roman worlds, astronomy had a rich material culture. Many objects had practical applications to timekeeping or liberal education or astrological prediction, but many others were meant to express philosophical, religious, or political values.

Non-Reflective Thinkers Are Predisposed to Attribute Supernatural Causation to Uncanny Experiences.

PubMed

Bouvet, Romain; Bonnefon, Jean-François

2015-07-01

For unknown reasons, individuals who are confident in their intuitions are more likely to hold supernatural beliefs. How does an intuitive cognitive style lead one to believe in faith healing, astrology, or extrasensory perception (ESP)? We hypothesize that cognitive style is critically important after one experiences an uncanny event that seems to invite a supernatural explanation. In three studies, we show that irrespective of their prior beliefs in the supernatural, non-reflective thinkers are more likely than reflective thinkers to accept supernatural causation after an uncanny encounter with astrology and ESP. This is the first time that controlled experiments demonstrate the negative dynamics of reflection and supernatural causality attribution. We consider the possible generalization of our findings to religious beliefs and their implications for the social vulnerability of non-reflective individuals. © 2015 by the Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc.

Astrological Grouping Is a Heavenly Concept

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cary, Emily P.

1978-01-01

Although experts in elementary education seem unable to devise wise and productive methods of student grouping, here is one experiment in grouping that is thought-provoking and may provide a more suitable classroom environment for developing harmony in student relationships. (Author/RK)

The Paranormal: A Selected Bibliography of Serials and Reference Works, with Commentary.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Charles H.

1997-01-01

Provides bibliography of references and serials to assist acquisitions librarians in selection of the paranormal. Topics include alchemy, astrology, magic, conjuring, witchcraft, paganism, demonology, satanism, voodooism, sorcery, cults, shamanism, UFOs, exobiology, curious physical and biological phenomena, ghosts, poltergeists, haunted places,…

The Ninth-Century Renaissance in Astronomy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Farrell, Charlotte

1996-01-01

Discusses the events in the ninth century that moved astronomy away from the pursuit of mystical hermetic sciences and astrology back toward observation and measurement. Describes the achievements of astronomers and the instruments and calculations used during that period. (JRH)

Kepler and the Star of Bethlehem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Rahlf

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) was a famous astronomer. But like other astronomers he had a problem to find work that would guarantee a regular income. So he was lucky to get work as "Styrian landscape mathematician" in Graz. One of his tasks was to write an annual calendar of weather forecasts and policital developments on the basis of astrological facts. He correctly predicted a conflict with the Osmanic Empire, although it is not clear whether the stars or the newspapers were the cause for that. Both his horoscope for Wallenstein and his book "Warnung an die Gegner der Astrologie" are well known. Kepler believed in some aspects of astrology, the influence of the planets for example. He deduced this front his ideas about physics. He neglected other aspects of astrology. e.g. the significance of the zodiac. In 1604 Kepler observed a new star and believed in a connection to a special and very rare planetary conjunction. After a Jupiter-Saturn-conjunction Jupiter met Mars. Kepler speculated that the star of Bethlehem might be a new star which was generated after a similar conjunction and recalculated it for 6/7 BC. Nowadays examples of both astronomical (and astrological) interpretations of the star of Bethlehem exist. The best known is the three time conjunction of 6/7 BC. But the interpretation of Martin (1980) for 213 BC seems equally excellent. Vardaman (1989) takes the Halley comet of 12 BC to be the star of Bethlehem. Other speculations arise from two Novae in the years 5 and 4 BC, tabulated in sources from the Far East. But historians tell us that there is no need fo a real star. The text in Matthew, book 2 is a legend. What is important in regard to the understanding of the star of Bethlehem is the "sidus Julium" the comet which could be seen in the sky during Caesar's funeral and the match of the King of Armenia Tiridates to Nero in Rome during. There was no real star over Bethlehem. All we have are interesting speculations, like those by Kepler.

Images of Science and Scientists: A Study of School Teachers' Views. I. Characteristics of Scientists.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rampal, A.

1992-01-01

Examines trends in teachers' beliefs about scientists and the nature of science. Discusses teachers' questionnaire responses on the following qualities of scientists: minimum educational qualifications; creativity; temperament; stereotyped image; and personal beliefs about indigenous systems of medicine and astrology. (Contains 63 references.)…

Hermann the Dalmatian as Astronomer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadic, Z.

Hermann the Dalmatian was the subject of great controversy for philosophers, and here his work and translations are considered. As far as Hermann's work are concerned his prime interest for astronomy and astrology is stressed. Astrological "predictions" interested him primarely as predictions of events which are related to global questions, i.e. predicting the future course of events in the universe or destiny of nation as a whole, rather then the destiny of indivinduals. On the other hand it is also evident that Hremann with his knowledge of the Eastern, Arabic scientific tradition and the European spiritual tradition, become one of the most important scientists of his times. Hermann archieved a fruitful syntesis between the two traditions and opened new concepts in science. So he stands as a basic figure at the turning point of European science and the scientific endeavours from the 12th to the 15th century.

The Impact of Zodiac Signs on Human Nature and Fate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasparyan, Naira

2015-07-01

Horoscope signs have unavoidable impact on human behaviour and interests, health and even fate. Moreover, intermingled with the impact of planets they become a powerful force able to bring about unbelievable changes. The investigation reveals that horoscopes have existed in the Armenian reality since ancient times. The most striking fact about their eistence is that in order to have and use zodiak signs in one's national culture, the nation should first of all have sufficient knowledge in Astrological Sciences since the system of zodiak signs has a direct reference to the cognitive processes and scientific knowledge of the universe, astrological issues and sometimes even there is a hint on hidden signs and messages. Anania Shirakatsi, one of the learned Armenians, had to display much diplomacy with the Armenian Church and religion when discussing the topic in his manuscripts. His observations are still of much importance and vitality even today.

Skeptical Science.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scott, Alan J.; Barnhart, Carolyn M.; Parejko, Ken S.; Schultz, Forrest S.; Schultz, Steven E.

2001-01-01

Discusses the legitimacy of teaching about astrology, extrasensory perception, UFOs, touch therapy, cloning dinosaurs, or any other unusual claims in the classroom. Suggests that bringing unusual claims to the science classroom is an opportunity to motivate students in the principles of scientific thought. (SAH)

A view in the mirror - Or through the looking glass. [history of development of optical telescopes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meinel, A. B.; Meinel, M. P.

1986-01-01

The development of optical telescopes from the age of astrology to those of today and the future is discussed. The rationales for changes in the design of telescopes during this time are explored. The cost drivers, and how to reduce them, are also discussed.

A Skeptic's Bookshelf: Scientific Responses to Pseudoscience. An Annotated Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraknoi, Andrew

1984-01-01

Lists nontechnical books and articles on the various claims of "paranormal" events. Includes general references and materials on: astrology; unidentified flying objects (UFO's); ancient astronauts; lunacy and the moon; Velikovsky and "Worlds in Collision"; the Bermuda triangle; Sirius B and the Dogon; the Tunguska event; creationism; and…

A Deficiency of Credulousness.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brewer, Richard

1992-01-01

Asks the question: how does society assist citizens to stop deluding themselves with ESP, UFOs, astrology, polygraphy, water dowsing, channeling, and all manner of New Age gimcrackery? Supplies an answer: educators should emphasize instruction in probability models and scientific inference, while imparting an appropriate, scientific skepticism to…

Greek and Roman Mythology: English, Mythology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hargraves, Richard; Kenzel, Elaine

The aim of the Quinmester course "Greek and Roman Mythology" is to help students understand mythological references in literature, art, music, science and technology. The subject matter includes: creation myths; myths of gods and heroes; mythological allusions in astrology, astronomy, literature, science, business, puzzles, and everyday…

The Relations between Astronomy and Music in Medieval Armenia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vardumyan, Arpi

2015-07-01

In Middle Ages Astronomy and Music were included in the four sciences, together with Mathematics and Geometry. From ancient times philosophers thought that harmony lies in the basis of world creation. The Earth was in the centre of the Universe, and the seven planets went around it, the Sun and the Moon in their number. Harmony was also in the basis of music, with seven sounds due to seven planets. It was considered that owing to harmonic rotation cosmic universal music appears, and it is not attainable for human ear as it is used to it. Medieval connoisseurs of music therapy believed that for healing a person his astrological data must first be cleared out, in order to define in which musical mode should sound the melody in order to treat him/her. Comparing music with astrology they considered easier to practise the first one because the celestial luminaries are much higher and farther from people.

Scientific Responses to Pseudoscience Related to Astronomy. An Annotated Bibliography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fraknoi, Andrew

1990-01-01

Provided is a list of 92 references. Categories include general references, debunking astrology, identifying U.F.O.s, ancient astronauts, Velikovsky and worlds in collision, lunacy and the moon, Sirius B and the Dogon tribe, the face and pyramids on mars, the Tunguska Event, and the Bermuda Triangle. (CW)

Pseudohistory and Pseudoscience

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allchin, Douglas

2004-01-01

The dangers of pseudoscience--parapsychology, astrology,creationism, etc.--are widely criticized. Lessons in the history of science are often viewed as an educational remedy by conveying the nature of science. But such histories can be flawed. In particular, many stories romanticize scientists, inflate the drama of their discoveries,and…

Small Schools in Rural India: "Exclusion" and "Inequity" in Hierarchical School System

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Diwan, Rashmi

2015-01-01

Small schools have enjoyed rich traditions in the history of education. The Vedic-age gurukula small schools, an abode for children of the privileged few, followed a structured curriculum in the teaching of religion, scriptures, philosophy, literature, warfare, medicine, astrology and history. The rigvedic small schools, which were more…

Teaching Anomalistic Psychology.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Warren; Zusne, Leonard

1981-01-01

Discusses need for anomalistic psychology courses (the occult, astrology, ESP, or those phenomena inexplicable in terms of orthodox science) in the college psychology curriculum. A study of an anomalistics course indicates that student belief in the paranormal was associated with greater learning which was then followed by significant reductions…

Studies in the History of Astronomy. Issue 32 %t Istoriko-Astronomicheskie Issledovaniya. Vypusk XXXII

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Idlis, G. M.

This collection contains papers covering a wide scope of problems in the history of astronomy. Its basic headlines are: Cosmology and cosmogony of the 20th century; History of observations and astronomical organizations; Scientists and their works; Astronomy and society; Publications and memoirs; Astronomy and astrology; Memory of scientists

The Influence of Education Major: How Diverse Preservice Teachers View Pseudoscience Topics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Losh, Susan Carol; Nzekwe, Brandon

2011-01-01

Pseudoscience beliefs (e.g., astrology, ghosts or UFOs) are rife in American society. Most research examines creation/evolution among liberal arts majors, general public adults, or, infrequently, middle or high school science teachers. Thus, research truncates the "range" of ersatz science thinking and the samples it studies. We examined diverse…

Noncredit Continuing Education: Who Does what for Whom...and Why?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Long, Norma R.

1988-01-01

A case study illustrates the need to examine criteria used to select noncredit continuing education offerings. In this case, the physics faculty protested that the offering "Fundamentals of Astrology" was inappropriate as a university noncredit course. A survey of 77 continuing education divisions revealed how course offering choices are made. (CH)

Democratic Nation Building in the Arc of Crisis: The Case of the Presidential Election in Afghanistan

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-01-01

astrologer waiting for loaves of bread at a bakery in Qalat, know that the new Afghan Constitution allows them full personal rights. But he still says he must...of nearly all development indices, has no extended tradition of uni- versal franchise , and has experienced almost a quarter century of continual

Astrology and Astronomy:From Conjunction to Opposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunth, D.

2009-02-01

A theory is not some hunch, or half-baked idea that you come up with while taking a shower, or being under the influence of something or other. A theory, as scientists understand the meaning of the word, is a scientifically tested principle or body of principles that incorporates and explains a significant body of evidence.

Empirically Based Myths: Astrology, Biorhythms, and ATIs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ragsdale, Ronald G.

1980-01-01

A myth may have an empirical basis through chance occurrence; perhaps Aptitude Treatment Interactions (ATIs) are in this category. While ATIs have great utility in describing, planning, and implementing instruction, few disordinal interactions have been found. Article suggests narrowing of ATI research with replications and estimates of effect…

Psychic Powers, Astrology & Creationism in the Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eve, Raymond A.; Dunn, Dana

1990-01-01

Examined is the extent to which teachers actually hold pseudoscientific beliefs. Described are the study design, sources of pseudoscientific belief, and correlates with various types of pseudoscientific beliefs. Results indicate that many high school biology and life science teachers endorse these beliefs. Implications of this study are discussed.…

Magnetized Water: Science or Fraud?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zamora, L. Lahuerta; Anton-Fos, G. M.; Aleman Lopez, P. A.; Martin Algarra, R. V.

2008-01-01

Skepticism is one of the cornerstones of scientific learning. Some pseudosciences in domains such as astronomy or pharmacy use a host of issues in everyday life as pretexts for work in the classroom (e.g., astrology) or laboratory (e.g., homeopathy). Chemistry also offers opportunities to promote skeptical thinking in students. Commercial devices…

The Influence of Education Major: How Diverse Preservice Teachers View Pseudoscience Topics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Losh, Susan Carol; Nzekwe, Brandon

2011-10-01

Pseudoscience beliefs (e.g., astrology, ghosts or UFOs) are rife in American society. Most research examines creation/evolution among liberal arts majors, general public adults, or, infrequently, middle or high school science teachers. Thus, research truncates the range of ersatz science thinking and the samples it studies. We examined diverse beliefs, e.g., extraterrestrials, magic, Biblical creation, and evolution, among 540 female and 123 male future teachers, including 325 elementary education majors. We study how these cognitions related to education major and, because popular media often present pseudoscience "information", student media use. Future elementary educators most often rejected evolution and endorsed "creationism" or Intelligent Design. Education majors held similar beliefs about astrology, UFO landings, or magic. Compared with other education students, elementary education majors watched less news or science television and read fewer popular science magazines. However, religious and media variables explained more variation in creation/evolution beliefs than education major. We discuss implications of our findings for elementary school science education and how teacher educators may be able to affect pseudoscience beliefs among their elementary education students.

The History of Science as a Tool To Identify and Confront Pseudoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasmussen, Seth C.

2007-06-01

Many are concerned by the widespread popularity pseudoscience has achieved in modern society. While it is easy to dismiss such beliefs as belonging to the uneducated, numerous studies have shown that such beliefs are not significantly reduced by a university education. In fact, one study found that belief in astrology was largely unaffected by the completion of a U.S. science degree: students who commenced a degree program believing in astrology finished that program still believing in it. This illustrates the extent to which even a successful science education has failed to transform students’ intellectual outlook, and should raise sharp concern as to the deficiencies in our present science curriculum. Over the years various authors have given sound justification for the inclusion of a historical component in science programs. I would like to add to these arguments the fact that knowledge of science history allows one to more easily identify and confront pseudoscience and that rectifying the current deficiency of historical context in our science education may be an effective approach to change the way students view claims and ideas presented to them.

Casebooks in Early Modern England:

PubMed Central

Kassell, Lauren

2014-01-01

summary Casebooks are the richest sources that we have for encounters between early modern medical practitioners and their patients. This article compares astrological and medical records across two centuries, focused on England, and charts developments in the ways in which practitioners kept records and reflected on their practices. Astrologers had a long history of working from particular moments, stellar configurations, and events to general rules. These practices required systematic notation. Physicians increasingly modeled themselves on Hippocrates, recording details of cases as the basis for reasoned expositions of the histories of disease. Medical records, as other scholars have demonstrated, shaped the production of medical knowledge. Instead, this article focuses on the nature of casebooks as artifacts of the medical encounter. It establishes that casebooks were serial records of practice, akin to diaries, testimonials, and registers; identifies extant English casebooks and the practices that led to their production and preservation; and concludes that the processes of writing, ordering, and preserving medical records are as important for understanding the medical encounter as the records themselves. PMID:25557513

Birthdate psychology: a new look at some old data.

PubMed

Pellegrini, R J

1975-03-01

This brief note deals with the development of alternative perspectives on the provocative, and as yet unexplained result of an earlier study in which groups of people born under different astrological zodiac signs were found to differ markedly in their scores on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) scale described as a measure of "Femininity." Attention is focused on (a) discrepancies between the observed pattern of high and low scores on the CPI Femininity scale, and classification of sun signs as "masculine" or "feminine" by astrologers; (b) the trend in the data indicating that the six sun sign categories for which the highest scores were obtained on the Femininity scale correspond to birthdates running continuously from July 24 to January 20, while the six sun sign categories for which the lowest scores were obtained on that scale correspond to birthdates running continuously from January 21 to July 23; and (c) speculative consideration of the kinds of climatic, dietary, and/or cyclical geomagnetic events that might affect reproduction and prenatal and/or neonatal development in such a way as to influence adult personality.

Dee, John (1527-1608)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Navigator, mathematician, traveler, polymath, mystic, charlatan, astrologer, model for Shakespeare's Prospero and King Lear, and court intriguer. Born in London, he became a navigation instructor, applying Euclidean geometry to navigation and building the instruments to do so. He advised expeditions seeking the Northwest passage to the Pacific via Canada. He cast horoscopes for Elizabeth I, recei...

Chaucer, Geoffrey (c. 1343-1400)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Poet, probably born in London, England. Author of the Canterbury Tales, which show his familiarity with astrological matters, and A Treatise on the Astrolabe, once believed to have been written for a son of Chaucer's, but now thought to be for the son of a friend, Lewis Clifford. The text is the oldest known `technical manual' in the English language....

Babylonian observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D. R.

Cuneiform tablets from Babylonia record lunar and solar eclipses, the presence and movement of comets, meteors and meteor showers. These have provided historical astronomers with much valuable data, but caution must be exercised when using such records, for accuracy of observation often ceded to astrological intent. In the future, texts from Assyria may also provide useful data for historical astronomers.

Ancient Chinese Observations and Modern Cometary Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yeomans, D. K.

1995-01-01

Ancient astronomical observations, primarily by Chinese, represent the only data source for discerning the long-term behavior of comets. These sky watchers produced astrological forecasts for their emperors. The comets Halley, Swift-Tuttle, and Tempel-Tuttle have been observed for 2000 years. Records of the Leonid meteor showers, starting from A.D.902, are used to guide predictions for the 1998-1999 reoccurrence.

Campanella, Tommaso [Giovan Domenico] (1568-1639)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Born in Stilo, Calabria, Italy. A Dominican, he wrote on Telesian philosophy and astrology, and cast flattering horoscopes for the influential. A great admirer of Galileo, in 1622 he published his Apologia pro Galileo (`Defense of Galileo'), defending the Copernican system and the separate paths of scripture and nature to knowledge of the Creator. He adopted an animistic, yet empirical, interpret...

Historical horoscopes as a source of the history of science. (German Title: Historische Horoskope als Quelle der Wissenschaftsgeschichte)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oestmann, Günther

The paper deals with the analysis and interpretation of historic horoscopes. The astrological activities of Count Heinrich Rantzau (1526-1598), Danish Governor of Schleswig-Holstein, who was one of the leading representatives of humanistic learning and culture in the 16th century, have been taken as an example. He corresponded with numerous scholars and was a friend of Tycho Brahe.

Astrology in Introductory Astronomy Courses for Nonscience Specialists

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zeilik, Michael, II

1973-01-01

Discusses the use of a horoscope-casting laboratory exercise in the astronomy course. Indicates that students can fulfill three objectives: (1) summarize the planetary motions in the geometric universe, (2) be familiar with sidereal and solar time, and (3) be acquainted with the uses ephemerides. (CC)

Superstitions of George Bartisch.

PubMed

Blanchard, Donald L

2005-01-01

George Bartisch was a 16th century German ophthalmologist who published the first ophthalmology textbook in the vernacular for laymen and non-university-trained practitioners. His treatments and understanding of diseases rested firmly on Greek tradition, but he also was very involved in the superstitions of the day. This essay looks at the man and his mores. Bartisch believed that much of the suffering of patients had to do with sins they had committed, and that the devil was the active force in the world inflicting this punishment. Often, he believed, witches would carry out the devil's hexes, in the form of either hot or cold witchcraft. Bartisch also felt that astrology played a major role in the outcome of surgery. Because of that he practiced only during certain astrological signs, and in the proper waxing and waning phases of the moon. He also linked many common problems to sins. For example, presbyopia was presented as due to excessive use of alcohol. Glasses were to be avoided because he felt they destroyed vision in themselves. Despite these superstitions and misconceptions, Bartisch was an honorable professional and his books give insight into the making of a good ophthalmologist.

Pisces did not have increased heart failure: data-driven comparisons of binary proportions between levels of a categorical variable can result in incorrect statistical significance levels.

PubMed

Austin, Peter C; Goldwasser, Meredith A

2008-03-01

We examined the impact on statistical inference when a chi(2) test is used to compare the proportion of successes in the level of a categorical variable that has the highest observed proportion of successes with the proportion of successes in all other levels of the categorical variable combined. Monte Carlo simulations and a case study examining the association between astrological sign and hospitalization for heart failure. A standard chi(2) test results in an inflation of the type I error rate, with the type I error rate increasing as the number of levels of the categorical variable increases. Using a standard chi(2) test, the hospitalization rate for Pisces was statistically significantly different from that of the other 11 astrological signs combined (P=0.026). After accounting for the fact that the selection of Pisces was based on it having the highest observed proportion of heart failure hospitalizations, subjects born under the sign of Pisces no longer had a significantly higher rate of heart failure hospitalization compared to the other residents of Ontario (P=0.152). Post hoc comparisons of the proportions of successes across different levels of a categorical variable can result in incorrect inferences.

The Gate of Heaven: Revisiting Roman Mithraic Cosmology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Assasi, R.

2016-01-01

The definition and origins of Roman Mithraism remain highly problematic and controversial among modern scholars. The majority of research on Roman Mithraism focuses on interpreting the physical evidence because no considerable written narratives or theology from the religion survive. The most important Mithraic artifact is a repeated bull-slaying scene, which leaves no doubt that this figure conveys the core divine message of the cult. There is also another important Mithraic character that seems to be as important as the bull-slayer. This figure is a lion-headed man entwined by a snake. The author suggests that these figures represent the north ecliptic pole and argues for the importance of this astronomical reference in the Mithraic iconography and mythology. The author also demonstrates the possible relation of his proposed astrological model to the geocentric understanding of the axial precession around the ecliptic pole, where the Roman bull-slaying Mithras could be visualized in the form of a Mithraic constellation. This astrological model also is proposed to be the architectural design concept of Roman Mithraeum. The author also points to the core Christian symbols as possible contemporaneous parallels or derivatives of the Mithraic iconography and theology.

The Astral Curved Disc of Chevroches (France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devevey, F. Rousseau, A.

2009-08-01

The excavation of the unexplored secondary agglomeration in Chevroches (Nièvre), from 2001 to 2002, directed by F. Devevey (INRAP), has led to the discovery of an astrological bronze curved disc of a type unknown in the ancient world; it is inscribed with three lines in Greek transcribing Egyptian an Roman months, and the twelve signs of the zodiac. This article presents the first observations.

Le dossier de l'étrange.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goy, G.

During the last 35 years Geneva Observatory received mail which cannot be filed with ordinary mail. These letters show the irrational situations which may result when humans try to find their place in the Universe. This study tries to group the most important aspects contained in the enormous amount of mail received for over more than three decades: occultism, astrology, anxiety, delirium, and so on.

Nostradamus (1503-66)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Doctor, astrologer, born in St Rémy, France. Took on the role of a prophet and wrote Centuries, a collection of predictions in rhyme (1555-8). The predictions are expressed in obscure and enigmatic terms, which are both difficult to interpret and open to many interpretations, and so can be interpreted as successful prophesies, including what Catherine of Medici interpreted as the manner of deat...

Yunus, Abu'l-Hasan ibn (950-1009)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murdin, P.

2000-11-01

Astronomer, born in Egypt, calculated trigonometric functions for use in astronomy and wrote an astronomical handbook, al-Zij al-Hakimi al-kabir, the Great Tables of Caliph al-Hakim, which contained observations made by Yunus, including 30 lunar eclipses used by SIMON NEWCOMB in his lunar theory. Yunus was also an astrologer, predicting the date of his own death in seven days' time. He made prepa...

Star of Bethlehem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, D.; Murdin, P.

2001-07-01

The biblical Star of Bethlehem, which heralded the birth of Jesus Christ, is only mentioned in the Gospel of St Matthew 2. The astrologically significant 7 bc triple conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in the constellation of Pisces is the most likely candidate, although a comet/nova in 5 bc and a comet in 4 bc cannot be ruled out. There is also the possibility that the star was simply fictitious....

East Europe Report, Scientific Affairs, No. 786

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-08-15

a very broad trough in one of whose extreme zones belong spiritualism, psychokinetics, extrasensory perception , the magic wand, astrology and so...to slow down the rate of the rise in living standards, then to halt it and finally to bring about a perceptible retrogression. Our colleagues feel...has contributed to a decisive extent to national-level perceptions and hopefully executive decisions regarding the danger to the waters of the Balaton

Chinese records of the 1874 transit of Venus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Lingfeng; Li, Huifang

2013-03-01

Before the advent of radar, transits of Venus were very important for measuring the distance between the Earth and the Sun. A transit occurred in 1874, and was visible from China, other parts of east and southeast Asia and from India, Australia and New Zealand and certain islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. As a result, many astronomers from Western countries came to China to observe it. According to traditional Chinese astrology, the Sun represented the Emperor, and if the Sun was invaded by other astronomical bodies it meant that the Emperor and the country faced some ominous disaster. In the late nineteenth century, Western astronomical knowledge was widely translated into Chinese and spread among Chinese intellectuals, so the 1874 transit supposedly was easily understood by Chinese intellectuals. Before the transit took place, various Chinese publications introduced this kind of celestial event as science news, but at the same time other influential newspapers and journals discussed the astrological connection between the transit and the fortunes of the nation. In this paper we review these interesting Chinese records and discuss the different attitudes towards the transit exhibited by Chinese intellectuals and officials, during a period when Western learning was being widely disseminated throughout China.

Modern health worries - the dark side of spirituality?

PubMed

Köteles, Ferenc; Simor, Péter; Czető, Márton; Sárog, Noémi; Szemerszky, Renáta

2016-08-01

Modern health worries (MHWs) are widespread in modern societies. MHWs were connected to both negative and positive psychological characteristics in previous studies. The study aimed to investigate the relationships among intuitive-experiential information processing style, spirituality, MHWs, and psychological well-being. Members of the Hungarian Skeptic Society (N = 128), individuals committed to astrology (N = 601), and people from a non-representative community sample (N = 554) completed questionnaires assessing intuitive-experiential information processing style, spirituality, modern health worries (MHWs), and psychological well-being. Astrologers showed higher levels of spirituality, intuitive-experiential thinking, and modern health worries than individuals from the community sample; and skeptics scored even lower than the latter group with respect to all three constructs. Within the community sample, medium level connections between measures of spirituality and the experiential thinking style, and weak to medium level correlations between spirituality and MHWs were found. The connection between MHWs and experiential thinking style was completely mediated by spirituality. Individuals with higher levels of spirituality are particularly vulnerable to overgeneralized messages on health related risks. Official communication of potential risks based on rational scientific reasoning is not appropriate to persuade them as it has no impact on the intuitive-experiential system. © 2016 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

An Ongoing Investigation of Science Literacy: Results of a 22-Year Study Probing Students' Knowledge and Attitude Towards Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Impey, C.; Buxner, S.; Antonellis, J.; CATS

2013-04-01

This talk presents findings related to our ongoing work investigating students' knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology. We present an overview of research studies and findings including a comparison of the science literacy measures of University of Arizona students compared to national studies, conceptions related to astrology, views of radiation, and students' pseudoscience and religious beliefs. We discuss implications for instructors and researchers interested in improving students' science literacy scores and diagnosing alternative beliefs.

The Effect of Decision Training on Career Decision-Making Competence

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-08-01

Campbell and Stanley (1966) as one of the three " true " experi- mental designs. Several modifications were made: (a) a stratified rather than a simple...information from conversations with friends. Horoscope : information from horoscopes written daily for an astrological sign. Newspaper ad: information from...handbook, a friend, horoscope , newspaper ad, and personal ex- perience) the information is written on 3" x 5" index cards. The cards are contained in

USSR Report, Political and Sociological Affairs.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-03-13

capitalism is doomed and has no future, and the more convicing and impressive is the march of true socialism, the more intense becomes the heat of...and curse those base monsters- socialists." It is true that soon the trickery of this sham student of eastern magicians was exposed. However, her...spiritual food. Over 30 million Americans believe in "miracles" of astrology and 1,200 newspapers print horoscopes . According to the American press

[Astrologic and medical manuscript of the 18th Century].

PubMed

Kugener, Henri

2010-01-01

We present a manuscript from the 18th century, an extract taken from the "Great and the Little Albert" attributed to Albertus Magnus. The linguistic variety in the paper is typical for a text composed in Luxembourg. Added to this text are two incantations and a short cartomancy paper.

International Conference on the Physics of Electronic and Atomic Collisions. Participants List (16th), Held in New York, New York on 26 July-1 August 1989

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-08-01

SOPHIA UNIVERSITY INST. DE ASTRONOMIA OSSERVATERIO ASTROLOGIC DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS Y FISICA DEL ESPACIO DE BRERA 7-1 KIOI-CHO C.C. 67, SUC. 28 VIA...ISLAM STATE UNIVERSITY OF Y . ITIKAWA WALRAVEN J. NEW YORK COLLEGE-POTSDAM INST OF SPACE & ASTRN SCI UN7’,ERSITY OF 136 MAPLE STREET 3-1-1 YOSHINODAI...S.UNIVERSITY DR USA PRINCETON, NJ 08544 FT. WORTH, TI 76129 USA USA ALEXANDER KALAMARIDES EMANUEL Y . KAMBER WOLFGANG KAMKE RICE UNIVERSITY PHYSICS DEPT

World cup soccer players tend to be born with sun and moon in adjacent zodiacal signs

PubMed Central

Verhulst, J

2000-01-01

The ecliptic elongation of the moon with respect to the sun does not show uniform distribution on the birth dates of the 704 soccer players selected for the 1998 World Cup. However, a uniform distribution is expected on astronomical grounds. The World Cup players show a very pronounced tendency (p = 0.00001) to be born on days when the sun and moon are in adjacent zodiacal signs. Key Words: soccer; World Cup; astrology; moon PMID:11131239

Astronomy in Italy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Truffa, Giancarlo

I will present a chronological excursus from the XII century, from the time of the birth of the first universities in Europe, when the translations of Arabic and Greek texts promoted the first "renaissance" of philosophical and scientific studies, to the XVI century, when the second "renaissance" gave birth to modern science. I will consider only some personalities, representatives of the different aspects of astronomical research during this period: translations, commentaries, astronomical tables, astronomical instruments, observations, astrological forecasting.

[The work of Hunayn ibn Ishāq in the Arabic manuscripts of Escurialense Library].

PubMed

Cano Ledesma, A

1994-01-01

After a short historical introduction about Hunayn's life and about the foundation and development of the Escurialense Library, the article deals with the Arabic collection which is kept in it. Hunayn is the author of some work in the Escurialense codices, and the translator of some others. Particularly, three codices containing original medical works by Hunayn are listed here and commented on in detail, together with twenty-five containing Hunayn's translations of Hippocratic and Galenic texts. Some astrological texts are also treated.

[Tomaso Rangone (1493-1577): an Italian physician and his library].

PubMed

Herrmann, Sabine

2012-01-01

The private library of Tomaso Rangone (1473-1577), famous for his patronage of Jacobo Sansovino and Alessandro Vittoria, does not only reflect the personal interests of a medical practitioner in the Italian Renaissance, but also the social, and scientific development of the first half of the Cinquecento: the popularity of astrology, the effect of the European expansion on geography, the growing interest for historiography, the advances in the field of medicine and botany and the remaining influence of medieval scholasticism.

Mesopotamian Star Lists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horowitz, Wayne

Sumerian and Akkadian names of stars and constellations occur in cuneiform texts for over 2,000 years, from the third millennium BC down to the death of cuneiform in the early first millennium AD, but no fully comprehensive list was ever compiled in antiquity. Lists of stars and constellations are available in both the lexical tradition and astronomical-astrological tradition of the cuneiform scribes. The longest list in the former is that in the series Urra = hubullu, in the latter, those in Mul-Apin.

No evidence for an early seventeenth-century Indian sighting of Kepler's supernova (SN1604)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Gent, R. H.

2013-03-01

In a recent paper in this journal, Sule et al. (2011) argued that an early 17th-century Indian mural of the constellation Sagittarius with a dragon-headed tail indicated that the bright supernova of 1604 was also sighted by Indian astronomers. In this paper it will be shown that this identification is based on a misunderstanding of traditional Islamic astrological iconography and that the claim that the mural represents an early 17th-century Indian sighting of the supernova of 1604 has to be rejected.

Motivation, cognition and pseudoscience.

PubMed

Lindeman, M

1998-12-01

The article proposes a framework that views pseudoscientific beliefs as a joint function of the basic social motives and the default way of processing everyday information. The interplay between the basic motives and experiential thinking is illustrated with three examples. The first concerns comprehension of self via astrology and graphology, and the second involves the comprehension of unexpected events (one domain of the motive to comprehend the world). The last example describes health control by alternative medicine, as a modern way of controlling future outcomes.

Fission track astrology of three Apollo 14 gas-rich breccias

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graf, H.; Shirck, J.; Sun, S.; Walker, R.

1973-01-01

The three Apollo 14 breccias 14301, 14313, and 14318 all show fission xenon due to the decay of Pu-244. To investigate possible in situ production of the fission gas, an analysis was made of the U-distribution in these three breccias. The major amount of the U lies in glass clasts and in matrix material and no more than 25% occurs in distinct high-U minerals. The U-distribution of each breccia is discussed in detail. Whitlockite grains in breccias 14301 and 14318 found with the U-mapping were etched and analyzed for fission tracks. The excess track densities are much smaller than indicated by the Xe-excess. Because of a preirradiation history documented by very high track densities in feldspar grains, however, it is impossible to attribute the excess tracks to the decay of Pu-244. A modified track method has been developed for measuring average U-concentrations in samples containing a heterogeneous distribution of U in the form of small high-U minerals. The method is briefly discussed, and results for the rocks 14301, 14313, 14318, 68815, 15595, and the soil 64421 are given.

Walter Odington's De etate mundi and the Pursuit of a Scientific Chronology in Medieval England.

PubMed

Nothaft, Carl Philipp

2016-01-01

This article deals with a forgotten treatise on the age of the world, written between 1308 and 1316 by Walter Odington, a monk of Evesham Abbey, otherwise known for his writings on alchemy and music theory. By tracing the sources and rationale behind Odington's arguments and comparing them with those of other medieval authors, the article attempts to shed new light on the state of chronological scholarship in England in the eleventh to fourteenth centuries, when astronomical and astrological methods were freely used to supplement or replace scriptural interpretation, yielding creative and unexpected results.

Origins of NASA names

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wells, H. T.; Whiteley, S. H.; Karegeannes, C. E.

1976-01-01

Names are selected for NASA spaceflight projects and programs from various sources. Some have their foundations in mythology and astrology or legend and folklore. Some have historic connotations; others are based on a description of their mission, often resulting in an acronym. Included are names of launch vehicles, spacecraft, manned spaceflight programs, sounding rockets, and NASA field installations. This study is limited to names of approved projects through 1974; it does not include names of numerous projects which have been or are being studied or projects that were canceled or postponed before reaching actual flight.

[Al-Biruni--a universal scientist].

PubMed

Kujundzić, E; Masić, I

1999-01-01

Al-Biruni's was of Persian descent. He was born in Horesmiya and had studied mathematics, history and medicine. Acquiring knowledge from these sciences, he wrote an outstanding work on chronology of several nations and devoted it to Ziyarit ruler Kabus. He made a chronological overview of calendars from many nations, including Persians, Greeks, Egyptians, Jews, Melkitian and Nestorian Christians, Sabeyaans as well as the old Arabs. Data presented in the work, according to the later authors, were taken from very reliable sources. He was contemporary of Ibn-Sina, and thanks to their friendship, they have discussed very much miscellaneous topics. He belonged to the group of scholars, taken by Gaznevian Soultan Mahmud to a long journey to India. Afterwards Al-Biruni wrote and published detailed work "Description of India"--a work on cultural history of India. Due to excellent abilities of Al-Biruni as a philosopher and scholar, there are still significant and reliable notes about buddhistic philosophy, structure of castes and Brahmans' life style. In this Al-Biruni's masterpiece, there are many comparative analysis of Suffism and certain Indian philosophical methods. Al-Biruni's most important work is "Pharmacopoeia"--"Kitab al-saydala", which brilliantly describes all medicaments. This work has been published in many languages. He also wrote few works on astronomy and astrology. In those works he has explained some astrological events through scientific approach in a such peculiar way that nobody has ever explained before. He was also interested in sciences like geology, mineralology, geography, mathematics, psychology and many others.

Cheap and fast measuring roughness on big surfaces with an imprint method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schopf, C.; Liebl, J.; Rascher, R.

2017-10-01

Roughness, shape and structure of a surface offer information on the state, shape and surface characteristics of a component. Particularly the roughness of the surface dictates the subsequent polishing of the optical surface. The roughness is usually measured by a white light interferometer, which is limited by the size of the components. Using a moulding method of surfaces that are difficult to reach, an imprint is taken and analysed regarding to roughness and structure. This moulding compound method is successfully used in dental technology. In optical production, the moulding compound method is advantageous in roughness determination in inaccessible spots or on large components (astrological optics). The "replica method" has been around in metal analysis and processing. Film is used in order to take an impression of a surface. Then, it is analysed for structures. In optical production, compound moulding seems advantageous in roughness determination in inaccessible spots or on large components (astrological optics). In preliminary trials, different glass samples with different roughness levels were manufactured. Imprints were taken from these samples (based on DIN 54150 "Abdruckverfahren für die Oberflächenprüfung"). The objective of these feasibility tests was to determine the limits of this method (smallest roughness determinable / highest roughness). The roughness of the imprint was compared with the roughness of the glass samples. By comparing the results, the uncertainty of the measuring method was determined. The spectrum for the trials ranged from rough grind (0.8 μm rms), over finishing grind (0.6 μm rms) to polishing (0.1 μm rms).

Massartu: The Observation of Astronomical Phenomena in Assyria (7th Century BC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fales, F. M.

2011-06-01

The term massartu is well attested in letters in cuneiform to and from the Neo-Assyrian court, written in the main in the 7th century BC. In itself, massartu is a general Akkadian term, meaning "watch, guard", but in the early 1st millennium BC it takes on two interesting semantic specializations, both of which are tied to the practical and political needs of the Assyrian empire. In astrological-astronomical terms, massartu denotes the wake, vigil, or watch for astronomical observations on the part of the court specialists: such a wake was required by the Assyrian king on a nightly basis, for the subsequent consultation of the vast compilation of omens called Enūma Anu Enlil, and the drawing of conclusions relating to the state of the empire and of the royal dynasty. Many interesting texts show us the workings of the massartu in the capital city Nineveh or in other cities of Mesopotamia. But massartu had also a wider meaning, "vigilance", which denoted the requirement, on the part of all the subjects of the king of Assyria, to keep their eyes and ears open, so as to be able to report to the king if anything untoward was taking place, whether in the capital city or in the most remote military outpost of the empire. Thus, in a way, the astrologers were expected to perform no more and no less than the collective duty of "vigilance" on behalf of the king-but with their eyes trained on the heavens, and in await for signs ultimately sent from the gods.

Influence and power of the media.

PubMed

Radford, T

1996-06-01

People tend to get most of their information beyond work and family horizons from the press, radio, and television. So, do they really believe media stories that suggest, for example, there is no link between HIV and AIDS? This is unlikely, but there is a curious paradox--namely, that the same time, people to varying degrees are open minded about such stories as unidentified flying objects, astrology, reincarnation, and alien abduction. Yet, people are discerning and seem able to spot the dangerous rubbish, happy to be entertained and unlikely to be misled by the things that will really alter their lives.

[Mediaeval anatomic iconography (Part II)].

PubMed

Barg, L

1996-01-01

In the second part of his paper the author has presented a mediaeval anatomical draft based on empirical studies. From the first drawings from XVth century showing the places of blood-letting and connected with astrological prognostics, to systematical drawings by Guido de Vigevano. He has stressed the parallel existence of two lines of teaching anatomy; one based on philosophical concepts (discussed in the first part of paper), the second one based on empirical concepts. The latter trend has formed the grounds for final transformation, which has taken place in anatomical science in age of Renaissance.

National Calendar-2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghedrovici, Vera; Svet, Maria; Matvei, Valeria; Madan, Ion; Perju, Elena; Sargun, Maria; Netida, Maria

The calendar represents a few hundreds of biographies of scientists, artists and writers from everywhere, printed in chronological order and adjusted to their birthdays. A number of international and national holydays, including some refering to science are included in the Calendar. A great defect of the calendar is the introduction of the "International day of astrology" in the list of holydays. Another defect is the absence of the indication on the membership to the Communist Party for persons cited from the former Soviet Union. The following Physicists, mathematicians, chemists and astronomers had biographies in this issue: Ilie I. Lupu (math),Lev D. Landau,

Orion in Homer: is it a Terrestrial, an Astral or an Astronomical Myth?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Revello, Manuela

2015-05-01

In Greek literature the subjects that relate to stars and constellations are very complex. Various studies are involved in this field of investigation, such as those of astronomy, astrology, mythology, astral-metereology and philology; the situation becomes even more complicated when we attempt to reconstruct a picture of the knowledge of the stars and the relative degree of consciousness of this matter existent during the Homeric age. In this brief report we shall look at the constellation of Orion. The discussed arguments will point out the sharp differences that exist between terrestrial, astronomical and astral myths.

MALE SEXUAL DISORDERS IN INDIAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE- A HISTORICAL REVIEW

PubMed Central

Padhi, M.M.

1989-01-01

The description of male sexual disorders by ancient authors of Indian medicine is praiseworthy. Effort has been made to describe the standard of approach with reference to certain books on Ayurveda and astrology. The development of administration of mineral medicines has added a new aspect in their treatment, but the description regarding their forms, etiopathogenesis, prognosis and the principle of treatment has remained unchanged. The opinions of various authors have been presented historically from vedic age up to the modern era. The present status of treatment and the role of Ayurveda in the treatment of sexual dysfunctions have been highlighted here. PMID:22557682

Riferimenti, simboli e numerologia astronomica nel Canzoniere di Petrarca

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Colona, Paolo

The astronomical knowledge of Petrarch and his use of astronomical references in the renowned Canzoniere are examined with a commented anthology of the most relevant astronomical verses in that work. We discuss the identification of the first two verses of the poetry "Solo et pensoso" as a precise description of the astrological type of Saturn. The repeated presence of an ancient astronomical symbol such as the division of the circle in 12 parts is highlighted. The coded presence in the Canzoniere of the most relevant astronomical numbers 7, 12 and 365 is also discovered and shown.

The planetary positions and relationships at the dates of birth of a cohort of Nigerian schizophrenics.

PubMed

Ohaeri, J U

1997-01-01

Some astrological hypotheses related to predisposition to severe mental illness were tested by analysing the zodiacal signs, the interactions between planetary qualities (aspects), and the occurrence of full and new moon dates, on the dates of birth of 221 schizophrenics, compared with 112 normal subjects. The sun signs of the schizophrenics were significantly more likely to be in the signs associated with introversion, while those of the control population were significantly more likely to be in the outgoing signs. A significantly higher proportion of schizophrenics had their Mars (i.e., symbol of aggressiveness) in the outgoing signs than the normal population. A significantly higher proportion of control subjects fulfilled operational criteria for adequacy of number of aspects between the sun and the other planets. The tendency for a higher proportion of schizophrenics to have "difficult" aspects just failed to reach significance. A significantly higher proportion of control subjects had aspects between the sun and mars; and also a significantly higher proportion of control subjects had "soft" (helpful) aspects between the sun and mars. These findings are in keeping with the well-known oddity of schizophrenia (schiz = split; phren = mind); such that, a group which collectively is characterised by an "introverted" self (i.e. sun sign), has a coexisting aggressive tendency (i.e. strong mars) and poor integration between the elements of the psyche and the self (i.e. inadequacy of aspects between Sun and other planets). However, the findings give only partial support to key astrological postulates because there was a non-significant trend for more schizophrenics to be born in "water" signs and on full moon dates.

Ancient Chinese Observations and Modern Cometary Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeomans, D. K.

1995-12-01

Ancient astronomical observations by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean observers represent the only data source for discerning the long-term behavior of comets. The primary source material is derived from Chinese astrologers who kept a vigilant celestial watch in an effort to issue up-to-date astrological forecasts for the reigning emperors. Surprisingly accurate records were kept on cometary apparitions with careful notes being made of an object's position, motion, size, color, and tail length. For comets Halley, Swift-Tuttle, and Tempel-Tuttle, Chinese observations have been used to model their motions over two millennia and to infer their photometric histories. One general result is that active comets must achieve an apparent magnitude of 3.5 or brighter before they become obvious naked-eye objects. For both comets Halley and Swift-Tuttle, their absolute magnitudes and hence their outgassing rates, have remained relatively constant for two millennia. Comet Halley's rocket-like outgassing has consistently delayed the comet's return to perihelion by 4 days so that the comet's spin axis must have remained stable for at least two millennia. Although its outgassing is at nearly the same rate as Halley's, comet Swift-Tuttle's motion has been unaffected by outgassing forces; this comet is likely to be ten times more massive than Halley and hence far more difficult for rocket-like forces to push it around. Although the earliest definite observations of comet Tempel-Tuttle were in 1366, the associated Leonid meteor showers have been identified as early as A.D. 902. The circumstance for each historical meteor shower and storm have been used to guide predictions for the upcoming 1998-1999 Leonid meteor displays.

Teaching Cultural Astronomy: On the Development and Evolution of the Syllabus at Bath Spa University and the University of Wales, Lampeter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campion, Nick

TheMaster of Arts in CulturalAstronomy andAstrology at the University of Wales, Lampeter, formerly taught at Bath Spa University in England, is the first degree of its kind in the world. (I shall refer to the discipline as Cultural Astronomy, with initial letters as upper case, and the phenomena which it studies as cultural astronomy, all lower case). My definition combines both the discipline and the phenomenon; 'Cultural astronomy: the use of astronomical knowledge, beliefs or theories to inspire, inform or influence social forms and ideologies, or any aspect of human behaviour. Cultural astronomy also includes the modern disciplines of ethnoastronomy and archaeoastronomy' (Campion 1997: 2).

Aspects of seasonality.

PubMed

Battey, N H

2000-11-01

The seasons are astronomical, astrological, meteorological, biological, and agricultural. From a perspective outside the biological sciences, the questions of interest about plant seasonality are linked to this wider context. In this review I try to see flowering time, as one important aspect of seasonality, from an outsider's point of view, and describe what is known about it in different types of plants. What is known about it is conditioned by what particular scientists have asked about it, so the variety of approaches to seasonality is another point of emphasis. Detailed consideration is given to flowering seasonality in perennials compared with annuals, and both molecular and whole plant perspectives are presented.

Mathematical Astronomy in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Plofker, Kim

Astronomy in South Asia's Sanskrit tradition, apparently originating in simple calendric computations regulating the timing of ancient ritual practices, expanded over the course of two or three millennia to include detailed spherical models, an endless variety of astrological systems, and academic mathematics in general. Assimilating various technical models, methods, and genres from the astronomy of neighboring cultures, Indian astronomers created new forms that were in turn borrowed by their foreign counterparts. Always recognizably related to the main themes of Eurasian geocentric mathematical astronomy, Indian astral science nonetheless maintained its culturally distinct character until Keplerian heliocentrism and Newtonian mechanics replaced it in colonial South Asia's academic mainstream.

SOME ASPECTS OF HEALTH CARE IN MEDIEVAL INDIA

PubMed Central

Rao, B. Rama

1992-01-01

It appears that from medieval period onwards the subjects having practical application were given more importance than the philosophical and theoretical aspects. But the physicians were keen observes and new drugs and information were added and the effect of religion, astrology and other systems is also seen. While the womenfolk used to collect from the nearby forests, drugs that were useful for common ailments, some drugs were also imported from other countries. Specialization in certain diseases or practices was prevalent and the physicians enjoyed a high status and respect in the society. Several such other aspects are dealt with in this article. PMID:22556577

Reviews Equipment: Chameleon Nano Flakes Book: Requiem for a Species Equipment: Laser Sound System Equipment: EasySense VISION Equipment: UV Flash Kit Book: The Demon-Haunted World Book: Nonsense on Stilts Book: How to Think about Weird Things Web Watch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2011-03-01

WE RECOMMEND Requiem for a Species This book delivers a sober message about climate change Laser Sound System Sound kit is useful for laser demonstrations EasySense VISION Data Harvest produces another easy-to-use data logger UV Flash Kit Useful equipment captures shadows on film The Demon-Haunted World World-famous astronomer attacks pseudoscience in this book Nonsense on Stilts A thought-provoking analysis of hard and soft sciences How to Think about Weird Things This book explores the credibility of astrologers and their ilk WORTH A LOOK Chameleon Nano Flakes Product lacks good instructions and guidelines WEB WATCH Amateur scientists help out researchers with a variety of online projects

Using Stellarium to cyber-observe the Great American Eclipse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prim, Ellie R.; Sitar, David J.

2017-09-01

The Great American Eclipse is over. Somewhat sad, is it not? Individuals who were unable to experience the event on August 21, 2017, can now cyber-observe the eclipse with Stellarium (http://www.stellarium.org). In the authors' opinion, it is fun and has many great applications in the classroom. In addition it is open source and available for Android, iOS, and Linux users. We here at Appalachian use it in our introductory astronomy labs for specific activities such as investigating coordinate systems, discovering differences between solar and sidereal days, as well as determining why your "astrological sign" is most often not your "astronomical sign."

Science of Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vedavyas

A Multi-disciplinary Research into the Chronologies of Ancient Nations -- like the Vedas of India Rishies, the Chaldeans, Babylonians, Egyptians and the Chinese. Which traces how the "Measurement of Time" -- which began with the observations of sunrise and Sunset, Full-Moons, eclipses, the movement of stars and the Discovery of the Zodiac that starry pathway of sun in his annual Cycle of the 12-Zodiacal months, the Measurement of Time by planetary Cycles the Discovery of Astronomy and Symbolic or Kabalistic Astrology of the Bible's Old Testament; the Epics of Babylonians and 'Cosmic Cycles' of Chaldeans and Egyptians also the Ancient "Four Yugas" or Hindu Vedic Cycles.

Tycho Brahe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dreyer, John Louis Emil

2014-02-01

Preface; 1. The revival of astronomy in Europe; 2. Tycho Brahe's youth; 3. The new star of 1572; 4. Tycho's oration on astrology and his travels in 1575; 5. The island of Hveen and Tycho Brahe's observatories and other buildings; 6. Tycho's life at Hveen until the death of King Frederick II; 7. Tycho's book on the comet of 1577, and his system of the world; 8. Further work on the star of 1572; 9. The last years at Hveen, 1588-97; 10. Tycho's life from his leaving Hveen until his arrival at Prague; 11. Tycho Brahe in Bohemia - his death; 12. Tycho Brahe's scientific achievements; Appendix; Notes; Index.

Measuring Science Literacy in College Undergraduates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Impey, Chris David; Buxner, S. R.; Antonellis, J.; King, C.; Johnson, E.; CATS

2010-01-01

Initial results from a major study of scientific literacy are presented, involving nearly 10,000 undergraduates in science classes at a large Southwestern Land Grant public university over a 20-year period. The science content questions overlap with those in the NSF's Science Indicators series. About 10% of all undergraduates in the US take a General Education astronomy course, and NSF data and the work of Jon Miller show that the number of college science courses taken is the strongest predictor of civic scientific literacy. Our data show that gains in knowledge on any particular item through the time students graduate are only 10-15%. Among students who have taken most or all of their science requirements, one-in-three think that antibiotics kill viruses as well as bacteria, one-in-four think lasers work by focusing sound waves, one-in-five think atoms are smaller than electrons, and the same fraction is unaware that humans evolved from earlier species of animals and that the Earth takes a year to go around the Sun. The fraction of undergraduates saying that astrology is "not at all” scientific increases from 17% to a still-low 34% as they move through the university. Equally worrying, half of all science majors say that astrology is "sort of” or "very” scientific. Education majors - the cohort of future teachers - perform worse than average on most individual questions and in terms of their overall scientific literacy. Assuming the study institution is representative of the nation's higher education institutions, our instruction is not raising students to the level we would expect for educated citizens who must vote on many issues that relate to science and technology. We acknowledge the NSF for funding under Award No. 0715517, a CCLI Phase III Grant for the Collaboration of Astronomy Teaching Scholars (CATS) Program.

[A brief history of the natural causes of human disease].

PubMed

Lips-Castro, Walter

2015-01-01

In the study of the causes of disease that have arisen during the development of humankind, one can distinguish three major perspectives: the natural, the supernatural, and the artificial. In this paper we distinguish the rational natural causes of disease from the irrational natural causes. Within the natural and rational causal approaches of disease, we can highlight the Egyptian theory of putrid intestinal materials called "wechdu", the humoral theory, the atomistic theory, the contagious theory, the cellular theory, the molecular (genetic) theory, and the ecogenetic theory. Regarding the irrational, esoteric, and mystic causal approaches to disease, we highlight the astrological, the alchemical, the iatrochemical, the iatromechanical, and others (irritability, solidism, brownism, and mesmerism).

Theodoricus Gravius (fl. 1600-1661): some biographical notes on a German chymist and scribe working in seventeenth-century England.

PubMed

Poole, William

2009-11-01

This article establishes the career of Theodoricus Gravius (fl. 1600-1661), a German refugee who worked in Great Linford as a laboratory assistant and scribe to the cleric and practitioner of astrological medicine, Richard Napier (1559-1634). Gravius was the first transmitter to England of the texts of the mystic Jacob Böhme, and although he settled in England, he undertook subsequent foreign visits to attempt the recovery of his property and to learn more about chymical matters. He also visited the Oxonian George Hakewill (1578-1649), and is responsible for scribing one of the manuscripts of the revisions to Hakewill's celebrated Apologie or Declaration Concerning the Power and Providence of God (1635).

[Occult medicine in the 20th century: pharmacotherapy by Demeter Georgievitz-Weitzer, known as Surya (1873 - 1949)].

PubMed

Helmstädter, Axel

2011-01-01

Demeter Georgievitz-Weitzer (1873-1949), called "Surya", Sanskrit for "sun", was an important representative of medical occultism in the first half of the 20th century. He worked as a journal editor and published a 13-volume book series about occult medicine, mainly written by himself. His hypotheses were closely related to the "Lebensreform" movement around 1900. Regarding diagnostics, he relied on astrology, cheiromancy, and clairvoyance, while therapeutics were dominated by diet and spagyric remedies according to Cesare Mattei (1809-1896) and Carl-Friedrich Zimpel (1801-1879). In his later years, he developed his own healing system, initially comprising eight, later only two preparations. Surya remedies were commercially available until the end of the 20th century,

Is evaluating complementary and alternative medicine equivalent to evaluating the absurd?

PubMed

Greasley, Pete

2010-06-01

Complementary and alternative therapies such as reflexology and acupuncture have been the subject of numerous evaluations, clinical trials, and systematic reviews, yet the empirical evidence in support of their efficacy remains equivocal. The empirical evaluation of a therapy would normally assume a plausible rationale regarding the mechanism of action. However, examination of the historical background and underlying principles for reflexology, iridology, acupuncture, auricular acupuncture, and some herbal medicines, reveals a rationale founded on the principle of analogical correspondences, which is a common basis for magical thinking and pseudoscientific beliefs such as astrology and chiromancy. Where this is the case, it is suggested that subjecting these therapies to empirical evaluation may be tantamount to evaluating the absurd.

[On the astrology and computation in the 12th century: new unpublished manuscripts ].

PubMed

Caiazzo, Irene

2012-01-01

This article examines three so far unknown lemmatic commentaries on computus and on astrolabe topics, which are to be found in MS Stuttgart, Württembergische Landesbibliothek, Cod. math. 4 degrees 33 (second half of the twelfth-century). The commentaries are on the 'Compotus' by Gerlandus, on the 'De mensura astrolabii' by Hermann of Reichenau, and on the 'De utilitatibus astrolabii', which is sometimes attributed to Gerbert of Aurillac. No commentaries on the respective treatises have previously been identified as such. The commentaries of the Stuttgart manuscript are of special interest in that they allow us to understand how a twelfth-century scholar read works on computus and the astrolabe, namely works that date back to the eleventh century. Their author remains anonymous, but in all probability he wrote his commentary on the 'Compotus' by Gerlandus either in 1143 or in 1150. An appendix to the article includes transcriptions of the introductory texts on the computus and on the astrolabe as well as the beginnings of the commentaries.

The Context of Demarcation in Nature of Science Teaching: The Case of Astrology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Turgut, Halil

2011-01-01

The aim of developing students' understanding of the nature of science [NOS] has been considered an important aspect of science education. However, the results of previous research indicate that students of various ages and even teachers possess both inaccurate and inappropriate views of the NOS. Such a failure has been explained by the view that…

The cosmological ideas of the peoples in the ancient Near East

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gropp, Harald

The European astronomers Kepler and Brahe made a big step forwards to a new view of the world in the sixteenth century. Four or five thousands years earlier a lot of interesting cosmological ideas were developed in Mesopotamia, e.g. by Sumerians, Accadians, Babylonians or Assyrians. Many traditions in mathematics, astronomy, and astrology were started in these early cultures. The author discusses some of these ideas and, briefly, the cosmological ideas of those people who lived in many parts of Europe in the first millenium before Christ. These are the celts whose origin was in what is now called Bohemia, Germany and Austria, while after covered a wide area in Europe from British islands to Balcans. (Abstract and oral speech)

K istorii goroskopa Petra Velikogo %t On the history of horoscope of Peter the Great

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronshtehn, V. A.

In the first part of the paper the question is discussed if Simeon Polotsky (1629-1680), poet and teacher of children of the Russian tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, was also the author of the horoscope of his son, in the future - Russian emperor Peter the Great, born in 1672. The poems by Simeon Polotsky with astrological contents are analyzed. The conclusion is supported that he could be the author of Peter the Great horoscope. In the second part a recently found text of the horoscope of Peter the Great reconstructed in 1775 by Russian astronomer Andrei Lexell of the request of historian G. F. Miller is published and discussed. It is also compared with texts previously published (in 1842) by Russian historians Pogodin and Polevoi.

[The Paduan doctor Alessandro Pellati, his library and the first edition of De medicorum astrologia].

PubMed

Fattori, D

2008-01-01

The article prints the text of a document in the Archivio di Stato, Venice, comprising a list of books intended for auction, with an estimate of their value. THey constitute the private library of Alessandro Pellati (d. 1487), a Paduan doctor about whom nothing is known, except his name appears in the colophon of the first edition of a short treatise attributed to Hippocrates, the De medicorum astrologia seu de esse aegrorum, translated into Latin and published in Padua in 1483. The considerable number of astrological works in his library show that Pellati was keenly interested in the subject which, under the title of "natural magic", had assumed a significant place in medical studies at that time, particularly in Padua.

Image Segmentation of Historical Handwriting from Palm Leaf Manuscripts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Surinta, Olarik; Chamchong, Rapeeporn

Palm leaf manuscripts were one of the earliest forms of written media and were used in Southeast Asia to store early written knowledge about subjects such as medicine, Buddhist doctrine and astrology. Therefore, historical handwritten palm leaf manuscripts are important for people who like to learn about historical documents, because we can learn more experience from them. This paper presents an image segmentation of historical handwriting from palm leaf manuscripts. The process is composed of three steps: 1) background elimination to separate text and background by Otsu's algorithm 2) line segmentation and 3) character segmentation by histogram of image. The end result is the character's image. The results from this research may be applied to optical character recognition (OCR) in the future.

Imhotep and the discovery of cerebrospinal fluid.

PubMed

Blomstedt, Patric

2014-01-01

Herbowski (2013) suggested recently the Egyptian Imhotep from the 3rd dynasty in Egypt to be the discoverer of cerebrospinal fluid. There are, however, no sources within the first 2000 years after Imhotep suggesting him to be in any way connected with the field of medicine. Over the course of three millennia Imhotep evolves into the sage who besides architecture also masters the arts of medicine, magic, astronomy, and astrology, at the same time as him being transformed from man to demi-God, and finally to a God. The identification of Imhotep as a doctor has thus little to do with facts and it is unlikely that he had anything to do with the Edwin-Smith papyrus from a much later period where CSF is first mentioned.

The origin and meaning of colourful descriptions in Chinese astronomical records

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strom, Richard G.

2008-07-01

Oriental, especially Chinese, observations of transient celestial events are often compared with mundane objects: fruits, birds and containers are typical. The comparison is sometimes thought to indicate brightness of the heavenly object in question (for night-time apparitions). Here, the matter is examined in some detail. There is evidence that the earliest descriptions referred to form and/or colour (in particular, black for sunspots). Containers probably trace back to beidou, the northern (big) dipper, which was a potent symbol in Chinese astrological correspondences. It is noted that many of the comparison objects were round, and that Chinese thinking considered the Sun, Moon, planets and stars as round also. It is shown that the comparison objects used were not constant in time, but changed, with certain ones preferred for centuries. A notable period coincides with much of the Song and Yuan Dynasties (1075-1360), when sunspots were almost exclusively compared with the dark plum and jujube (Chinese date) fruits, while night-time comparisons were often with stars and planets. After 1375, night-time comparisons with bullets abruptly appear, and little else was used for two hundred years. I suggest that this was inspired by contemporary military events. Although the main purpose of the observations recorded in ancient annals was astrological, there is no concrete link between the comparison objects and prognostications. A passage dating back to the Latter Han Dynasty notes that stars have their “distant connections”, and goes on to say, “In the wilderness stars denote articles and objects”, while elsewhere they may relate to government or society. By coupling the transient (and hence shockingly inauspicious) events to mundane objects, the imperial astronomers may have sought to distance the state from their appearance. With the possible exception of comparisons with stars and planets, it seems highly unlikely that the objects were chosen to reflect the

Astronomy in the Age of Leonardo.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Welther, B. L.

1997-12-01

In the 1450s, when Leonardo da Vinci was born, horoscopes were still based primarily on the 13th-century tables developed in the court of Alfonso el Sabio of Spain. By the 15th century European astronomers were computing revised forms of the tables. In Italy, for example, Giovanni Bianchini of Ferrara completed his Tabulae astronomicae in the 1440s. It was finally published posthumously in Venice in 1495. By the 1480s Domenico Maria Novara, a professor of astronomy in Bologna, was publishing annual prognostications of eclipses, conjunctions, and other celestial phenomena. Against this background of traditional astronomy in Italy, two Florentines recorded observations of the sun and moon, comets, and meteorology. Paolo dal Pozzi Toscanelli flourished in the first half of the 15th century and Leonardo da Vinci in the last half. Their observations of celestial phenomena were not primarily for astronomical purposes; they were spinoffs of other pursuits such as medicine, astrology, optics, engineering, and studies of light and shadow. As a physician and cartographer, Toscanelli practiced astrology, studied omens, observed comets and plotted their paths on homemade maps. He also was associated with the construction of a gnomon at the top of the Duomo to observe the summer solstice. It was this project that may have brought him into contact with the young artisan, Leonardo da Vinci. As a painter, Leonardo's approach to science and engineering was to observe, sketch and analyze. His interest in light and shadow led him to notice how the earth, moon and planets all reflect sunlight. His extant manuscripts have geometric sketches for eclipses and for the phenomenon known as "old moon in new moon's arms." Unfortunately, because neither Toscanelli nor Leonardo published their observations, they made no impact on the history of astronomical thought or observation. Their contemporaries did not know or write about their work. Astronomers in the 16th century did not know about

Bird's eye view of black holes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simien, Clayton

1998-03-01

Black hole theory can be quite complex, and from a mathematical point of view very abstract. However, from a bird's perspective its concepts and theories can be easily understood with the aid of a few fundamental ideas of physics. Black holes are just massive dead stars whose very existence originates from the ideas of the great mathematician and scientific pioneer, Pierre Laplace. These astrological wonders of the universe are currently governed by Einstein's General Theory of Relativity. It must be understood that the laws of the universe in accord with the black hole are only valid to its surface known as the horizon . After the horizon, the laws of physics are no longer valid. Consequently, science is replaced with imaginative ideas that are meaningfully probable through hypothetical assumptions.

Stress and temperature distributions of individual particles in a shock wave propagating through dry and wet sand mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumaker, Merit G.; Kennedy, Gregory; Thadhani, Naresh; Hankin, Markos; Stewart, Sarah T.; Borg, John P.

2017-01-01

Determining stress and temperature distributions of dynamically compacted particles is of interest to the geophysical and astrological research communities. However, the researcher cannot easily observe particle interactions during a planar shock experiment. By using mesoscale simulations, we can unravel granular particle interactions. Unlike homogenous materials, the averaged Hugoniot state for heterogeneous granular materials differs from the individual stress and temperature states of particles during a shock event. From planar shock experiments for dry and water-saturated Oklahoma sand, we constructed simulations using Sandia National Laboratory code known as CTH and then compared these simulated results to the experimental results. This document compares and presents stress and temperature distributions from simulations, with a discussion on the difference between Hugoniot measurements and distribution peaks for dry and water-saturated sand.

The five elements and Chinese-American mortality.

PubMed

Smith, Gary

2006-01-01

D. P. Phillips, T. E. Ruth, and L. M. Wagner (1993) reported that 1969-1990 California mortality data show that Chinese Americans are particularly vulnerable to diseases that Chinese astrology and traditional Chinese medicine associate with their birth years. For example, because fire is associated with the heart, a Chinese person born in a fire year (such as 1937) is more likely to die of heart disease than is a Chinese person born in a nonfire year. However, many diseases were excluded from this study, some diseases that were included have ambiguous links to birth years, and the statistical tests were indirect. A more complete statistical analysis and independent California mortality data for the years 1960-1968 and 1991-2002 did not replicate the original results. Copyright 2006 APA, all rights reserved.

Imhotep and the Discovery of Cerebrospinal Fluid

PubMed Central

Blomstedt, Patric

2014-01-01

Herbowski (2013) suggested recently the Egyptian Imhotep from the 3rd dynasty in Egypt to be the discoverer of cerebrospinal fluid. There are, however, no sources within the first 2000 years after Imhotep suggesting him to be in any way connected with the field of medicine. Over the course of three millennia Imhotep evolves into the sage who besides architecture also masters the arts of medicine, magic, astronomy, and astrology, at the same time as him being transformed from man to demi-God, and finally to a God. The identification of Imhotep as a doctor has thus little to do with facts and it is unlikely that he had anything to do with the Edwin-Smith papyrus from a much later period where CSF is first mentioned. PMID:24744920

Stars and Flowers, Flowers and Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Minti, Hari

2012-12-01

The author, a graduated from the Bucharest University (1964), actually living and working in Israel, concerns his book to variable stars and flowers, two domains of his interest. The analogies includes double stars, eclipsing double stars, eclipses, Big Bang. The book contains 34 chapters, each of which concerns various relations between astronomy and other sciences and pseudosciences such as Psychology, Religion, Geology, Computers and Astrology (to which the author is not an adherent). A special part of the book is dedicated to archeoastronomy and ethnoastronomy, as well as to history of astronomy. Between the main points of interest of these parts: ancient sanctuaries in Sarmizegetusa (Dacia), Stone Henge(UK) and other. The last chapter of the book is dedicated to flowers. The book is richly illustrated. It is designed for a wide circle of readers.

Alexandria, An emporium in the Silk Road, and the Traffic of Unusual Medicines.

PubMed

Rosso, Ana Maria

2016-12-01

In Ancient times, an active trade of exotic and peculiar drugs tool place along the Silk Road. Coming through China, India, Central Asia, Armenia, including Colchis, Arabia, Nubia as far as Greece and Rome, it was centered during Ptolemaic and Roman times in Alexandria, the world Emporium, remarkably advanced in scientific medicine. Physicians required a variety of active ingredients for their pharmacotherapy, following various related branches of medicine. These included: 1) herbal remedies: including toxic plants 2) polypharmacy: missing together all kind of drugs 3) dreckapotheke or copropharmacy, employing unclean materials 4) organic therapy, using exotic or domestic animal products 5) aromatherapy, lined to essential oils and perfumes 6) 'medical astrology and botany', regarding the laws of sympathy in the natural world 7) alchemy and magic medicine: with occult knowledge

[The celestial phenomena in A. Dürer's engraving Melancholia I].

PubMed

Weitzel, Hans

2009-01-01

The celestial body of Dürer's engraving Melencolia I is connected with his painting of a meteor, the Raveningham-painting; it is shown that the origin of this painting owns to the impact of the meteor of Ensisheim in 1492. Until now the celestial body, the balance, and the magic square are nearly consistently interpreted as the planet Saturn, the zodiac sign Libra, and the planet Jupiter, and the melancholy woman is subject to these heavenly bodies. Consequently, neoplatonic astrology has been the main focus of the engraving; including the rainbow, the engraving has also been interpreted biblically. The present paper, however, places emphasis on problems of the geometry as the reason of melancholy. Any astronomical meaning of the configuration of the numbers of the magic square is discarded.

Attitudes and Views of Medical Students toward Science and Pseudoscience.

PubMed

Peña, Adolfo; Paco, Ofelia

2004-12-01

To know opinions, attitudes and interest of medical students toward science and pseudoscience. A questionnaire was administered to 124 medical students of the San Marcos University in Lima, Peru. 173 students were surveyed. The response rate was 72%. Eighty-three percent (100/121) of respondents said that science is the best source of knowledge, 67% (82/123) said they were interested in science and technology news, 76% said they had not read any science magazine or book (other than medical texts and journals) in the last five years. Thirteen percent (16/124) of respondents said that astrology is "very scientific" and 40% (50/124) stated that it is "sort of scientific." 50% of respondents shared the opinion that some people possess psychic powers. Medical students' attitudes toward science are generally not favorable.

Otoman encounters with European science: sixtienth and seventeenth-century translations into turkish

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gunegrun, Feza

The article concerns the traslation of medical and geographical texts from Arabic, Persian and European languages during Middle Age. The following astonomical texts are mentioned: a)Si fasl der marifet-i takvim (The thirty Chapters of Calendar Making) b)Er- Risaletu'l-fethiyye fi'l- hey'e (Astronomical treatise glorifying the Triump) by Ali Qushji, translated bySeydi Ali Reis c)The European astronomical Tables by Nathalis Durret (1590-1650)translated by Tezkireci Kose Ibrahim (1635-1663) d)Secenel-al-aflak fi gayet al idrak (Mirror of the Heavens and the Summit of Perception)translated by Tezkireci Kose Ibrahim Effendi. It is noted, that Ottoman astrologers and timekeepers used the tables by Ulug Beg till the mid- eighteenth century. e) The astronomical tables by Alexis Clairot (1713-165) were translated by Helifezade Cinari Ismail Effendi.

[Paracelsianism, astrology and medical ethics in the polemical writings of Tommaso Bovio (1521-1609)].

PubMed

Bondio, Mariacarla Gadebusch

2004-01-01

Tommaso Bovio was a representative of North Italian non-academic medicine in the early modern period. His "dialogues", published in the second half of the 16th century, were written in the Italian vernacular and enjoyed a certain popularity also in Germany. Although Bovio used to exaggerate for rhetorical effect, his portrayal of patients, illness and treatments provides interesting insights into everyday urban life in his time. Sympathising with Paracelsus, Bovio propagated an image of empirics as humanitarians and fought for the recognition of his own practical knowledge and skills. Bovio was a most original figure in the medicine of the period of counter reformation. His writings exemplify the lively debate between the learned medical tradition and unorthodox reform.

Stress and Temperature Distributions of Individual Particles in a Shock Wave Propagating through Dry and Wet Sand Mixtures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schumaker, Merit; Stewart, Sarah T.; Borg, John P.

2015-06-01

Determining stress and temperature distributions of dynamically compacted particles is of interest to the geophysical and astrological research communities. However, these particle interactions during a shock event are not easily observed in planar shock experiments; it is with the utilization of mesoscale simulations that these granular particle interactions can be unraveled. Unlike homogenous materials, the overall averaged hugoniot state for heterogeneous granular materials differs from the individual stress and temperature states of particles during a shock event. From planar shock experiments on dry and wet sand mixtures, simulations were constructed using CTH. A baseline dry sand simulation was also setup to be compared to sand grains that possessed water particles between grains. It is from these simulations that the distributions of stress and temperatures for individual sand and water particles are presented and compared in this document.

N18, powder metallurgy superalloy for disks: Development and applications

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guedou, J.Y.; Lautridou, J.C.; Honnorat, Y.

1993-08-01

The preliminary industrial development of a powder metallurgy (PM) superalloy, designated N18, for disk applications has been completed. This alloy exhibits good overall mechanical properties after appropriate processing of the material. These properties have been measured on both isothermally forged and extruded billets, as well as on specimens cut from actual parts. The temperature capability of the alloy is about 700 C for long-term applications and approximately 750 C for short-term use because of microstructural instability. Further improvements in creep and crack propagation properties, without significant reduction in tensile strength, are possible through appropriate thermomechanical processing, which results in amore » large controlled grain size. Spin pit tests on subscale disks have confirmed that the N18 alloy has a higher resistance than PM Astrology and is therefore an excellent alloy for modern turbine disk applications.« less

A Course in Science and Pseudoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Richard

2009-04-01

A new course at Hockaday, Science and Pseudoscience, examines what we know, how we know it, and why we get fooled so often and so easily. This is a course in which we measure things we thought we understood and use statistical analysis to test our understanding. We investigate extraordinary claims through the methods of science, asking what makes a good scientific theory, and what makes scientific evidence. We examine urban myths, legends, bad science, medical quackery, and plain old hoaxes. We analyze claims of UFOs, cold fusion, astrology, structure-altered water, apricot pit cures, phlogiston and N-rays, phrenology and orgonomy, ghosts, telekinesis, crop circles and the Bermuda Triangle -- some may be true, some are plainly false, and some we're not really sure of. We develop equipment and scientific techniques to investigate extra-sensory perception, precognition, and EM disturbances.

Cosmic Perspectives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, S. K.; Mallik, D. C. V.; Vishveshwara, C. V.

2008-07-01

1. Astronomy in ancient and medieval China Joseph Needham; 2. Indian astronomy: an historical perspective B. V. Subbarayappa; 3. Making of astronomy in ancient India Debiprasad Chattopadhyaya; 4. The impact of astronomy on the development of western science Jean-Claude Pecker; 5. Man and the Universe Hubert Reeves; 6. Understanding the Universe - challenges and directions in modern observational astronomy Harlan Smith, Jr: 7. Frontiers in cosmology Fred Hoyle; 8. Did the Universe originate in a big bang? Jayant Narlikar; 9. The dark matter problem Bernard Carr; 10. Geometry and the Universe C. V. Vishveshwara; 11. The origin and evolution of life Cyril Ponnamperuma; 12. The anthropic principle: self selection as an adjunct to natural selection Brandon Carter; 13. Astrology and science: an examination of the evidence Ivan Kelly, Roger Culver and Peter Loptson; 14. Astronomy and science fiction Allen Janis.

"The Sky's Things", |xam Bushman 'Astrological Mythology' as recorded in the Bleek and Lloyd Manuscripts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hollman, J. C.

2007-07-01

The Bleek and Lloyd Manuscripts are an extraordinary resource that comprises some 12 000 pages of |xam Bushman beliefs collected in the 1870s in Cape Town, South Africa. About 17% of the collection concerns beliefs and observations of celestial bodies. This paper summarises |xam knowledge about the origins of the celestial bodies as recorded in the manuscripts and situates this within the larger context of the |xam worldview. The stars and planets originate from a mythological past in which they lived as 'people' who hunted and gathered as the |xam did in the past, but who also had characteristics that were to make them the entities that we recognise today. Certain astronomical bodies have consciousness and supernatural potency. They exert an influence over people's everyday lives.

The Gaugamela Battle Eclipse: An Archaeoastronomical Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Polcaro, V. F.; Valsecchi, G. B.; Verderame, L.

A total lunar eclipse occurred during the night preceding the decisive Battle of Gaugamela (20th September 331 BCE), when the Macedonian army, led by Alexander the Great, finally defeated the Persian king Darius and his army. This astronomical event, well known to historians, had a relevant role on the battle outcome. The eclipse was described in detail by Babylonian astronomers, though, unfortunately, the text of their report has only partially been preserved. We have reconstructed the evolution of the phenomenon as it appeared to the observer in Babylonia, by using the positional astronomy code "Planetario V2.0". On the base of this reconstruction we suggest a number of integrations to the lost part of the text, allowing a finer astrological interpretation of the eclipse and of its influence on the mood of the armies that set against each other on the following morning.

Bashing Pseudoscience in Academia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hameed, S.; Robinson, G. M.; Moulton, J.

2003-12-01

Belief in paranormal, supernatural and other new-age claims is increasing according to surveys by the NSF and others. Astronomy-related pseudo-scientific beliefs are especially common. For example, more than thirty percent of Americans consider astrology to be scientific and more than one-third believe that extraterrestrial beings have visited earth at some time in the past. Not only do such beliefs ignore sound reasoning and information but they compete as alternative explanations for the world around us. While a general education might be expected to reduce acceptance of unsound beliefs, the level of such belief is surprisingly high among those with a higher education. An astronomer, a philosopher and a psychologist cooperated in developing a brief college course designed to challenge unsound reasoning and information, and to inoculate the participants with skepticism. Pre- and post-course opinion surveys show significant changes in belief.

[The prescription as literature].

PubMed

Telle, Joachim

2003-12-01

In the medical writings of antiquity the recipe, a basic form of scientific writing, was considered a literary genre with conventions of its own. In texttype-linguistics, however, the recipe plays only a minor role; in studies on the history of literary short texts it is hardly ever mentioned and, furthermore, it has come to the conclusion that the recipe's function has lain solely in the curing of the sick. The present study focuses on its multifunctional character. A collection of widely scattered and hardly accessible recipes shows that the recipe adopted functions beyond giving technical directives. Its multifunctionality in the German literature of early modern times is manifest in medical and cooking jocular recipes, cooking recipes in minnesang, mock recipes aimed at physicians and astrologers, recipes of spiritual-religious content, recipes containing art and literary criticism as well as recipes in a moral-satirical or a political-agitative vein.

Prefazione al numero 6 di GERBERTVS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sigismondi, Costantino

2014-05-01

The volume 6 of GERBERTVS is dedicated to the Astronomy in the Gospels dealing with the Star of Bethlehem and Mira and on the Good Friday events related to Astronomy, say the eclipses of Sun and Moon, and the liturgical onset of Saturday in Jewish tradition. A paper on the Easter calculus complete the role of astronomy in the New Testament and in the history of Catholic Church. The common denominator of these papers can be considered the observation of celestial bodies at naked eye, with a timing accuration of one second. Unlike astrological and historical approaches, do not consider primary the observation of the sky and the interest for stellar variability before the telescope's era, this set of papers invite to check the phenomena presented going also beyond the possible theological and biblical implications. The 14 pointed silver star on the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem is also presented.

Geometry of the Mesopotamian "ecliptic"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kurtik, G. E.

2018-02-01

The article deals with the history of ecliptic as an element of the mathematical astronomy in Ancient Mesopotamia. It contains data from the cuneiform sources of the 2nd - 1st millennia BC and from the modern studies shedding light on the following three questions: 1) the idea of the celestial sphere in Mesopotamian astronomy; 2) the geometric representations associated with the ecliptic; 3) the positions of the ecliptic relative to the fixed stars and to the Sun. It is shown that although we do not have solid evidences, however, there are serious reasons to believe that in the Seleucid period in the mathematical astronomy and astrology the ecliptic was conceived geometrically as a circle divided into 12 equal parts. It is also shown that in this period the ecliptic was not yet identified with the projection of annual path of the Sun to the celestial sphere.

The inspiration of astronomical phenomena (INSAP). Proceedings. Conference, Rocca di Papa (Italy), 27 Jun - 2 Jul 1994.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

The papers concern the inspiration provided by astronomy to the fields of art, philosophy, religion and various human cultures. Individual papers cover the following topics: the Qur'anic conception of astronomical phenomena on Islamic civilization, the Milky Way and society, the mythology and ritual of India, the Varanasi Sun temples, celestial bodies meanings in pre-Hispanic Mexico, the celestial basis of civilization, Mexican eclipse imagery, Chinese dynastic ideology - astrological origins, NW Europe stone rows, stars and seasons in southern Africa, the Pleiades and Hesperides, stars and philosophy, the search for extraterrestrial life, the significance of the pre-Copernican revolution, Judaeo-Christian revelation, Maria Magdalena - the Morning Star, Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, stellar poetry, John Bauer's star-spangled fairy-tale world, Polish romantic poetry, the expansion of astronomical horizons, recent comet research and ancient sky implications, civilization Spenglerian model and punctuational crises, Anaxagoras and the scientist/laity interaction.

Practical Divinity and Medical Ethics: Lawful versus Unlawful Medicine in the Writings of William Perkins (1558–1602)

PubMed Central

Gevitz, Norman

2013-01-01

This article examines for the first time the theologically based medical ethics of the late sixteenth-century English Calvinist minister William Perkins. Although Perkins did not write a single focused book on the subject of medical ethics, he addressed a variety of moral issues in medicine in his numerous treatises on how laypeople should conduct themselves in their vocations and in all aspects of their daily lives. Perkins wrote on familiar issues such as the qualities of a good physician, the conduct of sick persons, the role of the minister in healing, and obligations in time of pestilence. His most significant contribution was his distinction between “lawful” and “unlawful” medicine, the latter category including both medical astrology and magic. Perkins's works reached a far greater audience in England and especially New England than did the treatises of contemporary secular medical ethics authors and his writings were influential in guiding the moral thinking of many pious medical practitioners and laypersons. PMID:22235029

Daniel Sennert, The Philosophical Hen, and The Epistolary Quest for a (Nearly-) Universal Medicine.

PubMed

Klein, Joel A

2015-02-01

This article explores the Wittenberg Professor Daniel Sennert's (1572-1637) pursuit of nearly universal medicines made from noble metals, which he described in his published works and in private correspondence with his brother-in-law, Michael Döring. Of the medicaments that Sennert sought, one called the Philosophical Hen was especially interesting, and involved feeding a hen silver or gold during propitious astrological conjunctions. Sennert's support of this experiment was rooted in his obsession with experience and can be partially explained by looking to an extensive tradition of natural philosophy and natural history. Sennert explained such nearly universal medicines according to the rational principles of academic medicine, arguing that they strengthened the body's innate heat or acted as universal purgatives. From Sennert's candid epistles, we receive a more historicised portrait of the collaborative experimental process by which chymical medicines were conceptualised and tested, and how the consequences of experimental failure and perceived credulity could be increased scepticism.

Galilei's astronomical discoveries using the telescope and their evaluation found in a writing-calendar from 1611

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herbst, K.-D.

2009-06-01

Yearly calendars were a mass-produced article in early modern times and had an enormous importance in everyday life. Besides a first part, the Calendarium with the monthly tables, they contain a second part, the astrological Prognosticum. At first, the two parts were sold separately. In the second half of the 17th century, the parts were designed as a unity and sold together. The calendars in quart format contain texts which are so interesting that historical research should give them more consideration. Such a text is found, e.g., in the second part of the calendar for 1611, written by Paul Nagel, astronomer and rector of the school in Torgau. Nagel informs about Galilei's discoveries with the telescope. The (Latin) text was written in August 1610. This text is presented and put into perspective in the scientific debates of the time about the telescope as a new invention with consequences to philosophy.

The Antikythera Mechanism IIQ is it Posidonius' Orrery?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Freeth, T.

The structure functions of the ancient Greek astronomical calculator known as the Antikythera mechanism, are still hotly debated. A remarkable quote from Civero, exactly contemporary with the mechanism, describes an orrery made by Posidonius, which shows the "...motions of the sun, the moon and the five planets...". In Edmunds and Morgan 2000, it is persuasively argued that the device might have been primarily astrological and therefore likely to a Theory of Planetary mechanisms - possible designs are also described. Building on this work, a Theory of Planetary Mechanisms is developed which links their gear ratios with the "period relations" in the Babylonian Astronomical Diaries. Several possible designs for these mechanisms are also explored. It is often argued that there is insufficient space for all five planets in the Antikythera Mechanism, but it is shown here that they can fit in the case, using the same basic design - it could in fact be Posidonius' Orrery.

The Books of Chilam Balam: astronomical content and the Paris Codex.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paxton, M.

Written predominantly in the Maya language but almost entirely in European script, the Books of Chilam Balam are post-Conquest counterparts of pre-Columbian hieroglyphic codices. Not all of the texts have been fully analyzed. The Books of Chilam Balam is historical celendrical, astrological, prophetic, medical, and religious, these works offer promise of broad information on pre-Hispanic Maya practices. In reviewing the astronomical content of the sections of the Books of Chilam Balam identified in the Miram study as generally pre-Columbian in origin, it is evident that some passages contain complex metaphors. Thus it is possible to gain some understanding of the celestial concepts of the ancient Maya from the poetic and esoteric accounts. However, as much of this information may pass unnoticed by non-Mayans, the clearest insights concerning pre-Columbian Maya astronomy come from the sections of the Books of Chilam Balam that are more computational in nature.

Kepler's theory of force and his medical sources.

PubMed

Regier, Jonathan

2014-01-01

Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) makes extensive use of souls and spiritus in his natural philosophy. Recent studies have highlighted their importance in his accounts of celestial generation and astrology. In this study, I would like to address two pressing issues. The first is Kepler's context. The biological side of his natural philosophy is not naively Aristotelian. Instead, he is up to date with contemporary discussions in medically flavored natural philosophy. I will examine his relationship to Melanchthon's anatomical-theological Liber de anima (1552) and to Jean Femel's very popular Physiologia (1567), two Galenic sources with a noticeable impact on how he understands the functions of life. The other issue that will direct my article is force at a distance. Medical ideas deeply inform Kepler's theories of light and solar force (virtus motrix). It will become clear that they are not a hindrance even to the hardcore of his celestial physics. Instead, he makes use of soul and spiritus in order to develop a fully mathematized dynamics.

National Calendar-2009

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghedrovici, Vera; Svet, Maria; Matvei, Valeria; Perju, Elena; Sargun, Maria; Netida, Maria

2009-10-01

The calendar represents a few hundreds of biographies of scientists, artists and writers from everywhere, printed in chronological order and adjusted to their birthdays. A number of international and national holydays, including some refering to science are included in the Calendar. A great deffect of the Calendar is the introduction in the list of holydays of the "international day of astrology". Another defect is the absence of the indication of the membership to Communist Parties for persons cited from the former USSR and former Communist Countries. The following physicists, astronomers and mathematicians had biographies in the actual issue: Kon, Lia Z., Arnautov, Vladimir I. (math), Tsukerblat, B., Kapitza, P., Donici (Donitch), N.N., Sklodowska-Curie, Maria, da Vinci, Leonardo, Birkhof, George David, Galilei, Galileo, Pisarzhveskij, Lev (chemist), Mossbauer, Rudolf Ludwig, Clochisner (Klokishner), Sofia I., Miscoi (Mishkoy), Gh. (Math), Mendel, Gregor Lohan (genet.), Glavan, Vasile (math), Chetrus (Ketrush), P. (chem), Bostan, Ion (mech. eng.), Boltzmann, Ludwig Ed.

Practical divinity and medical ethics: lawful versus unlawful medicine in the writings of William Perkins (1558-1602).

PubMed

Gevitz, Norman

2013-04-01

This article examines for the first time the theologically based medical ethics of the late sixteenth-century English Calvinist minister William Perkins. Although Perkins did not write a single focused book on the subject of medical ethics, he addressed a variety of moral issues in medicine in his numerous treatises on how laypeople should conduct themselves in their vocations and in all aspects of their daily lives. Perkins wrote on familiar issues such as the qualities of a good physician, the conduct of sick persons, the role of the minister in healing, and obligations in time of pestilence. His most significant contribution was his distinction between "lawful" and "unlawful" medicine, the latter category including both medical astrology and magic. Perkins's works reached a far greater audience in England and especially New England than did the treatises of contemporary secular medical ethics authors and his writings were influential in guiding the moral thinking of many pious medical practitioners and laypersons.

Michael Maier--nine newly discovered letters.

PubMed

Lenke, Nils; Roudet, Nicolas; Tilton, Hereward

2014-02-01

The authors provide a transcription, translation, and evaluation of nine newly discovered letters from the alchemist Michael Maier (1568-1622) to Gebhardt Johann von Alvensleben (1576-1631), a noble landholder in the vicinity of Magdeburg. Stemming from the final year of his life, this correspondence casts new light on Maier's biography, detailing his efforts to secure patronage amid the financial crisis of the early Thirty Years' War. While his ill-fated quest to perfect potable gold continued to form the central focus of his patronage suits, Maier also offered his services in several arts that he had condemned in his printed works, namely astrology and "supernatural" magic. Remarks concerning his previously unknown acquaintance with Heinrich Khunrath call for a re-evaluation of Maier's negotiation of the discursive boundaries between Lutheran orthodoxy and Paracelsianism. The letters also reveal Maier's substantial contribution to a work previously ascribed solely to the English alchemist Francis Anthony.

The cold reading technique.

PubMed

Dutton, D L

1988-04-15

For many people, belief in the paranormal derives from personal experience of face-to-face interviews with astrologers, palm readers, aura and Tarot readers, and spirit mediums. These encounters typically involve cold reading, a process in which a reader makes calculated guesses about a client's background and problems and, depending on the reaction, elaborates a reading which seems to the client so uniquely appropriate that it carries with it the illusion of having been produced by paranormal means. The cold reading process is shown to depend initially on the Barnum effect, the tendency for people to embrace generalized personality descriptions as idiosyncratically their own. Psychological research into the Barnum effect is critically reviewed, and uses of the effect by a professional magician are described. This is followed by detailed analysis of the cold reading performances of a spirit medium. Future research should investigate the degree to which cold readers may have convinced themselves that they actually possess psychic or paranormal abilities.

[Thomas Fincke and trigonometry].

PubMed

Schönbeck, Jürgen

2004-01-01

Thomas Fincke (January 6th, 1561 - April 24th, 1650), born in Flensburg (Germany), was one of the very most important and significant scientists in Denmark during the seventeenth century, a mathematician and astrologer and physician in the beginning of modern science, a representative of humanism and an influentual academic organizer. He studied in Strasbourg (since 1577) and Padua (since 1583) and received his M.D. in Basel (1587), he practised as a physician throughtout his life (since 1587 or 1590) and became a professor at Copenhagen (1591). But he was best known because of his Geometriae rotundi libri XIIII (1583), a famous book on plane and spherical trigonometry, based not on Euclid but on Petrus Ramus. In this influentual work, in which Fincke introduced the terms tangent and secant and probable first noticed the Law of Tangents and the so-called Newton-Oppel-Mauduit-Simpson-Mollweide-Gauss-formula, he showed himself to be ,,abreast of the mathematics of his time".

Genetic aspects of population policy.

PubMed

Morton, N E

1999-08-01

Every science begins in folklore and matures as it reacts against dogma and myth. Astronomy developed in the Neolithic, but it did not outgrow astrology until the sixteenth century. Chemistry discarded alchemy at about the same time. On the contrary, the short history of genetics has been concurrent with the pseudo-science of eugenics, which, at times, has been widely accepted and incorporated in population policy and directive genetic counselling, with rare opposition by geneticists. Societal pressures are likely to increase with the power of genetic technology, the fear it generates and the perception that population growth threatens human welfare. Without a pertinent ethical code, geneticists are vulnerable to both temptation and opprobrium. The intrusion of eugenics into genetic counselling has been a recent source of concern to societies and congresses of genetics. This review traces the causes of this concern and the manner of its expression in the absence of an international voice for genetics that could address ethical and other common interests.

A Study on the Establishment of Pochonka and Chonmun yucho in the Early Choson Dynasty

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Sang-Hyeon

2009-12-01

We investigated the formation of Pochonka (Song of the Sky Pacers) and Chonmun yucho (Selected and classified writings on astrology) of the early Choson dynasty. We recognized that the songs in these books were deeply influenced by those in a Chinese book Tong-zhi published in 1161 A.D., based on the following facts; the contents of both treatises are described in the same order; the first phrase of the song for Thai-wei-yuan has composed of five words rather than seven words; in particular, Choson's Pochonka has the song that describes the position of the Milky Way relative to asterisms, which was supplemented by the author Zheng Qiao. Since Tong-zhi were brought into Koryo in 1364 A.D., Choson's Pochonka must be formed after that time. In particular, compared with Chinese Pu-tien-ko, Choson's Pochonka stresses the colors of asterisms in order to represent the origin of each asterism with respect to the astronomers, Shih-shen, Kan-te, and Wu-Hsien. We also find that the star-charts in Pochonka and Chonsang-yolcha-punyajido (Chart of the asterisms and the regions they govern) published in the early Choson dynasty are significantly similar in names, number of stars, and shapes of asterisms in them. This fact means that the star-charts in Pochonka originated from either the parent chart of Chonsang-yolcha-punyajido or Chonsang-yolcha-punyajido itself. The parent rubbing was reappeared in 1392 A.D. and carved on stele in 1396 A.D., and so the publication of Pochonka can be dated back to A.D. 1392. Chonmun yucho is a book that was formed by footnoting Pochonka with astrological descriptions in Chinese treatises. The formation period of Chonmun yucho is estimated to be 1440-1450 A.D. from the facts such as the biographical survey of the author Yi Sunji. Furthermore, Pochonka was adopted as a textbook of the government service examination for the astronomy division in Soungwan or the Royal Bureau of Astronomy in 1430 A.D.. We inferred from these facts that Choson

Factors influencing medical informatics examination grade--can biorhythm, astrological sign, seasonal aspect, or bad statistics predict outcome?

PubMed

Petrovecki, Mladen; Rahelić, Dario; Bilić-Zulle, Lidija; Jelec, Vjekoslav

2003-02-01

To investigate whether and to what extent various parameters, such as individual characteristics, computer habits, situational factors, and pseudoscientific variables, influence Medical Informatics examination grade, and how inadequate statistical analysis can lead to wrong conclusions. The study included a total of 382 second-year undergraduate students at the Rijeka University School of Medicine in the period from 1996/97 to 2000/01 academic year. After passing the Medical Informatics exam, students filled out an anonymous questionnaire about their attitude toward learning medical informatics. They were asked to grade the course organization and curriculum content, and provide their date of birth; sex; study year; high school grades; Medical Informatics examination grade, type, and term; and describe their computer habits. From these data, we determined their zodiac signs and biorhythm. Data were compared by the use of t-test, one-way ANOVA with Tukey's honest significance difference test, and randomized complete block design ANOVA. Out of 21 variables analyzed, only 10 correlated with the average grade. Students taking Medical Informatics examination in the 1998/99 academic year earned lower average grade than any other generation. Significantly higher Medical Informatics exam grade was earned by students who finished a grammar high school; owned and regularly used a computer, Internet, and e-mail (p< or =0.002 for all items); passed an oral exam without taking a written test (p=0.004), or did not repeat the exam (p<0.001). Better high-school students and students with better grades from high-school informatics course also scored significantly better (p=0.032 and p<0.001, respectively). Grade in high-school mathematics, student's sex, and time of year when the examination was taken were not related to the grade, and neither were pseudoscientific parameters, such as student zodiac sign, zodiac sign quality, or biorhythm cycles, except when intentionally inadequate statistics was used for data analysis. Medical Informatics examination grades correlated with general learning capacity and computer habits of students, but showed no relation to other investigated parameters, such as examination term or pseudoscientific parameters. Inadequate statistical analysis can always confirm false conclusions.

Ahmad al-Damanhūrī (1689-1778) and the utility of expertise in early modern Ottoman Egypt.

PubMed

Murphy, Jane H

2010-01-01

Eighteenth-century Arabic manuscripts in the "uncommon sciences"--a range of mathematical, astronomical, astrological, medical, and divinatory practices-number in the thousands. In light of the economic and social upheaval over the eighteenth century this sustained production must be understood from perspectives of both intellectual and social history. Ahmad al-Damanhūrī's writings and his rise from rural orphan to head of al-Azhar Mosque suggest the role and value of expertise in the uncommon sciences, particularly as these fields brought religious scholars and ruling military elites into close relations. Precisely because the uncommon sciences bridged these two social classes, this expertise was important for individuals' social and intellectual formation. Recognizing the significance of the uncommon sciences for the history of this period offers a new reading of the work of the chronicler 'Abd al-Rahmān al-Jabartī, who used language and exemplars from the uncommon sciences to reflect on the proper and just relationship between expertise (embodied by the religious scholarly class) and the emerging state.

Low cycle fatigue of PM/HIP astroloy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Choe, S.J.; Stoloff, N.S.; Duquette, D.J.

Low cycle fatigue and creep-fatigue-environment interactions of PM/HIP Astrology were studied at 650 C and 725 C. Total strain range was varied from 1.5% to 2.7% at a frequency of 0.3Hz. Creep-fatigue tests were performed with 2 min. or 5 min. tensile hold times. All tests were run in high purity argon in an attempt to minimize environmental effects. Employing a tensile hold was more damaging than raising temperature by 75 C. Slopes of Coffin-Manson plots were nearly independent of temperature and hold time. Raising temperature from 650 C to 725 C did not change the transgranular (TG) crack propagationmore » mode, whereas employing hold times caused TG+IG propagation. All samples displayed multiple fracture origins associated with inclusions located at the specimen surface; pre-existing pores did not affect fatigue crack initiation. Examination of secondary cracks showed no apparent creep damage. Oxidation in high purity argon appeared to be the major factor in LCF life degradation due to hold times.« less

New ways of believing or belonging: is religion giving way to spirituality?

PubMed

Glendinning, Tony; Bruce, Steve

2006-09-01

In this article, the presence of alternative spirituality and practices within the general culture and their relationship to institutional religion are examined using national survey data collected as part of the 2001 Scottish Social Attitudes Survey. Alternative practices are found to divide into two groups of interests: concerns with personal well-being and interest in divination. Better-educated women are much more likely to engage with holistic practices associated with well-being; a minority of younger, less well-educated women are more likely to have found horoscopes, astrology, fortune-telling and tarot 'important in their lives'. Churchgoers find divination antithetical to religion while the use and salience of a range of holistic practices is as acceptable among churchgoers as it is among non-attenders and the secular (once allowance has been made for the connections between putatively alternative practices, gender, age and education). This underscores a focus on personal well-being rather than alternative spirituality in the consumption of holistic products and practices within the general culture. The study findings are used to assess claims for a spiritual revolution in modern Britain.

Cognition and belief in paranormal phenomena: gestalt/feature-intensive processing theory and tendencies toward ADHD, depression, and dissociation.

PubMed

Sharps, Matthew J; Matthews, Justin; Asten, Janet

2006-11-01

Belief in paranormal phenomena and cryptids--unknown animals such as Bigfoot--may predispose individuals to interpret real-world objects and events in the same way that eyewitness identification can be biased by unrelated information (P. James and N. Thorpe, 1999). Psychological tendencies toward attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dissociation, and depression, even at subclinical levels, may be associated systematically with particular paranormal or cryptozoological beliefs. The authors evaluated these psychological tendencies using the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scales (C. K. Conners, D. Erhardt, and E. Sparrow, 1999), the Dissociative Experiences Scale (L. Coleman & J. Clark, 1999), and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (A. T. Beck, 1996). They performed regression analyses against beliefs in ghosts, unidentified flying objects (UFOs), extrasensory perception (ESP), astrology, and cryptids. ADHD, dissociation, and depression were associated with enhanced tendencies toward paranormal and cryptozoological beliefs, although participants who believed in each of the phenomena differed from one another in predictable and psychologically distinguishable ways. Cognitively biasing influences of preexisting psychological tendencies may predispose individuals to specific perceptual and cognitive errors during confrontation of real-world phenomena.

Free will and paranormal beliefs

PubMed Central

Mogi, Ken

2014-01-01

Free will is one of the fundamental aspects of human cognition. In the context of cognitive neuroscience, various experiments on time perception, sensorimotor coordination, and agency suggest the possibility that it is a robust illusion (a feeling independent of actual causal relationship with actions) constructed by neural mechanisms. Humans are known to suffer from various cognitive biases and failures, and the sense of free will might be one of them. Here I report a positive correlation between the belief in free will and paranormal beliefs (UFO, reincarnation, astrology, and psi). Web questionnaires involving 2076 subjects (978 males, 1087 females, and 11 other genders) were conducted, which revealed significant positive correlations between belief in free will (theory and practice) and paranormal beliefs. There was no significant correlation between belief in free will and knowledge in paranormal phenomena. Paranormal belief scores for females were significantly higher than those for males, with corresponding significant (albeit weaker) difference in belief in free will. These results are consistent with the view that free will is an illusion which shares common cognitive elements with paranormal beliefs. PMID:24765084

Free will and paranormal beliefs.

PubMed

Mogi, Ken

2014-01-01

Free will is one of the fundamental aspects of human cognition. In the context of cognitive neuroscience, various experiments on time perception, sensorimotor coordination, and agency suggest the possibility that it is a robust illusion (a feeling independent of actual causal relationship with actions) constructed by neural mechanisms. Humans are known to suffer from various cognitive biases and failures, and the sense of free will might be one of them. Here I report a positive correlation between the belief in free will and paranormal beliefs (UFO, reincarnation, astrology, and psi). Web questionnaires involving 2076 subjects (978 males, 1087 females, and 11 other genders) were conducted, which revealed significant positive correlations between belief in free will (theory and practice) and paranormal beliefs. There was no significant correlation between belief in free will and knowledge in paranormal phenomena. Paranormal belief scores for females were significantly higher than those for males, with corresponding significant (albeit weaker) difference in belief in free will. These results are consistent with the view that free will is an illusion which shares common cognitive elements with paranormal beliefs.

Pseudohistory and Pseudoscience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Allchin, Douglas

The dangers of pseudoscience - parapsychology, astrology, creationism, etc. - are widely criticized. Lessons in the history of science are often viewed as an educational remedy by conveying the nature of science. But such histories can be flawed. In particular, many stories romanticize scientists, inflate the drama of their discoveries, and oversimplify the process of science. They are, literally and rhetorically, myths. While based on real historical events, they distort the basis of scientific authority and foster unwarranted stereotypes. Such stories are pseudohistory. Like pseudoscience, they promote false ideas about science - in this case, about how science works. Paradoxically, perhaps, the history of pseudosciences may offer an excellent vehicle for remedying such impressions. Characteristically, textbooks of science contain just a bit of history, either in an introductory chapter or, more often, in scattered references to the great heroes of an earlier age. From such references both students and professionals come to feel like participants in a long-standing historical tradition. Yet the textbook-derived tradition in which scientists come to sense their participation is one that, in fact, never existed.

Dealing with Astrology, UFOs, and Faces on Other Worlds: A Guide to Addressing Astronomical Pseudoscience in the Classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraknoi, Andrew

Increasing media and student interest in pseudoscience topics such as alien abductions, crop circles, and creationism is forcing astronomy instructors to confront questions for which their graduate training has not prepared them. Yet students have a right to hear a more considered response to their questions in these areas than mere scoffing from those who teach them science. To assist instructors who want to help their students develop better critical thinking skills related to astronomical pseudoscience, a range of ideas and resources is listed in this guide.

Johannes Kepler and the Supernova of 1604

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boner, P. J.

2006-08-01

The brilliant luminary that first appeared in October 1604 was considered by many contemporaries to be a new star of unrivalled magnitude. Shining forth near the historic conjunction of Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, the new star held important implications for several areas of interest, notably astrology, astronomy, chronology and theology. Addressing all of these areas in his comprehensive book, De stella nova (1606), Johannes Kepler (1571-1630) studied the new star extensively under the aegis of Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II (1552-1612) in Prague. The focus of the following presentation is Kepler's theory of the new star's origins in the celestial ether. Describing the heavens poetically as a fertile expanse of "liquid fields", Kepler suggested that the new star sprung from the celestial ether much like the numerous living beings in the sublunary realm which were spontaneously generated from the Earth. As evidence for his claim, Kepler pointed to the conspicuous mathematical patterns similarly observed in earthly and celestial entities. Kepler's efficient cause for this explanation, known as the animate faculty, accounted for both the generation and form of new phenomena in the celestial and terrestrial realms. The new star of 1604 proved to be no exception.

[Late Ming treatises on Chinese and Islamic calendrical systems as seen in the Seki Teisyo].

PubMed

Kobayashi, Hiroyuki

2014-01-01

The Seki Teisyo (see text for symbol), a manuscript compiled by Seki Takakazu (see text for symbol)) in 1686, is known to consist of 15 treatises which Seki extracted from an early Qing astronomical and astrological corpus, the Tianwen Dacheng Guankui Jiyao (see text for symbol). Containing a detailed account of the Shoushi Li (see text for symbol) as well as a comparative study of Chinese and Islamic calendrical systems, these treatises have drawn the attention not only of Seki but of modern historians. In this paper, I show that 14 of the 15 treatises Seki selected had been composed by a late Ming scholar, Zhou Shuxue (see text for symbol), who discussed issues with Tang Shunzhi (see text for symbol). Their time predates the era in which the mathematical basis of the Shoushi Li was scrutinized and a new Chinese calendrical system was invented incorporating Western astronomical knowledge. I also mention some earlier works that Tang and Zhou could have consulted. Although Seki never knew the author of the treatises nor their background, his concern centered on themes that seem to have derived from one of those earlier works: the Liyuan(see text for symbol).

[Possessed! Some historical, psychiatric and curent moments of demonic possession].

PubMed

Høyersten, J G

1996-12-10

Being possessed by demons or evil spirits is one of the oldest ways of explaining bodily and mental disorders. The article briefly mentions some contributions from other disciplines, but considers in particular psychiatry's and medicine's approach throughout history. During the middle ages of Europe possession (and witchcraft) was considered just one out of several causes of mental illness. Astrological theories prevailed, in addition to the humoral theories of medicine. In addition distinctions were made between eccentricity, madness and religious visions and revelations. A large number of the alleged witches and possessed persons who were burned probably had visible mental disturbances. Today's psychiatry does not refer symptoms of possession to any specific category, but usually classifies this as some kind of psychotic disturbance of thought. Exorcism of evil spirits by Jesus Christ is described often in the Gospels. Possession was the only "available" concept for a bundle of neuro-psychiatric disorders: dissociative states, psychoses and epilepsy. To day, the terminology and "diagnostic" principles have been taken over by fundamentalistic groups, who practise exorcism on persons with (probably) minor mental problems and symptoms. The author criticises this activity.

The influence of the Chinese zodiac on fertility in Hong Kong SAR.

PubMed

Yip, Paul S F; Lee, Joseph; Cheung, Y B

2002-11-01

The annual total of births in Hong Kong SAR fell substantially in the past 20 years; hence the total fertility rate (TFR) followed the downward trend and dropped to a low of 0.9 below replacement level in 2000. Despite the long-term downward trend, short-run increases in the annual total of births and the TFR were exhibited. Such temporary fertility increases are identified in the Dragon Years of 1988 and 2000. The phenomenon of fertility changes associated with zodiacal animal years is examined in this paper with a view to gaining some insight into whether Chinese cultural preferences and folklore beliefs might have influenced prospective parents' reproductive behaviour. The paper explains the underlying philosophy of the Chinese astrological tradition and discusses how zodiacal preferences affect fertility between 1976 and 2000. The paper also explores why zodiacal influences on Chinese fertility before 1976 did not exist. It is unquestionable that the Dragon Year preference exerts an influence on fertility of modern Chinese populations through zodiacal birth-timing motivations. Birth rate rise in the Dragon Year is due to changes in timing of births that will have little effect on cumulative fertility.

Astronomical Books and Charts in the Book of Bibliographie Coreenne

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Ki-Won; Yang, Hong-Jin; Park, Myeong-Gu

2008-06-01

We investigate astronomical materials listed in the book of Bibliographie Coréenne written by Maurice Courant. He classified ancient Korean books into nine Divisions (?) and thirty six Classes (?), and published them as three volumes (ranging from 1894 to 1896) and one supplement (in 1901). In total, 3,821 books including astronomical ones are listed together with information on physical size, possessional place, bibliographical note, and so forth. Although this book is an essential one in the field of Korea bibliography and contains many astronomical materials such as Cheon-Mun-Ryu-Cho ????, Si-Heon-Seo ??????, and Cheon-Sang-Yeol-Cha-Bun-Ya-Ji-Do ????????, it has not been well known to the public nor to astronomical society. Of 3,821 catalogues, we found that about 50 Items (?) are related to astronomy or astrology, and verified that most ! of them are located in the Kyujanggak Royal Library ???. We also found an unknown astronomical chart, Hon-Cheon-Chong-Seong-Yeol-Cha-Bun-Ya-Ji-Do ??????????. Because those astronomical materials are not well known to international astronomical community and there have been few studies on the materials in Korea, we here introduce and review them, particularly with the astronomical viewpoint.

Simultaneity, relativity and conventionality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Janis, Allen I.

2008-01-01

The view of simultaneity presented by Max Jammer is almost breathtaking, encompassing, as the book's subtitle suggests, the period from antiquity to the 21st century. Many interesting things are to be found along the way. For example, what Jammer (p. 49) says "may well be regarded as probably the earliest recorded example of an operational definition of distant simultaneity" is due to St. Augustine (in his Confessions, written in 397 A.D.; for a modern translation, see Augustine, 2006). He was arguing against astrology by presenting the story of two women, one rich and one poor, who gave birth simultaneously. Although the two children thus had precisely the same horoscopes, their lives followed quite different courses. And how was it determined that the births were simultaneous? A messenger went from each birth site to the other, leaving the instant the child was born (and, presumably, traveling with equal speeds). Since the messengers met at the midpoint between the locations of the two births, the births must have been simultaneous. This is, of course, quite analogous to Albert Einstein's definition of simultaneity (given more than 1500 years later), which will be discussed in Section 2.1.

The last ride of Henry II of France: orbital injury and a king's demise.

PubMed

Eftekhari, Kian; Choe, Christina H; Vagefi, M Reza; Eckstein, Lauren A

2015-01-01

Jousting was a popular pastime for royalty in the Renaissance era. Injuries were common, and the eye was particularly at risk from the splinters of the wooden lance. On June 30, 1559, Henry II of France participated in a jousting tournament to celebrate two royal weddings. In the third match, Gabriel de Montgomery struck Henry on the right shoulder and the lance splintered, sending wooden shards into his face and right orbit. Despite being cared for by the prominent physicians Ambroise Paré and Andreas Vesalius, the king died 10 days later and was found to have a cerebral abscess. The wound was not explored immediately after the injury; nevertheless, wooden foreign bodies were discovered in the orbit at the time of autopsy. The dura had not been violated, suggesting that an infection may have traveled from the orbit into the brain. Nostradamus and Luca Guarico, the astrologer to the Medici family, had prophesied the death of Henry II of France, but he ignored their warnings and thus changed the course of history in Renaissance Europe. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

History of initial fifty years of ARIES: A Major National Indian Facility for Optical Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sanwal, Basant Ballabh; Pandey, Anil Kumar; Uddin, Wahab; Kumar, Brijesh; Joshi, Santosh

2018-04-01

The idea of starting an astronomical observatory in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India germinated through the initiative of a scholarly statesman Babu Sampurnanandji. His interest in astrology coupled with his academic bent of mind got him interested in modern astronomy. Being then Education Minister and later Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, he established an astronomical observatory at Varanasi on April 20, 1954. Later on it was shifted to Manora Peak, Nainital. Four reflectors were commissioned at Manora Peak. For solar research an H alpha petrol unit and a horizontal solar spectrograph was setup. A detailed project report for installation of a 4-m class optical telescope was prepared indigenously in late 1980, however, the project could not take off. With the generous support of the Department of Science and Technology, the institute established a 3.6-m new technology optical telescope and a 1.3-m wide field optical telescope at a new observing site called Devasthal. Now a 4-m liquid mirror telescope is also being installed at the same observing site. I present here a brief journey of the observatory beginning right from its birth in 1954 till now.

Circulation of Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boitani, P.

2016-01-01

Since the dawn of man, contemplation of the stars has been a primary impulse in human beings, who proliferated their knowledge of the stars all over the world. Aristotle sees this as the product of primeval and perennial “wonder” which gives rise to what we call science, philosophy, and poetry. Astronomy, astrology, and star art (painting, architecture, literature, and music) go hand in hand through millennia in all cultures of the planet (and all use catasterisms to explain certain phenomena). Some of these developments are independent of each other, i.e., they take place in one culture independently of others. Some, on the other hand, are the product of the “circulation of stars.” There are two ways of looking at this. One seeks out forms, the other concentrates on the passing of specific lore from one area to another through time. The former relies on archetypes (for instance, with catasterism), the latter constitutes a historical process. In this paper I present some of the surprising ways in which the circulation of stars has occurred—from East to West, from East to the Far East, and from West to East, at times simultaneously.

Adam Huber of Riesenpach (1545-1613) and his Translation of the Book on Regimen within the Context of the Prague Medical Milieu.

PubMed

Zemla, Martin

2016-02-01

This paper outlines the life, work, and views of Adam Huber of Riesenpach (1545-1613). Huber was one of the personal physicians to Rudolf ii in Prague, a pharmacist, translator, pedagogue, progressive academic and chancellor at Prague University, aiming to re-establish its medical faculty. Here, I will first appraise Huber as a distinguished translator of medical books published by the prominent Prague printer Daniel Adam of Veleslavin (1546-1599) and as a scholar who helped establish Czech medical terminology, most notably through his new translation of the great Herbal of Pietro Andrea Mattioli (1501-1577), which he reworked and expanded. In the second part, the article focuses on a popular book on regimen, the De conservanda valetudine (1576) by the German humanist author and politician Heinrich Rantzau (1526-1598), translated into Czech by Huber in 1587. The text and its translation are analysed against the backdrop of the new, more specifically Paracelsian, approaches in medicine. The author's views are compared with Huber's own ideas expressed in his foreword and in several of his other texts. His distinctive emphases and views are analysed, particularly in relation to Paracelsian medicine, Renaissance (and notably Piconian) concepts of man, and astrology.

TYPICAL USES OF CERTAIN COMMON AND UNCOMMON PLANTS

PubMed Central

Hota, N. P.; Padhi, M.M.

2003-01-01

The beginning of medicinal uses of plants dates back to the scribing period of Vedas in India. In ancient days, such uses came into vogue due to accidental experimentation or observation which subsequently gave rise to practice either by a qualified physician or by an astrologer or by lay men, called nostrum or folk-lore. All these have their own distinct manner of use though they are very often intermingled. Apart from classical uses as mentioned in Ayurvedic, Unani or Sidha therapeutic treatises, material medica, texts on / pharmacy etc.; the new dimension of collecting additional information started in early part of 20th century where on several botanists contributed a lot for exploration of the same. Since Orissa is a treasure of folk-core claims and besides qualified practitioners, certain lay men especially in rural area and tribal area, saints and priests at different places also possess knowledge on certain typical uses of several plants, there is a larger scope to highlight the same for future study from difference angles. In this paper an attempt has been made to highlight certain newer information's on certain common and uncommon plants like Lygodium flexuosum, Vitex peduncularis, Barleria lupulina, Leptadenia reticulate, Selaginella indica, etc., collected from different parts of Orissa. PMID:22557106

Formulas used by Tibetan doctors at Men-Tsee-Khang in India for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and their correlation with pharmacological data.

PubMed

Antonio, Raquel Luna; Kozasa, Elisa H; Galduróz, José Carlos F; Dawa; Dorjee, Yeshi; Kalsang, Tsultrim; Norbu, Tsering; Tenzin, Tashi; Rodrigues, Eliana

2013-04-01

The aim of the present study was to identify formulas used at Men-Tsee-Khang (Tibetan Medical and Astrological Institute), India, for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders and to compare the Tibetan usage of particular ingredients with pharmacological data from the scientific database. Using ethnographic methods, five doctors were selected and interviewed. A correlation was observed between central nervous system disorders and rLung, one of the three humors in Tibetan medicine, which imbalance is the source of mental disorders, and ten multi-ingredient formulas used to treat the imbalance of this particular humor were identified. These formulas utilize 61 ingredients; among them were 48 plant species. Each formula treats several symptoms related to rLung imbalance, so the plants may have therapeutic uses distinct from those of the formulas in which they are included. Myristica fragrans, nutmeg, is contained in 100% of the formulas, and its seeds exhibit stimulant and depressant actions affecting the central nervous system. Preclinical and clinical data from the scientific literature indicate that all of the formulas include ingredients with neuropsychiatric action and corroborate the therapeutic use of 75.6% of the plants. These findings indicate a level of congruence between the therapeutic uses of particular plant species in Tibetan and Western medicines. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The care of the brute beast: animals and the seventeenth-century medical market-place.

PubMed

Curth, Louise Hill

2002-12-01

This article examines the medical options for animals in early modern England. At the present time, this is a topic that has been largely ignored by modern academics. The small number of existing scholarly works tend to begin with the late eighteenth century, after the founding of England's first veterinary college. This institutionalization is generally credited as marking the beginning of modern animal medicine. In turn, what might be called 'pre-veterinary' care is treated as beging unworthy of serious study. As this article will show, this is a misconception. Although there were many differences in the way people perceived animals, social and economic concerns demanded that everything possible be done to protect their health. There were a variety of medical options for animals, some of which could be purchased or bartered for in the market-place, as well as those that were available 'free of charge'. The main categories of animal healers consisted of 'professional' farriers, self-styled farriers, horseleeches and horse-doctors, leeches specializing in other types of lowlier working animals, and laymen. Although some of these people acquired their skills during an apprenticeship, traditional Galenic/astrological medical information was also disseminated orally, through vernacular medical books and through various types of manuscripts.

Monastic incorporation of classical botanic medicines into the Renaissance pharmacopeia.

PubMed

Petrucelli, R J

1994-01-01

Ancient Greek physicians believed that health resulted from a balance of natural forces. Many, including Dioscorides, made compilations of plants and medicines derived from them, giving prominence to diuretics, cathartics and emetics. During the Roman Empire, although Greek physicians were highly valued, the Roman matron performed many medical functions and magic and astrology were increasingly used. In Judaic and later Christian societies disease was equated with divine disfavor. After the fall of Rome, the classical Greek medical texts were mainly preserved in Latin translation by the Benedictine monasteries, which were based around a patient infirmary, a herb garden and a library. Local plants were often substituted for the classical ones, however, and the compilations became confused and inaccurate. Greek medicine survived better in the remains of the Eastern Roman Empire, and benefitted from the influence of Arab medicine. Intellectual revival, when it came to Europe, did so on the fringes of the Moslem world, and Montpellier and Salerno were among the first of the new medical centers. Rather than relying on ancient experts, the new experimental method reported the tested effects of substances from identified plants. This advance was fostered by the foundation of universities and greatly aided by the later invention of the printing press, which also allowed wider dissemination of the classical texts.

Starry Cities and Astrolies - Books to communicate with the public

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanic, N.

2008-06-01

Extragalactic worlds have been presented as star cities in a book of original design - STARRY CITIES - galaxies and time travel, the first book about galaxies written in Serbian for the general public. This book isn't written just for those interested in science, but for all kind of artists, philosophers and thinkers. A second book, ASTROLIES deals with common confusions concerning astronomy and astrology. These two books don't only offer interesting illustrations, data from the latest astronomical observations and currently accepted cosmological theories - they induce, by provoking curiosity in a specific and witty way, a sense of adventure and a challenge to explore. The publisher of both books is the oldest and the biggest publisher of text-books in Serbia, Zavod za udzbenike i nastavna sredstva2, currently celebrating 50 years in publishing (1957-2007). They already publish a dozen books in popular astronomy, but a special astronomical series for the general public was introduced in 2004. STARRY CITIES and ASTROLIES are part of the ongoing multidisciplinary project Astronomy. Inspiration. Art that started at the end of 2004 at the Public Observatory in Belgrade. This project intends to inspire (or perhaps even "infect") artists with cosmic themes and the fantastic scenery of the Universe.

Perceptions of Eighth Graders Concerning the Aim, Effectiveness, and Scientific Basis of Pseudoscience: the Case of Crystal Healing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Metin, Duygu; Cakiroglu, Jale; Leblebicioglu, Gulsen

2017-12-01

Practices such as astrology or crystal healing can be defined as pseudoscience. Against pseudoscience, one of the major responsibilities of science education must be to develop science-literate individuals who are able to understand what science is, how science is undertaken, how scientific knowledge is constructed, and how it is justified, then they will be able to determine whether a claim is valid and be alert to practices which fall outside the realms of science, especially those in the area of pseudoscience. For this reason, the ability of recognizing flawed process and claims of pseudoscience is referred to one of the crucial parts of science literacy. The present study aimed to uncover middle school students' understanding of the inherent aim of pseudoscientists and pseudoscientific applications related to crystals and to reveal their judgments and justifications regarding the effectiveness and scientific basis of these applications. The present study was qualitative in nature. The results of the study showed that the students were very gullible about the aim, effectiveness, and scientific basis of pseudoscientific practices and in particular the use of crystals. Furthermore, similar to pseudoscientists, the students generally used weak reasoning to evaluate the presented claims and research designs about crystals and crystal healing.

Exploring the first scientific observations of lunar eclipses made in Siam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Orchiston, Wayne; Orchiston, Darunee Lingling; George, Martin; Soonthornthum, Boonrucksar

2016-04-01

The first great ruler to encourage the adoption of Western culture and technology throughout Siam (present-day Thailand) was King Narai, who also had a passion for astronomy. He showed this by encouraging French and other Jesuit missionaries, some with astronomical interests and training, to settle in Siam from the early 1660s. One of these was Father Antoine Thomas, and he was the first European known to have carried out scientific astronomical observations from Siam when he determined the latitude of Ayutthaya in 1681 and the following year observed the total lunar eclipse of 22 February. A later lunar eclipse also has an important place in the history of Thai astronomy. In 1685 a delegation of French missionary-astronomers settled in Ayutthaya, and on 10-11 December 1685 they joined King Narai and his court astrologers and observed a lunar eclipse from the King's 'country retreat' near Lop Buri. This event so impressed the King that he approved the erection of a large modern well-equipped astronomical observatory at Lop Buri. Construction of Wat San Paulo Observatory - as it was known - began in 1686 and was completed in 1687. In this paper we examine these two lunar eclipses and their association with the development of scientific astronomy in Siam.

Supernatural beliefs, aetiological models and help seeking behaviour in patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Kate, Natasha; Grover, Sandeep; Kulhara, Parmanand; Nehra, Ritu

2012-01-01

Background: Few studies have evaluated the supernatural beliefs of patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to study the personal beliefs, aetiological models and help seeking behaviour of patients with schizophrenia using a self-rated questionnaire. Materials and Methods: Seventy three patients returned the completed supernatural Attitude questionnaire. Results: 62% of patients admitted that people in their community believed in sorcery and other magico-religious phenomena. One fourth to half of patients believed in ghosts/evil spirit (26%), spirit intrusion (28.8%) and sorcery (46.6%). Two-third patients believed that mental illness can occur either due to sorcery, ghosts/evil spirit, spirit intrusion, divine wrath, planetary/astrological influences, dissatisfied or evil spirits and bad deeds of the past. 40% of the subjects attributed mental disorders to more than one of these beliefs. About half of the patients (46.6%) believed that only performance of prayers was sufficient to improve their mental status. Few patients (9.6%) believed that magico-religious rituals were sufficient to improve their mental illness but about one-fourth (24.7%) admitted that during recent episode either they or their caregivers performed magico-religious rituals. Conclusion: Supernatural beliefs are common in patients with schizophrenia and many of them attribute the symptoms of mental disorders to these beliefs. PMID:23766578

Supernatural beliefs, aetiological models and help seeking behaviour in patients with schizophrenia.

PubMed

Kate, Natasha; Grover, Sandeep; Kulhara, Parmanand; Nehra, Ritu

2012-01-01

Few studies have evaluated the supernatural beliefs of patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to study the personal beliefs, aetiological models and help seeking behaviour of patients with schizophrenia using a self-rated questionnaire. Seventy three patients returned the completed supernatural Attitude questionnaire. 62% of patients admitted that people in their community believed in sorcery and other magico-religious phenomena. One fourth to half of patients believed in ghosts/evil spirit (26%), spirit intrusion (28.8%) and sorcery (46.6%). Two-third patients believed that mental illness can occur either due to sorcery, ghosts/evil spirit, spirit intrusion, divine wrath, planetary/astrological influences, dissatisfied or evil spirits and bad deeds of the past. 40% of the subjects attributed mental disorders to more than one of these beliefs. About half of the patients (46.6%) believed that only performance of prayers was sufficient to improve their mental status. Few patients (9.6%) believed that magico-religious rituals were sufficient to improve their mental illness but about one-fourth (24.7%) admitted that during recent episode either they or their caregivers performed magico-religious rituals. Supernatural beliefs are common in patients with schizophrenia and many of them attribute the symptoms of mental disorders to these beliefs.

New Perspectives in Planetarium Lectures: How to Tell Science under the Dome while Preserving the "Enchantment"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gandolfi, G.; Catanzaro, G.; Giovanardi, S.; Masi, G.; Vomero, V.

2005-12-01

We discuss the philosophy and strategy of a modern planetarium lecture within the larger frame of the communication of astronomy. The planetarium is a peculiar medium that requires a creative and rigorous approach in order to balance the three motivating forces behind the 'planetarium experience': scientific knowledge (method and contents); technological 'sense of wonder' and a pre-rational (not necessarily anti-rational) sense of 'enchantment'. While scientific and technological resources are typically fully exploited in state-of-the-art domes, the latter concept-introduced by Max Weber in order to categorize the mystic/aesthetic impact of nature on the human mind-has not been sufficiently explored. To use it effectively demands an understanding of the public perception of astronomy, stressing the crucial role of professional communication skills for the effective communication of science. Rather than enforcing a narrow focus on pure science and/or a crusade against astrology, we believe that the planetarium experience should be a stimulating reawakening of curiosity and a holistic awareness of the sky and hence of the Universe. Fine tuning of the above three components makes the classical confl ict between the boring academic lecture under the stars versus disneyish, supertechnological shows obsolete. We present some approaches for creating "fine-tuned lectures", with examples from our experience at the Rome Planetarium.

[Marsilio Ficino's theory on health].

PubMed

Ito, K

1995-03-01

Marsilio Ficino, the most important philosopher of the Italian Renaissance, wrote a medical book "De vita". Its first part deals with the health of those who devote themselves to literary studies. On the basis of Galenian humoralism, Ficino argues that learned people or scholars are prone to phlegm and black bile. The excesses of them bring sickness, and particularly the excesses of black bile make scholars melancholic. Therefore they must be careful about the balance of humors. Ficino states that the insanity brought by black bile is 'divine madness', necessary to genial works. He finds the elements, which make 'sacred madness' different in quality from general madness, under the influence of the celestial world. We can find the truth by the guidance of Saturn. Black bile participates in the Saturnian quality: cold and dry, and transmits the characteristic of Saturn to us. We can understand the 'divine things' only by the Saturnian melancholy. Therefore the influence of planets is very important for the activity of scholars. Through "De vita", astrological medicine - which attributes the causes of disease to the celestial world - had a great influence on Renaissance thought, and made an important contribution to the theoretical explanation of epidemic diseases like pestilence and sphilis. Ficino's theory certified the nobility and divinity of the duties of intellectuals, and was the main theoretical source of the Renaissance characteristic view of genius.

Relativistic parameters of senescence.

PubMed

Stathatos, Marios A

2005-01-01

The laws of biochemistry and biology are governed by parameters whose description in mathematical formulas is based on the three-dimensional space. It is a fact, however, that the life span of a cell and its specific functions, though limited, can be extended or diminished depending on the genetic code but also, on the natural pressure of the environment. The plasticity exhibited by a cellular system has been attributed to the change of the three-dimensional structure of the cell, with time being a simple measure of this change. The model of biological relativity proposed here, considers time as a flexible fourth dimension that corresponds directly to the inertial status of the cells. Two types of clocks are defined: the relativistic biological clock (RBC) and the mechanical clock (MC). In contrast to the MCs that show the astrological reference time, the time shown by the RBCs delay because it depends on cellular activity. The maximum and the expected life span of the cells and/or the organisms can be therefore relied on time transformation. One of the most important factors that can affect time flow is the energy that is produced during metabolic work. Based on this observation, RBCs can be constructed following series of theoretical experiments in order to assess biological time and life span changes.

Anania Shirakatsi's Cosmographical and Natural Philosophical Views

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Danielyan, Eduard

2014-10-01

The observation of the heaven and celestial bodies has taken place since ancient times in the Armenian Highland. The notions of the sphericity of the Earth and celestial bodies, and other theses (about elements, comparative sizes of celestial bodies, antipodes, earthquakes, criticism of astrology, etc.) were reflected and elaborated in "Cosmography" of Anania Shirakatsi (VII century AD), as well as "Ashkharhatsoyts" ("Geography") of Movses Khorenatsi (V century AD) and his continuer Anania Shirakatsi. The road of observation and study of the Milky Way - the fundamental kernel of the development of astronomy - has led the human mind to galaxies, the cognition of the infinite capabilities of the development of matter, that is to say, from the studies of the elements constituting the Earth and other spherical bodies in the Universe (studied by Aristotle) to the Heliocentric system by Copernicus (1473-1543), from the cosmogonic ideas of Democritus (460-370 BC) about the multitude of worlds and the character of the Milky Way and their reflection in natural philosophic views of Anania Shirakatsi to the discovery of non-stationary objects and processes in the Universe owing to the activity of the nuclei of galaxies, according to the cosmogonic conception of academician Victor Ambartsumyan. Anania Shirakatsi's scientific heritage greatly contributed to the development of Armenian and world natural scientific thought.

An observation planning algorithm applied to multi-objective astronomical observations and its simulation in COSMOS field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Yi; Gu, Yonggang; Zhai, Chao

2012-09-01

Multi-Object Fiber Spectroscopic sky surveys are now booming, such as LAMOST already built by China, BIGBOSS project put forward by the U.S. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab and GTC (Gran Telescopio Canarias) telescope developed by the United States, Mexico and Spain. They all use or will use this approach and each fiber can be moved within a certain area for one astrology target, so observation planning is particularly important for this Sky Surveys. One observation planning algorithm used in multi-objective astronomical observations is developed. It can avoid the collision and interference between the fiber positioning units in the focal plane during the observation in one field of view, and the interested objects can be ovserved in a limited round with the maximize efficiency. Also, the observation simulation can be made for wide field of view through multi-FOV observation. After the observation planning is built ,the simulation is made in COSMOS field using GTC telescope. Interested galaxies, stars and high-redshift LBG galaxies are selected after the removal of the mask area, which may be bright stars. Then 9 FOV simulation is completed and observation efficiency and fiber utilization ratio for every round are given. Otherwise,allocating a certain number of fibers for background sky, giving different weights for different objects and how to move the FOV to improve the overall observation efficiency are discussed.

A Tree-Structured List in a Mathematical Series Text from Mesopotamia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Proust, Christine

The written culture of the Ancient Near East, whose history covers more than three millennia (from the beginning of the third millennium to the end of the first millennium BCE), underwent profound transformations over the centuries and showed many faces according to the region of the vast territory in which it developed. Yet despite the diversity of contexts in which they worked, the scholars of Mesopotamia and neighboring regions maintained and consistently cultivated a true `art of lists', in the fields of mathematics, lexicography, astrology, astronomy, medicine, law and accounting. The study of the writing techniques particular to lists represents therefore an important issue for the understanding of the intellectual history of the Ancient Near East. In this chapter, I consider extreme cases of list structures, and to do this I have chosen very long lists, most items of which are not semantically autonomous. More specifically, I shall study one of the most abstract and concise lists that have come down to us. It belongs to a series, of which one tablet is kept in the Oriental Institute in Chicago (no. A 24194). The study of this case will allow to set forth some of the writing techniques that were particularly developed in the series. Such a study of the structures of the mathematical texts could benefit other areas in Assyriology.

Symbolics of the constellations of sagittarius and centaurus in russian traditional culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagdasarov, R.

2001-12-01

Centaurus falls into the category of 'imaginary animals'. The Russian tradition used not only the symbol Sgr (a result of its acquaintance with the circle of Zodiac), but also the symbol Cen, which fact, as we shall demonstrate, is an evidence of certain mythological-astronomical conceptions. Both the constellations Sagittarius (Sgr) and Centaurus (Cen) are usually represented as versions of the picture of a fantastic being, a Centaur, shaped as man from head to waist, and as an animal, mostly, a horse, from waist down. 'Centaurus' (from the Greek word kev (or kevw)) for 'kill' and o, for 'bull') means 'bull killer', and is probably related to the opposition of the zodiacal constellations Taurus and Sagittarius. When the latter begins to rise on to the night sky, the former disappears completely from view. Sagittarius is represented at ancient monuments related to astronomy as a centaur holding a bow and pointing at certain stars. The constellation of Centaurus is also symbolised by a centaur, but holding not a bow, but a staff or a spear in one hand and an 'animal of sacrifice' in the other (Higinus, Astronomica, III, 37, 1; Chernetsov, 1975, Figure 1). The attributes stand for the Peliases Spear (The Mithological Dictionary, 1991), depicted in astrological maps as The Spear of Centaurus1, The Wolf (Lupus), the Panther or the Beast (Flammarion, 1994).

[Extraterrestrial influences on health and disease].

PubMed

Sitar, J

1994-02-14

As to extraterrestrial influences on man in health and disease so far only the effect of the sun and moon are known. This concerns the effect of solar radiation of different wavelengths and the effect of corpuscular solar radiation which has an impact on the condition of the terrestrial magnetic field and electric conditions in the atmosphere. Moreover there is also a question of important influences of gravitation (tides). Here the influence of the position of the moon in relation to the connecting line between sun and earth is involved. In the course of the synodic month (from new moon to the next new moon) a semilunar periodicity of different medical and geomagnetic indicators as well as meteorological ones plays a part. Based on his own research and that of others the author reaches the conclusion that extraterrestrial and terrestrial influences are interrelated and exert a mutual influence on each other and that it is not sensible to separate them strictly. Investigation of all the mentioned influences is important not only for biomedical prognosis but also for basic geophysical and meteorological research. Perspectively it would be useful to plan model experiments. The author feels it is his duty to refuse publication of different horoscopes in the mass media, whatever the intention. In the lay public this may lead to popularization of astrology which has nothing in common with serious research.

Hinduism and death with dignity: historic and contemporary case examples.

PubMed

Dewar, Rajan; Cahners, Nancy; Mitchell, Christine; Forrow, Lachlan

2015-01-01

An estimated 1.2 to 2.3 million Hindus live in the United States. End-of-life care choices for a subset of these patients may be driven by religious beliefs. In this article, we present Hindu beliefs that could strongly influence a devout person's decisions about medical care, including end-of-life care. We provide four case examples (one sacred epic, one historical example, and two cases from current practice) that illustrate Hindu notions surrounding pain and suffering at the end of life. Chief among those is the principle of karma, through which one reaps the benefits and penalties for past deeds. Deference to one's spouse or family is another important Hindu value, especially among Hindu women, which can impact the decision-making process and challenge the Western emphasis on autonomy. In addition, the Hindu embrace of astrology can lead to a desire to control the exact time of death. Confounding any generalizations, a Hindu patient may reject or accept treatments based on the individual patient's or family's interpretation of any given tradition. Through an awareness of some of the fundamental practices in Hinduism and the role of individual interpretation within the tradition, clinicians will be better able to support their Hindu patients and families at the end of life. Copyright 2015 The Journal of Clinical Ethics. All rights reserved.

Is mass media beneficial or not for the information of the general public?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stavinschi, M.; Mosoia, C.

2005-11-01

The International Year of Physics reminds us, among other things, of the way in which Einstein became famous. In spite of all his remarkable scientific results, without the contribution of the press he would not have become so well known in the entire world as he was and continues to be after a century. And he is not the unique example of celebrity due to mass media (see Carl Sagan or Stephen Hawking). In 1969 the first man stepped on the Moon. It was maybe the first cosmic event, which became famous due to a live TV broadcast. Others followed, if we are to mention only the total solar eclipse of 1999 or Venus's transit of last year. Consequently, mass media can make a scientist famous, can also make an event understood and admired and can attract hundreds or maybe millions of people to science. The same mass media can also destroy a personality or an event. We shall give only two examples: the distrust of many people concerning the same Moon landing or the manipulation of millions of people by means of astrology. All this urges us to make a very thorough analysis of the way in which scientific information is communicated to the general public: well done, it can be beneficial; otherwise it may drive the new generations away from research, the understanding of the phenomena, the neglect of the environment and finally from the neglect and the destruction of our own planet.

Political astronomy: Comet and meteor observations by Muslim historians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chander Kapoor, Ramesh

2015-08-01

Eclipses and unexpected phenomena like comets, meteors, novae and earthquakes were viewed among various cultures as violating the established order of the heavens. They were considered to be ill omens for kings and emperors and were routinely monitored. The present work looks into the texts of history and literature by Muslim historians and chroniclers in West Asia and India that carry stray references to such phenomena. The accounts often relate the apparitions to specific disastrous events or prognosticate revolts, deaths, epidemics, earthquakes all that that took place in later times. Obviously, the occurrences interested the astrologers more. Comet appearances would last for days and weeks but nearly all the writings lack sequential observations. Meteor showers are annual features but the Islamic calendar being lunar would not easily lead one to notice periodic nature of the incidents, let alone sensing a periodicity in comet appearances. These are non-astronomy texts with little scientific content but being from different ages permit us to see how the astronomical perceptions changed over the times. The recorded details and firm chronology, tested against modern back calculations, can provide valuable information on them, keeping in mind the text and the context in which the original reference was made. We also notice a qualitative change in the Indian writings of the 18th century and later where the authors begin to show up with influence of exposure to the European scientific progress.

The Astronomical Instruments from the Tomb of Xiahou Zao (? - 165BCE) Revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shi, Yunli

2012-09-01

In 1977, archaeologists unearthed a piece of lacquerware from the tomb of Xiahou Zao (?--165BCE), the 2nd Marquis of Ruyin of the Western Han dynasty (206BCE--24ACE). It has been named ``A Lacquerware Article of Unkown Name" for no one understands its function. Our analysis shows that the article is actually a gnomon for the determination of 4 major seasons in ancient Chinese calendar, viz. Spring Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumn Equinox and Winter Solstice, and the size and function of the article coincide quite well with those of the ``Earth Gnomon-Scale" as described in the Rites of Zhou, a Confucian Classic appeared in the middle of the 2nd century BCE. This is the earliest example of its kind that we have hitherto seen in a complete form. Moreover, the "Disks with 28 Lunar Lodges" from the same tomb have caused a lasting dispute over their possible function. While some scholars believe it to be a pure astrological instrument, others guess that it was an instrument for the measurement of celestial coordinates. Our analysis shows that, with the so-called ``Supporting Frame for the Cosmic Boards" unearthed from the same tomb, the disks can actually be mounted onto the plane of the celestial equator and thus form the earliest and definitely dated example of an equatorial device for astronomical observation that still can be seen in the world.

A tale of two systems: beliefs and practices of South African Muslim and Hindu traditional healers regarding cleft lip and palate.

PubMed

Ross, Eleanor

2007-11-01

This South African study compared the views of 15 Muslim and 8 Hindu traditional healers regarding the etiology and treatment of craniofacial clefts, reasons for people consulting with them, and collaboration with Western professionals. The original data were collected via individual interviews. Secondary data analysis was conducted to highlight common themes. Four Hindu and 12 Muslim healers believed that the condition was God sent. Both groups acknowledged the existence of various superstitions within their communities. For example, if a pregnant woman handled a sharp object during an eclipse, her infant could be born with a cleft. All Hindu healers also attributed clefts to karma. All the Muslim healers counseled patients and families. Fourteen referred people for medical help, 10 emphasized the importance of prayer, and 3 recommended the wearing of amulets containing a prayer. No Hindu healers provided direct treatment. Three advised parents to fast, six arranged fire and purification ceremonies in the temples, and three consulted the person's astrological chart to dispel any bad karma. Both groups of healers advised people to give to charity. Eight Hindu healers and eight Muslim healers believed that people consulted with them because of cultural influences and because they alleviated feelings of guilt. Four Hindu and 13 Muslim healers favored collaboration with Western practitioners. Findings highlight the need for culturally sensitive rehabilitation practices, collaboration, referrals, and information sharing between Eastern and Western health care practitioners.

Babylonian observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, D.

Very few cuneiform records survive from Mesopotamia of datable astronomical observations made prior to the mid-eighth century BC. Those that do record occasional eclipses, and in one isolated case the dates of the heliacal rising and setting of Venus over a few years sometime in the first half of the second millennium BC. After the mid-eighth century BC the situation changes dramatically. Incomplete records of daily observations of astronomical and meteorological events are preserved from c. 747 BC until the Christian Period. These records are without accompanying ominous interpretation, although it is highly probable that they were compiled by diviners for astrological purposes. They include numerous observations of use to historical astronomers, such as the times of eclipses and occultations, and the dates of comet appearances and meteor showers. The question arises as to why such records do not survive from earlier times; celestial divination was employed as far back as the third millenium BC. It is surely not without importance that the earliest known accurate astronomical predictions accompany the later records, and that the mid-eighth century BC ushered in a period of centralised Assyrian control of Mesopotamia and the concomitant employment by the Assyrian ruler of large numbers of professional celestial diviners. The programme of daily observations evidently began when a high premium was first set on the accurate astronomical prediction of ominous events. It is in this light that we must approach this valuable source material for historical astronomy.

IDO1 in cancer: a Gemini of immune checkpoints.

PubMed

Zhai, Lijie; Ladomersky, Erik; Lenzen, Alicia; Nguyen, Brenda; Patel, Ricky; Lauing, Kristen L; Wu, Meijing; Wainwright, Derek A

2018-01-29

Indoleamine 2, 3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) is a rate-limiting metabolic enzyme that converts the essential amino acid tryptophan (Trp) into downstream catabolites known as kynurenines. Coincidently, numerous studies have demonstrated that IDO1 is highly expressed in multiple types of human cancer. Preclinical studies have further introduced an interesting paradox: while single-agent treatment with IDO1 enzyme inhibitor has a negligible effect on decreasing the established cancer burden, approaches combining select therapies with IDO1 blockade tend to yield a synergistic benefit against tumor growth and/or animal subject survival. Given the high expression of IDO1 among multiple cancer types along with the lack of monotherapeutic efficacy, these data suggest that there is a more complex mechanism of action than previously appreciated. Similar to the dual faces of the astrological Gemini, we highlight the multiple roles of IDO1 and review its canonical association with IDO1-dependent tryptophan metabolism, as well as documented evidence confirming the dispensability of enzyme activity for its immunosuppressive effects. The gene transcript levels for IDO1 highlight its strong association with T-cell infiltration, but the lack of a universal prognostic significance among all cancer subtypes. Finally, ongoing clinical trials are discussed with consideration of IDO1-targeting strategies that enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy for cancer patients.Cellular and Molecular Immunology advance online publication, 29 January 2018; doi:10.1038/cmi.2017.143.

Influence of early rising on performance in tasks requiring attention and memory.

PubMed

Kumaran, V Shankar; Raghavendra, Bhat Ramachandra; Manjunath, Nandi Krishnamurthy

2012-01-01

Rising early in the morning has been a prescribed discipline of ancient Indian tradition. While there are no scientific studies comparing early rising volitionally versus circumstantially, selected studies on the latter (rising forcefully) have shown negative impact on an individual's peroformance. Hence the present study was undertaken to assess the influence of early rising (during Brahma-muhurtha) on tasks requiring attention and the ability to recall. Fifty four normal healthy male volunteers, with ages ranging from 16-22 years from a residential school were selected. They were randomly allocated to two groups (Brahma-muhurtha and control). They were assessed on day 1, day 10 and day 20 of the intervention, using a digit letter substitution task and verbal and spatial memory task. The Brahma-muhurtha group were asked to rise before 4:30 am in the morning based on the traditional Indian astrological calculations, while the control group were allowed to wake up just before 7 am which was their regular timing for waking. Brahma-muhurtha group after 20 days showed a significant improvement in the net scores for digit letter substitution task as well as scores for verbal and spatial memory tasks. The control group also showed an improvement in the memory task but not in the task requiring attentional processes. The present study suggests that rising early in the morning as described in ancient Indian tradition influences the process of attention and can improve the ability to recall.

Berengario's drill: origin and inspiration.

PubMed

Chorney, Michael A; Gandhi, Chirag D; Prestigiacomo, Charles J

2014-04-01

Craniotomies are among the oldest neurosurgical procedures, as evidenced by early human skulls discovered with holes in the calvaria. Though devices change, the principles to safely transgress the skull are identical. Modern neurosurgeons regularly use electric power drills in the operating theater; however, nonelectric trephining instruments remain trusted by professionals in certain emergent settings in the rare instance that an electric drill is unavailable. Until the late Middle Ages, innovation in craniotomy instrumentation remained stunted without much documented redesign. Jacopo Berengario da Carpi's (c. 1457-1530 CE) text Tractatus de Fractura Calvae sive Cranei depicts a drill previously unseen in a medical volume. Written in 1518 CE, the book was motivated by defeat over the course of Lorenzo II de'Medici's medical care. Berengario's interchangeable bit with a compound brace ("vertibulum"), known today as the Hudson brace, symbolizes a pivotal device in neurosurgery and medical tool design. This drill permitted surgeons to stock multiple bits, perform the craniotomy faster, and decrease equipment costs during a period of increased incidence of cranial fractures, and thus the need for craniotomies, which was attributable to the introduction of gunpowder. The inspiration stemmed from a school of thought growing within a population of physicians trained as mathematicians, engineers, and astrologers prior to entering the medical profession. Berengario may have been the first to record the use of such a unique drill, but whether he invented this instrument or merely adapted its use for the craniotomy remains clouded.

Astronomy in Brazilian music and poetry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Freitas Mourão, Ronaldo Rogério

2011-06-01

The rôle of astronomy in the Brazilian cultural diversity -though little known world- has been enormous. Thus, the different forms of popular music and erudite, find musical compositions and lyrics inspired by the stars, the eclipses in rare phenomena such as the transit of Venus in front of the sun in 1882, the appearance of Halley's Comet in 1910, in the Big Bang theory. Even in the carnival parades of the blocks at the beginning of the century astronomy was present. More recently, the parade of 1997, the samba school Unidos do Viradouro, under the direction of Joãozinho Trinta, offered a new picture of the first moments of the creation of the universe to join in the white and dark in the components of their school, the idea of matter and anti-matter that reigned in the early moments of the creation of the universe in an explosion of joy. Examples in classical music include Dawn of Carlos Gomes and Carta Celeste by Almeida Prado. Unlike The Planets by Gustav Holst -who between 1914 and 1916 composed a symphonical tribute to the solar system based on astrology- Almeida Prado composed a symphony that is not limited to the world of planets, penetrating the deep cosmos of galaxies. Using various resources of the technique for the piano on the clusters and static movements, violent conflicts between the records of super acute and serious instrument, harpejos cross, etc . . .

East Asian observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, F. R.

East Asian observations are of established importance in Applied Historical Astronomy. The earliest astronomical records from this part of the world (China, Japan and Korea) originate from China. These observations, mainly of lunar eclipses, are recorded on oracle bones from the period ca. 1300 - 1050 BC. Virtually all later Chinese and other East Asian astronomical records now exist only in printed copies. The earliest surviving series of solar eclipse observations from any part of the world is contained in the Chunqiu (722 - 481 BC), a chronicle of the Chinese state of Lu. However, not until after 200 BC, with the establishment of a stable empire in China, do detailed astronomical records survive. These are mainly contained in specially compiled astrological treatises in the official dynastic histories. Such records, following the traditional style, extend down to the start of the present century. All classes of phenomena visible to the unaided eye are represented: solar and lunar eclipses, lunar and planetary movements among the constellations, comets, novae and supernovae, meteors, sunspots and the aurora borealis. Parallel, but independent series of observations are recorded in Japanese and Korean history, especially after about AD 800. Sources of Japanese records tend to be more diverse than their Chinese and Korean counterparts, but fortunately Kanda Shigeru (1935) and Ohsaki Shyoji (1994) have made extensive compilations of Japanese astronomical observations down to the 1860s. Throughout East Asia, dates were expressed in terms of a luni-solar calendar.

The Nature of Punctuational Crises and the Spenglerian Model of Civilization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clube, S. V. M.

acknowledged dispensers of prognosis and mitigation who endorsed the adverse implications of 'blazing stars' (astrologers, soothsayers etc.) were commonly impugned and censured. Nowadays, of course, we are able to recognise that the Earth's environment is not only one of essentially uniformitarian calm, as formerly assumed, but one that is also interrupted by 'punctuational crises', each crisis being the sequence of events which arises due to the fragmentation of an individual comet whose orbit intersects the Earth's. That even modest crises can arouse apprehension is known through the circumstances of the nineteenth century break-up of Comet Biela. Indeed it seems that these crises are rather frequently characterized by relatively violent (paradigm shifting) transmutations of human society such as were originally proposed by Spengler and Toynbee more than sixty years ago on the basis of historical analysis alone. It would appear, then, that the historical fear of comets which has been with us since the foundation of civilization, far from being the reflection of an astrological perception of the cosmos which was deranged and therefore abandoned, has a perfectly rational basis in occasional cometary fragmentation events. Such events recur and evidently have quite serious implications for society and government today. Thus when cosmic danger returns and there is growing awareness of the fact, we find that society is capable of becoming uncontrollably convulsed as 'enlightenment' spreads. A revival of millenarian expectations under these circumstances, for example, is not so much an underlying consequence but a deviant manifestation of the violent turmoil into which society falls, often to revolutionary effect.

Theories of comets to the age of Laplace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heidarzadeh, Tofigh

Although the development of ideas about cometary motion has been investigated in several projects, a comprehensive and detailed survey of physical theories of comets has not been conducted. The available works either illustrate relatively short periods in the history of physical cometology or portray a landscape view without adequate details. The present study is an attempt to depict the details of the major physical theories of comets from Aristotle to the age of Laplace. The basic question from which this project originated was simple: how did natural philosophers and astronomers define the nature and place of a new category of celestial objects--the comets--after Brahe's estimation of cometary distances? However, a study starting merely from Brahe without covering classical and medieval thought about comets would be incomplete. Thus, based on the fundamental physical characteristics attributed to comets, the history of cometology may be divided into three periods: from Aristotle to Brahe, in which comets were assumed to be meteorological phenomena; from Brahe to Newton, when comets were admitted as celestial bodies but with unknown trajectories; and from Newton to Laplace, in which they were treated as members of the solar system having more or less the same properties of the planets. By estimating the mass of comets in the 1800s, Laplace diverted cometology into a different direction wherein they were considered among the smallest bodies in the solar system and deprived of the most important properties that had been used to explain their physical constitution during the previous two millennia. Ideas about the astrological aspects of comets are not considered in this study. Also, topics concerning the motion of comets are explained to the extent that is helpful in illustrating their physical properties. The main objective is to demonstrate the foundations of physical theories of comets, and the interaction between observational and mathematical astronomy, and

Hvězdářství krále Jana

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Černá, Alena M.; Hadrava, Petr; Hadravová, Alena; Stluka, Martin

The critical edition of the collection "King John's Astronomy" is based on the Old Czech manuscript written at the beginning of the 15th century which is preserved at the Library of the National Museum in Prague (ms. II F 14). The collection consists of several separate parts - first of all it contains astronomical and astrological treatises refering to Ptolemy's works. Explanations on the impact of the seven planets and twelve zodiacal signs on the fate of man, who was born under their influence, prevail in the texts. The texts which are connected with Hippocrates and Galenos' doctrines about humoral physiology and humoral pathology are another subject. They are supplemented by a treatise on blood-letting and by pharmaceutical instructions on different weight units. Another treatise deals with God, God's acts and with human fate. The manuscript also contains calendar tools for the calculation of Easter and other feasts during the year. The origin of this Old Czech text coincides with the period of the development of national languages as languages of science. Vocabulary contained in the manuscript is rich. It yields evidence about the formation of terminological systems in various fields involved in the collection. The Old Czech language of this literary monument exhibits unexpectedly archaic features. The present edition is a result of interdisciplinary collaboration of researchers from the fields of diachronic Bohemistics, classical philology, and astronomy. The publication is completed with the critical apparatus, indices, vocabulary, by a list of the chosen literature and other related supplements.

The medical content of English almanacs 1640-1700.

PubMed

Curth, Louise Hill

2005-07-01

There has been a great deal of recent interest in popular health care in early modern England, resulting in studies on a range of topics from practitioners through remedial treatment. Over the past decade, the history of books has also attracted growing interest. This is particularly true for the seventeenth century, a period marked by a dramatic rise in all types of printed works. The 1640s are especially significant in the evolution of printed vernacular medical publications, which continued to flourish during the rest of the century. While recent studies on popular medical books have contributed greatly to our understanding of contemporary medical beliefs and practices, they have failed to properly recognize the effect that almanacs had on early modern medicine. Although their primary function was not to disseminate medical information, most provided a great deal of medical information. Furthermore, these cheap, annual publications targeted and were read by a wide cross-section of the public, making them the first true form of British mass media. This article is based on the content of 1,392 almanacs printed between 1640 and 1700, which may make it the largest comparative study of the medical content of any early modern printed works. The project has resulted in two major findings. First of all, almanacs played a major part in the dissemination, continuing popularity, and longevity of traditional astrological and Galenic beliefs and practices. Secondly, at the same time, almanacs played an important early role in the growth of medical materialism in Britain.

Sign of the Zodiac as a predictor of survival for recipients of an allogeneic stem cell transplant for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML): an artificial association.

PubMed

Szydlo, R M; Gabriel, I; Olavarria, E; Apperley, J

2010-10-01

Astrological or Zodiac (star) sign has been shown to be a statistically significant factor in the outcome of a variety of diseases, conditions, and phenomena. To investigate its relevance in the context of a stem cell transplant (SCT), we examined its influence in chronic myeloid leukaemia, a disease with well-established prognostic factors. Data were collected on 626 patients who received a first myeloablative allogeneic SCT between 1981 and 2006. Star sign was determined for each patient. Univariate analyses comparing all 12 individual star signs showed considerable variation of 5-year probabilities of survival, 63% for Arians, to 45% for Aquarians, but without significance (P=.65). However, it was possible to pool together star signs likely to provide dichotomous results. Thus, grouping together Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Leo, Scorpio, and Capricorn (group A; n=317) versus others (group B; n=309) resulted in a highly significant difference (58% vs 48%; P=.007). When adjusted for known prognostic factors in a multivariate analysis, group B was associated with an increased risk of mortality when compared with group A (relative risk [RR], 1.37; P=.005). In this study, we show that, providing adequate care is taken, a significant relationship between patient star sign and survival post SCT for CML can be observed. This is, however, a completely erroneous result, and is based on the pooling together of observations to artificially create a statistically significant result. Statistical analyses should thus be carried out on a priori hypotheses and not to find a meaningful or significant result. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relations between Eastern Four Pillars Theory and Western Measures of Personality Traits

PubMed Central

Jung, Seung Ah

2015-01-01

Purpose The present study investigated the validity of personality classification using four pillars theory, a tradition in China and northeastern Asia. Materials and Methods Four pillars analyses were performed for 148 adults on the basis of their birth year, month, day, and hour. Participants completed two personality tests, the Korean version of Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised-Short Version (TCI) and the Korean Inventory of Interpersonal Problems; scores were correlated with four pillars classification elements. Mean difference tests (e.g., t-test, ANOVA) were compared with groups classified by four pillars index. Results There were no significant correlations between personality scale scores and total yin/yang number (i.e., the 8 heavenly or earthly stems), and no significant between-groups results for classifications by yin/yang day stem and the five elements. There were significant but weak (r=0.18-0.29) correlations between the five elements and personality scale scores. For the six gods and personality scales, there were significant but weak (r=0.18-0.25) correlations. Features predicted by four pillars theory were most consistent when participants were grouped according to the yin/yang of the day stem and dominance of yin/yang numbers in the eight heavenly or earthly stems. Conclusion Although the major criteria of four pillars theory were not independently correlated with personality scale scores, correlations emerged when participants were grouped according to the composite yin/yang variable. Our results suggest the utility of four pillars theory (beyond fortune telling or astrology) for classifying personality traits and making behavioral predictions. PMID:25837175

End-of-the-World: Using Science to Dispel Public Fear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, David

2013-10-01

Polls taken in mid-2012 indicated that 10% of Americans did not expect to survive the “end of the world” on 12/21/12. Children were especially vulnerable, and some contemplated suicide. Comets Elenin and ISON also attracted apocalyptic fears. Elenin was blamed for the several earthquakes, including the Fukushima mega-quake of 03/11/11. Such fears, which seem to harp back to earlier centuries, are now widely promulgated by the Internet and cable TV, where dozens of “documentaries” are shown every week dealing with UFOs, aliens, astrology, and a variety of cosmic threats. In this talk I recount some of my experiences and those of other scientists leading up to the 12/21/12 doomsday. We made a big effort to defuse these fears, and to warn teachers and parents that a substantial fraction of their children were in danger of being taken in by the 2012 hoax. This experience is just one example of an anti-science trend that seems to be growing in the U.S. and around the world. Prime examples are the creationist efforts to deny evolution, the similar tactics of the global warming denialists, and health hoaxes such as homeopathy and the anti-vaccination movement. As scientists, we should consider how best to communicate real science to the public, and when to “go negative” to fight against pseudoscience. We must recognize the presence of powerful anti-science forces that are well funded and skillful at exploiting new communication tools enabled by the Internet. This is a challenge for all of us.

Transient cultural influences on infant mortality: Fire-Horse daughters in Japan.

PubMed

Bruckner, Tim A; Subbaraman, Meenakshi; Catalano, Ralph A

2011-01-01

Parental investment theory suggests that the quality and quantity of parental care depends, in part, on assessments of whether offspring will survive and yield grandchildren. Consistent with this theory, we hypothesize that parental perception that a birth cohort will have low reproductive success coincides with higher than expected infant mortality in the cohort. We test this hypothesis in industrialized Japan in 1966 when cultural aversion to females born in the astrological year of the Fire-Horse may have jeopardized the life of female infants. We applied time-series methods to cohort infant mortality data for Japan, from 1947 to 1976, to test whether female infant mortality in 1966 rose above levels expected from history, male infant mortality, and fertility. Methods control for the secular decline in infant mortality as well as other temporal patterns that could induce spurious associations. Findings support the hypothesis in that female infant mortality rises by 1.1 deaths per 1,000 live births above expected levels (coefficient = 0.0011; standard error = 0.0005; P = 0.03). The result indicates an excess of 721 female infant deaths statistically attributable to the Fire-Horse year. Findings remain robust to control for male infant mortality and the secular decline in mortality over the test period. The discovery of a predictable, acute increase in female infant mortality during the Fire-Horse year supports the relevance of parental investment theory to developed countries. Results should encourage further research on the health sequelae of abrupt, population-level shifts in culture. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Armenian Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mickaelian, Areg M.; Farmanyan, Sona V.

2016-12-01

A review is given on archaeoastronomy in Armenia and astronomical knowledge reflected in the Armenian culture. Astronomy in Armenia was popular since ancient times and Armenia is rich in its astronomical heritage, such as the names of the constellations, ancient observatories, Armenian rock art (numerous petroglyphs of astronomical content), ancient and medieval Armenian calendars, astronomical terms and names used in Armenian language since II-I millennia B.C., records of astronomical events by ancient Armenians (e.g. Halley's comet in 87 B.C., supernovae explosion in 1054), the astronomical heritage of the Armenian medieval great thinker Anania Shirakatsi's (612-685), medieval sky maps and astronomical devices by Ghukas (Luca) Vanandetsi (XVII-XVIII centuries) and Mkhitar Sebastatsi (1676-1749), etc. For systemization and further regular studies, we have created a webpage devoted to Armenian archaeoastronomical matters at Armenian Astronomical Society (ArAS) website. Issues on astronomy in culture include astronomy in ancient Armenian cultures, ethnoastronomy, astronomy in Armenian religion and mythology, astronomy and astrology, astronomy in folklore and poetry, astronomy in arts, astrolinguistics and astroheraldry. A similar webpage for Astronomy in Armenian Culture is being created at ArAS website and a permanent section "Archaeoastronomy and Astronomy in Culture" has been created in ArAS Electronic Newsletter. Several meetings on this topic have been organized in Armenia during 2007-2014, including the archaeoastronomical meetings in 2012 and 2014, and a number of books have been published. Several institutions are related to these studies coordinated by Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) and researchers from the fields of astronomy, history, archaeology, literature, linguistics, etc. are involved.

Creating cometary models using ancient Chinese data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeomans, D. K.

For more than two millennia, Chinese court astronomers maintained a rather comprehensive record of cometary sightings. Owing to the significance of comets as portents for the reigning emperor, early sky watchers from China (as well as their counterparts from Korea and Japan) carefully noted each cometary apparition for the purpose of astrological predictions. The dates and corresponding celestial locations and motions were usually recorded and in some cases, the colors, coma sizes, and tail lengths were also noted. These ancient observations represent the only source of information available for modeling the long-term behavior of periodic comets. For comets Halley and Swift-Tuttle, Chinese records have been identified as far back as 240 B.C. and 69 B.C. respectively and these data have been used to define their long-term motions. As a result, heliocentric and geocentric distances for each Chinese sighting of these two comets can be computed and estimates can be made for each comet's intrinsic brightness at various observed returns. Although the earliest identified apparition of comet Tempel-Tuttle is A.D. 1366, the associated Leonid meteor showers were noted back to at least A.D. 902. The Leonid meteor stream is young in the sense that outstanding meteor displays occur only near the time of the parent comet's perihelion passages. The ancient Chinese records of the Leonid meteor showers and storms have been used to map the particle distribution around the parent comet and this information was used to guide predictions for the 1998-1999 Leonid meteor showers.

Music Inspired by Astronomy: A Selected Listing for the International Year of Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fraknoi, A.

2008-11-01

Part of the aim of the International Year of Astronomy is to show the connections between astronomy and other areas of human culture. Such connections are easily found in music, where astronomical ideas have found a wide range of expression. This is not a comprehensive listing, but a sampling of some of the pieces that are available on CD's, and that may be of particular interest to educators and astronomy enthusiasts. To qualify for the list, a piece (or the composer's vision for it) has to include some real science and not just an astronomical term in the title or in a few lyrics. For example, we do not list The Planets, by Gustav Holst, since it treats the astrological view of the planets. And we regret that Philip Glass' opera Galileo is not available on CD and therefore cannot be listed. Nor do we include the thousands of popular songs that use the moon or the stars for an easy rhyme or a quick romantic image. And, while many jazz pieces have astronomy in the title, it is often hard to know just how the piece and the astronomy go together; so we've sadly omitted jazz too. For those with old-fashioned ears, like the author, we note that no warranty is made that all these pieces are easy to listen to, but each takes some key idea from astronomy and makes music out of it. A more comprehensive discussion can be found in my article in Astronomy Education Review: http://aer.noao.edu/cgi-bin/article.pl?id=193

Master John of Arderne (1307-1380): a founder of modern surgery.

PubMed

Pearn, John

2012-01-01

John of Arderne (1307-1380) was one founder of surgery as the profession is known today. He was the first English surgeon of whom biographic details survive. Born on the Arderne Estates at Newark, England, he served as a military surgeon in France in campaigns where gunpowder was used in combat for the first time. His best-known work, the Practica (De Arte Phisicali et de Cirurgia), formed the basis of practical surgical teaching in the medical schools of medieval Europe. Biographic research of primary and secondary archives and documents. John of Arderne's surgical practice was undertaken against a background of turbulent political, military and medical events. He survived the Black Death (1347) and its cyclical recurrences. He lived through the turbulent reigns of Edward II and Edward III and practised in London in the decades preceding the simmering unrest which preceded the Peasant's Revolt of 1381. Surgical and medical practice in the late Middle Ages was enmeshed in astrological beliefs. It was greatly influenced by church doctrine of disease causation. In this paper, the known details of John of Arderne's life are placed in the perspective of these societal and professional influences. He is one of several pre-Renaissance European doctors who were the first to challenge the received medical lore of Galen and later Arabic surgeons. Writing when he was 70 years of age, John of Arderne was the first to advocate that surgeons should trust their own clinical experience 'Wele ymagynyng subtile things' rather than following the directions of others, even including those advocated by himself. © 2011 The Author. ANZ Journal of Surgery © 2011 Royal Australasian College of Surgeons.

Practical astronomy in Indo-Persian sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ansari, S. M. R.

In the classical survey of zij literature (by E. Kennedy, 1956), out of 220 listed zijes only three zijes compiled in India are mentioned. They are: Zij-i Jami', ca 1461/62 (Kennedy serial No. X220); Zij-i Shahjahani, ca 1610 (X204); Zij-i Muhammad Shahi, ca 1730 (X203). However, since that classical survey, a number of Indian zijes have been found to be extant. They are: Zij-i Nasiri (ca 1260), Zij-i Nizami (ca 1780), Zij-i Hindi (1805), Zij-i 'Alami (ca 1808), Zij-i Ashki (1816), Zij-i Safdari (1819), Zij-i Sulayman Jahi (1830) and Zij-i Bahadur Khani (1838). It is well known that a zij comprises astronomical-mathematical and also astrological tables for use in practical or observational astronomy. From the standpoint of applied astronomy, it consists of particularly eclipse tables, visibility tables - for lunar crescent, apparitions and disappearances of planets - geographical and star tables. Evidently, this tabulated material can be used for the studies in applied astronomy. Besides zijes, we find also other classes of literature in which are treated the observations of comets, fireballs and meteorites. They are treatises on atmospheric phenomena (Athar-i 'Ulawi), chronicles and histories of Medieval India in Persian. For instance, we have histories by Abul Fadl and 'Arif Qandhari (16-17th c.), al-Husayni (18th c.), to name just a few. In this paper, we describe briefly the above-mentioned Indo-Persian sources, list the various celestial phenomena along with their short account as given in these sources, particularly in the Indian zijes. Finally, we make some remarks about their use in applied astronomy.

[Medicine and humanism: insights of the Nürnberg city physician Theodericus Ulsenius regarding Morbus Gallicus].

PubMed

Santing, C G

1995-01-01

The Nuremberg physician and humanist Theodericus Ulsenius (c. 1460-1508) was the author of two works on the so-called Morbus Gallicus. In 1496 he published a Vaticinium in epidemicam scabiem, and he also wrote fifty aphorisms, entitled Cura mali francici. In this article I will characterize Ulsenius' ideas and compare these to the measures the Nuremberg town government took to diminish the dangerous effects of the epidemic. In the function of official town physician, Ulsenius was one of the chief advisers and executives of the Nuremberg health policy. As the 'Ratsverlässe' (records of the town-council meetings) give detailed information, the reactions of senate and physicians can be followed from day to day. The Vaticinium a poem of 100 hexameters was printed at the office of Hans Mair and presented as a pamphlet with a woodcut from the workshop of Albrecht Dürer. The verses refer to a dream of the poet, in which the God Apollo addresses him and talks about the terrible disease. The origin and symptoms of the illness are discussed extensively, in accordance with the prevailing medico-astrological conceptions. Nevertheless, the poem ist not a medical piece of work, but a literary-styled and humanistically appropriate description of the recent epidemic, meant for fellow members of the German respublica litteraria. Like most of Ulsenius' writings, the Cura mali francici only survived as a copy made by his colleague Hartmann Schedel. It seems that the author had different types of audience in mind. The aphorisms refer to the Aphorisms of his great example, the famous Ancient medical doctor Hippocrates of Kos. The addresses of the Cura are obviously medical professionals: the physician in the towns harassed by the Morbus Gallicus and especially the medical professors who hat to lecture on the new ailment.

The Mars Exploration Rover/Collaborative Information Portal

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walton, Joan; Filman, Robert E.; Schreiner, John; Koga, Dennis (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Astrology has long argued that the alignment of the planets governs human affairs. Science usually scoffs at this. There is, however, an important exception: sending spacecraft for planetary exploration. In late May and early June, 2003, Mars will be in position for Earth launch. Two Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) will rocket towards the red planet. The rovers will perform a series of geological and meteorological experiments, seeking to examine geological evidence for water and conditions once favorable for life. Back on earth, a small army of surface operations staff will work to keep the rovers running, sending directions for each day's operations and receiving the files encoding the outputs of the Rover's six instruments. (Mars is twenty light minutes from Earth. The rovers must be robots.) The fundamental purpose of the project is, after all, Science. Scientists have experiments they want to run. Ideally, scientists want to be immediately notified when the data products of their experiments have been received, so that they can examine their data and (collaboratively) deduce results. Mars is an unpredictable environment. We may issue commands to the rovers but there is considerable uncertainty in how the commands will be executed and whether what the rovers sense will be worthy of further pursuit. The steps of what is, to a scientist, conceptually an individual experiment may be scattered over a large number of activities. While the scientific staff has an overall strategic idea of what it would like to accomplish, activities are planned daily. The data and surprises of the previous day need to be integrated into the negotiations for the next day's activities, all synchronized to a schedule of transmission windows . Negotiations is the operative term, as different scientists want the resources to run possibly incompatible experiments. Many meetings plan each day's activities.

The Cultural Epigenesis of Gender-Based Violence in Cambodia: Local and Buddhist Perspectives.

PubMed

Eisenbruch, Maurice

2018-06-01

Almost one in four women in Cambodia is a victim of physical, emotional or sexual violence. The study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which Cambodians see its causes and effects and to identify and analyse the cultural forces that underpin and shape its landscape. An ethnographic study was carried out with 102 perpetrators and survivors of emotional, physical and sexual violence against women and 228 key informants from the Buddhist and healing sectors. Their views and experiences of it were recorded-the popular idioms expressed and the symptoms of distress experienced by survivors and perpetrators. From these results, the eight cultural forces, or cultural attractors, that are seen to propel a person to violence were identified. Violence stemmed from blighted endowment, or 'bad building' (sɑmnaaŋ mɨn lʔɑɑ) determined by deeds in a previous life (kam). Children with a vicious character (kmeeŋ kaac or doṣa-carita) might grow to be abusers, and particular birthmarks on boys were thought to be portents. Krʊəh, or mishap, especially when a female's horoscope predicted a zodiac house on the descent (riesəy), explained vulnerability to violence and its timing. Astrological incompatibility (kuu kam) was a risk factor. Lust, anger and ignorance, the 'Triple Poison', fuelled it. 'Entering the road to ruin' (apāyamuk), including alcohol abuse, womanising and gambling, triggered it. Confusion and loss of judgement (mohā) led to moral blindness (mo baŋ). These were the eight cultural attractors that shaped the landscape of violence against women. The cultural epigenesis of violence against women in Cambodia is an insight which can be used to build culturally responsive interventions and strengthen the primary prevention of violence against women. An understanding of the epigenesis of violence could strengthen the primary prevention of violence against women.

[Etiology and nosology of "rage" and "mania" in the texts of Paracelsus].

PubMed

Korschunow, N

2001-01-01

In this paper etiological and nosological concepts of the Renaissance medico, alchemist, philosopher, and theologist Theophrast von Hohenheim ("Paracelsus" (1493/94-1541)), concerning the "taubsucht [rage, fury]", the "mania", and contextual aspects, are shown. Paradigmatic oscillations between concepts of the present time and the views of Hohenheim are analyzed. Four kinds of "taubsucht" are presented by Hohenheim in his earliest psychopathologically orientated treatise "Von der Taubsucht". Their relations towards later texts are described. He introduces many disorders in later texts, e.g. "mania", "lunatici", "ebricata", "phantasmata", "vihisch vernunft", that resemble aspects of the four kinds of "taubsucht". Three main principles of etiology are documented and characterized as "theological-ethical", "elemental-sidereal", and "alchemistical". Contrary to today's preferred "descriptive" approach the main principle of Paracelsian classification is seen as "etiological-dimensional". Seven etiologic dimensions are described. Hierarchical correspondences between these dimensions are investigated. The seven dimensions are characterized as: a) Elemental influences (incorporation of psychotropic substances) b) Firmamental-sidereal influences (astrological and astronomical emanations) c) Spiritual influences (spirits deranging man's mind) d) Alchemistical ("chemical") influences e) Secondary diseases (caused by some pre-existing disorder) f) Intrinsic ethical and moral dispositions as the final cause of disorders (theological-ethical view) g) Heredity. By evaluating the paradigmatic aspects of Hohenheims nosological approach, differences with today's mainstream-views of psychiatry are seen in the field of "invisible" (spiritual and transcendental), "etiological-dimensional" explanations for the derangement of the mind (see b, c, f). Potential similarities are considered in the field of "visible" (materialistic), dimensions (see a, d, e, g). It is concluded that Hohenheim

[The therapeutics of Paracelsus with reference to natural philosophy, alchemy and psychology].

PubMed

Schott, H

1993-01-01

The controversial reception of Paracelsus is still going on. The crucial question is whether he is a man of the Middle Ages or of modern times. It is not possible to give a simple answer. We have to study the writings of Paracelsus within the scientific and cultural context of the Renaissance. This period is characterized by a new concept of natural philosophy. The theory of signature tries to read or translate certain constellations within the natural environment as a secret code. The idea of a sympathetic correspondence between natural bodies or substances implies the possibility of magical healing. A wellknown example is the preparation of the 'weapon salve'. There are two realities of spiritual powers at the same time: demons from the outside of the human body and powers of the mind from its inside which influence the body functions. The natural philosophy of the Renaissance tries to 'naturalize' the demons as a complement of matter. Paracelsus reflects the ideas of his time. The human being has got two bodies: a visible one which belongs to earth and an invisible one which belongs to heaven. The 'philosopher' as a pharmacist and a doctor has to detect the invisible body corresponding with the celestial world (stars, planets) by analysing the manifest astrological signs. The alchemical preparation of remedies has to purify the specific healing substances ('arcana') from the crude material. The pharmacist and doctor just imitates artificially the quasi alchemical metabolic process of nature itself continuing and finishing it. Paracelsus' concept of imagination ('imaginatio') implies a psychosomatic model how far spiritual powers can influence the body functions. Paracelsus stresses radically the importance of suggestions as a source of illness. The synchronical concepts are confusing today. Knowledge and superstition, scientific rationality and irrational speculations come together and can hardly be separated. Nevertheless, at the end of the 20th century we may

Applied Historical Astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stephenson, F. Richard

2014-01-01

F. Richard Stephenson has spent most of his research career -- spanning more than 45 years -- studying various aspects of Applied Historical Astronomy. The aim of this interdisciplinary subject is the application of historical astronomical records to the investigation of problems in modern astronomy and geophysics. Stephenson has almost exclusively concentrated on pre-telescopic records, especially those preserved from ancient and medieval times -- the earliest reliable observations dating from around 700 BC. The records which have mainly interested him are of eclipses (both solar and lunar), supernovae, sunspots and aurorae, and Halley's Comet. The main sources of early astronomical data are fourfold: records from ancient and medieval East Asia (China, together with Korea and Japan); ancient Babylon; ancient and medieval Europe; and the medieval Arab world. A feature of Stephenson's research is the direct consultation of early astronomical texts in their original language -- either working unaided or with the help of colleagues. He has also developed a variety of techniques to help interpret the various observations. Most pre-telescopic observations are very crude by present-day standards. In addition, early motives for skywatching were more often astrological rather than scientific. Despite these drawbacks, ancient and medieval astronomical records have two remarkable advantages over modern data. Firstly, they can enable the investigation of long-term trends (e.g. in the terrestrial rate of rotation), which in the relatively short period covered by telescopic observations are obscured by short-term fluctuations. Secondly, over the lengthy time-scale which they cover, significant numbers of very rare events (such as Galactic supernovae) were reported, which have few -- if any-- counterparts in the telescopic record. In his various researches, Stephenson has mainly focused his attention on two specific topics. These are: (i) long-term changes in the Earth's rate of

Ransom, Religion, and Red Giants: C.S. Lewis and Fred Hoyle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Larsen, Kristine

2010-01-01

Famed fantasy writer C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) was known to friends as a well-read astronomy aficionado. However, this medieval scholar and Christian apologist embraced a pre-Copernican universe (with its astrological overtones) in his Chronicles of Narnia series and defended the beauty and relevance of the geocentric model in his final academic work, "The Discarded Image". In the "Ransom Trilogy” ("Out of the Silent Planet", "Perelandra", and "That Hideous Strength") philologist Ransom (loosely based on Lewis's close friend J.R.R. Tolkien) travels to Lewis's visions of Mars and Venus, where he interacts with intelligent extraterrestrials, battles with evil scientists, and aids in the continuation of extraterrestrial Christian values. In the final book, Ransom is joined by a handful of colleagues in open warfare against the satanic N.I.C.E. (National Institute for Coordinated Experiments). Geneticist and evolutionary biologist J.B.S. Haldane criticized Lewis for his scientifically inaccurate descriptions of the planets, and his disdain for the scientific establishment. Lewis responded to the criticism in essays of his own. Another of Lewis's favorite scientific targets was atheist Fred Hoyle, whom he openly criticized for anti-Christian statements in Hoyle's BBC radio series. Writer and Lewis friend Dorothy L. Sayers voiced her own criticism of Hoyle. In a letter, Lewis dismissed Hoyle as "not a great philosopher (and none of my scientific colleagues think much of him as a scientist.” Given Lewis's lack of respect for Hoyle, and use of creative license in describing the planets, and the flat-earth, "geocentric” Narnia, it is surprising that Lewis very carefully includes an astronomically correct description of red giants in two novels in the Narnia series ("The Magician's Nephew" and "The Last Battle"). This inclusion is even more curious given that Fred Hoyle is well-known as one of the pioneers in the field of stellar death and the properties of red giants.

[Seasonal and periodic rhythms of infectious diseases (author's transl)].

PubMed

Knorr, M; Schadewaldt, H

1979-03-01

The causes of epidemics are plainly not the pathogens alone as was initially assumed by Koch's school, predisposition and constitution of the population proved to be equally important. Ever since ancient times problems linked with the "constitutio epidemica" have been topical; the "physis", the "natura hominis" and the invironment of man play an increasingly important role in the symptomatology of disease, as can be gathered from such early documents as the "Corpus hippocraticum". Fracastoro distinguished between contagious and non-contagious epidemics. The casual organisms were considered to be miasmas -- noxious emanations -- or "contagia" i.e. likewise toxic substances. Questions concerning the origin of these miasmas turned attention to the environment (air, soil, water) and even led to astrological medicine. Not until the Renaissance were attempts made to differentiate the usual global words for epidemic, such as "loimos", "lues" and "pestis" with the result that a symptom was used more and more to designate a disease. For example, the symptom fever led to the designation "three-day fever" or "four-day fever", "typhus fever". This terminology made a differential diagnosis difficult to establish, thwarted selection measures to check epidemics and the medical world was thus helpless in explaining the causal agents and the phenomena of epidemics. This is illustrated by some epidemiological examples (ergotism, scurvy, yellow fever, English sweat, diphtheria and malaria). In this connection the "morbus novus", the transformation of the pathogen and the change of the pathogen is discussed. Many questions still left unanswered regarding the seasonal incidence, the fluctuation and disappearance of epidemics over decades or even centuries lead more frequently to sociomedical considerations with respect to the victims of epidemics, their predisposition, constitution and environment exposure term "hospital gangrene" with the modern term "hospitalism", we are not dealing

Cetacean beachings correlate with geomagnetic disturbances in Earth's magnetosphere: an example of how astronomical changes impact the future of life

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferrari, Thomas E.

2017-04-01

The beaching and stranding of whales and dolphins around the world has been mystifying scientists for centuries. Although many theories have been proposed, few are substantiated by unequivocal statistical evidence. Advances in the field of animal magnetoreception have established that many organisms, including cetaceans, have an internal `compass,' which they use for orientation when traveling long distances. Astrobiology involves not only the origin and distribution of life in the universe, but also the scientific study of how extraterrestrial conditions affect evolution of life on planet Earth. The focus of this study is how cetacean life is influenced by disturbances in its environment that originate from an astrological phenomenon - in the present study that involves solar flares and cetacean beachings. Solar storms are caused by major coronal eruptions on the Sun. Upon reaching Earth, they cause disturbances in Earth's normally stable magnetosphere. Unable to follow an accurate magnetic bearing under such circumstances, cetaceans lose their compass reading while travelling and, depending on their juxtaposition and nearness to land, eventually beach themselves. (1) This hypothesis was supported by six separate, independent surveys of beachings: (A) in the Mediterranean Sea, (B) the northern Gulf of Mexico, (C) the east and (D) west coasts of the USA and two surveys (E and F) from around the world. When the six surveys were pooled (1614 strandings), a highly significant correlation (R 2 = 0.981) of when strandings occurred with when major geomagnetic disturbances in Earth's magnetosphere occurred was consistent with this hypothesis. (2) Whale and dolphin strandings in the northern Gulf of Mexico and the east coast of the USA were correlated (R 2 = 0.919, R 2 = 0.924) with the number of days before and after a geomagnetic storm. (3) Yearly strandings were correlated with annual geomagnetic storm days. (4) Annual beachings of cetaceans from 1998 to 2012 were

India's mission to Mars cost less than the movie Gravity: Multidimensional View in Engineering Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rani, Meenu; Kumar, Pawan; Vandana, Vandana

2016-07-01

Over the years, Mars has been the centre of attraction for science fiction writers, Hollywood movie makers, astrologers, astronomers and the scientific community. For scientists and technologists, Mars continues to be an enigma. This is essentially because even tough humans have dreamt for long about human colonisation of Mars. Indian space programme had a very humble beginning during the early 1960s. India launched its first satellite in 1975 with assistance from the erstwhile USSR. India achieved the status of space-faring nation2 by 1980, and by the end of 2014 has launched around 75 satellites. India has become the first nation to reach Mars on its maiden attempt after its Mars Orbiter Mission completed its 10-month journey and successfully entered the Red Planet's orbit. The Mars Orbiter Mission, a low-cost 74 million project, blasted off from Earth on November 5, 2013, aboard an Indian Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. At its initial stage, the rocket booster placed the probe into Earth's orbit before the craft fired the engines to break free of Earth's gravity en route to Mars. This is India's first mission into such deep space to search for evidence of life on the Red Planet. But the mission's primary objective is technological-if successful, the country will be joining an elite club of nations: the United States, Russia and Europe. India is becoming known for low-cost innovation in diverse fields such as healthcare and education. The technological capability being demonstrated and the knowledge gained from the operations of the mission will be invaluable in future developments and also in the training of the flight operations and mission control staff. All of this capability can be carried forward to future launches and operations. The sustained presence of methane observed by previous missions suggests that an active production mechanism is at work, most likely tectonic in nature, although there are some suggestions that it may point to a biological origin

Arnaldo Da Villanova medieval physician (1235-1311). A first approach.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Biagio; Ricciardi, Elisabetta; Ricciardi, Carlo Alberto

2016-02-01

Arnaldo de Villanova, was a Catalan Physician, born in Villanova de Grau, a suburb of Valencia - Spain about 1235. He died off the coast of Genoa in 1311 during a sea voyage departing from Messina in Sicily, during a diplomatic mission by Pope Clement V in Avignon on orders by the King of Sicily. He was a so famous and clever scientist of the thirteenth century, to give his name to the Universitary Hospital of Montpellier - France. His interests ranged from theology, to politics, medicine, and anymore alchemy. He was an adviser and physician of Kings of Aragon, like Peter III the Great (1276-1285) and James II the Right (1285-1327), of Robert of Angi (1309-1343) of Naples, and of Popes, like Innocenzo V (1276), Bonifacio VIII (1294-1303), Benedetto XI (1303-1304), Clemente V (1305-1314), and of the King of Sicily Federico II of Aragon (1296-1337). For the Pope Bonifacio VIII, suffering from renal colic due to kidney stones, he prescribed Hydrotherapy with Fiuggi Thermal water, that was specially transported for him from its source to Rome and Anagni, in jars wrapped in coarse carpets or wool fabrics, to better maintain the source temperature. In addition in July of 1301, he also produced an astrological seal (Talisman) made of gold loaded of virtues, obtained exposing the seal to the power of the Sun, in those days in the Leo Constellation. This seal was worn by the Pope in an hernial belt of leather to support the kidney,probably to improve hisnephroptosis. Arnaldo produced this seal according to what was described in the book Picatrix - The goal of the wise of the Arabic astronomer and alchemist "Abū l-Qāsim Maslama b.- Ahmad al-Majriti, known with the pseudonym Ghayat al hakim died in Cordova about 1008. Ten years later, after his mysterious death at sea on a Sicilian royal ship, his body was not buried at sea, but was reported in Sicily and buried in the Federician Castle of Montalbano of Elicona at the end of Peloritans Mountains near Milazzo, about 90 km

The stars, the moon, and the shadowed earth: Viennese astronomy in the fifteenth century

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Byrne, James Steven

This dissertation is a study of astronomy at the University of Vienna from the beginning of the fifteenth century through the career of Johannes Regiomontanus (d. 1476), the university's most celebrated astronomer. Regiomontanus and his mentor Georg Peurbach (d. 1461) established a framework for the practice of astronomy, including the linkage of cosmology to astronomy, attempts to correct the errors and ambiguities of the medieval astronomical tradition, a renewed interest in Ptolemy's Almagest , and a program of observations intended as a basis for the reform of planetary tables and models, that remained in place for the more celebrated astronomical achievements of the following century. This study traces the roots of this framework to astronomical teaching at the University of Vienna in the first half of the fifteenth century, as well as its expansion by Regiomontanus as he moved from Vienna to Italy, Hungary, and Germany. Chapter One provides background for the reader unfamiliar with medieval, Ptolemaic astronomy, and also argues that the shift described in the next chapter was, in part, motivated by astrological concerns. Chapter Two demonstrates that, by the middle of the fifteenth century, Viennese astronomy had come to incorporate a significant element of Aristotelian cosmology. Chapter Three examines fourteenth- and fifteenth-century responses to the Theorica planetarum , the most common astronomical teaching text at medieval universities, arguing that university astronomers were capable of identifying and addressing problems with the Theorica in a sophisticated manner. Chapter Four argues that the seemingly contradictory aspects of Regiomontanus's astronomical career can be understood as all contributing to a program of reform that encompassed both the correction of astronomical tables on the basis of new and comprehensive observations as well as the construction of homocentric planetary models to replace the venerable Ptolemaic system. Chapter Five shows

Comets, meteors, and eclipses: Art and science in early Renaissance Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, R. J. M.; Pasachoff, J. M.

2002-11-01

We discuss eight trecento (fourteenth century) paintings containing depictions of astronomical events to reveal the revolutionary advances made in both astronomy and naturalistic painting in early Renaissance Italy, noting that an artistic interest in naturalism predisposed these pioneering painters to make their scientific observations. In turn, the convincing representations of their observations of astronomical phenomena in works of art rendered their paintings more believable, convincing. Padua was already a renowned center for mathematics and nascent astronomy (which was separating from astrology) when Enrico Scrovegni commissioned the famous Florentine artist Giotto di Bondone to decorate his lavish family chapel (circa 1301-1303). Giotto painted a flaming comet in lieu of the traditional Star of Bethlehem in the Adoration of the Magi scene. Moreover, he painted a historical apparition that he recently had observed with a great accuracy even by modern standards. Halley's Comet of 1301 (Olson, 1979). While we do not know the identity of the artist's theological advisor, we discuss the possibility that Pietro d'Abano, the Paduan medical doctor and "astronomer" who wrote on comets, might have been influential. We also compare Giotto's blazing comet with two others painted by the artist's shop in San Francesco at Assisi (before 1316) and account for the differences. In addition, we discuss Giotto's pupil, Taddeo Gaddi, reputed to have been partially blinded by a solar eclipse, whose calamity may find expression in his frescoes in Santa Croce, Florence (1328-30; 1338?). Giotto also influenced the Sienese painter Pietro Lorenzetti, two of whose Passion cycle frescoes at Assisi (1316-20) contain dazzling meteor showers that reveal the artist's observed astronomical phenomena, such as the "radiant" effect of meteor showers, first recorded by Alexander von Humboldt in 1799 and only accepted in the nineteenth century. Lorenzetti also painted sporadic, independent

[History of the tuning fork. I: Invention of the tuning fork, its course in music and natural sciences. Pictures from the history of otorhinolaryngology, presented by instruments from the collection of the Ingolstadt German Medical History Museum].

PubMed

Feldmann, H

1997-02-01

G. Cardano, physician, mathematician, and astrologer in Pavia, Italy, in 1550 described how sound may be perceived through the skull. A few years later H. Capivacci, also a physician in Padua, realized that this phenomenon might be used as a diagnostic tool for differentiating between hearing disorders located either in the middle ear or in the acoustic nerve. The German physician G. C. Schelhammer in 1684 was the first to use a common cutlery fork in further developing the experiments initiated by Cardano and Capivacci. For a long time to come, however, there was no demand for this in practical otology. The tuning fork was invented in 1711 by John Shore, trumpeter and lutenist to H. Purcell and G.F. Händel in London. A picture of Händel's own tuning fork, probably the oldest tuning fork in existence, is presented here for the first time. There are a number of anecdotes connected with the inventor of the tuning fork, using plays on words involving the name Shore, and mixing up pitch-pipe and pitchfork. Some of these are related here. The tuning fork as a musical instrument soon became a success throughout Europe. The German physicist E. F. F. Chladni in Wittenberg around 1800 was the first to systematically investigate the mode of vibration of the tuning fork with its nodal points. Besides this, he and others tried to construct a complete musical instrument based on sets of tuning forks, which, however, were not widely accepted. J. H. Scheibler in Germany in 1834 presented a set of 54 tuning forks covering the range from 220 Hz to 440 Hz, at intervals of 4 Hz. J. Lissajous in Paris constructed a very elaborate tuning fork with a resonance box, which was intended to represent the international standard of the musical note A with 435 vibrations per second, but this remained controversial. K. R. Koenig, a German physicist living in Paris, invented a tuning fork which was kept in continuous vibration by a clockwork. H. Helmholtz, physiologist in Heidelberg, in 1863

The science of the stars in Danzig from Rheticus to Hevelius

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jensen, Derek

This dissertation asks how civic institutions (the city council and the academic gymnasium), socio-economic structures (civic and private patronage) and religion and civic ideals in the city of Danzig shaped creative thought about the science of the stars during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Reciprocally, it looks at how the use of scientific knowledge created distinctive representations of the city both as it appeared to its own citizens and as it was presented to others outside of the city walls. By employing a variety of sources, including Latin texts, printed prognostications, astrological and astronomical pamphlets, handwritten marginalia, German poetry, artwork (both printed illustrations and freestanding pieces), travelers' accounts, personal correspondence and funeral sermons, I explore how those who lived in Danzig represented their observations of the stars. While concentrating on Danzig, the dissertation compares and contrasts experiences in Danzig to other places. Examples of comparisons are those in chapters 1 and 4, which compare systems of courtly patronage found in other European cities with systems of civic and private patronage found in Danzig. Chapter 2 considers the books of Peter Crüger (1580-1639), professor of mathematics and poetry in the Danzig gymnasium, and his concern to remain within the bounds of correct Lutheran doctrine. He wrote at a time when Lutherans held powerful positions within city government and in the administration of the gymnasium. In chapter 3, I focus on the writings of Peter Crüger's pupil, Andreas Gryphius (1616-1664). Gryphius later became a celebrated German poet and statesman. Understanding his stay in Danzig and his studies under Crüger, I argue, are vital to understanding his poetry, plays and prose. Chapters 5 through 7 concentrate on another of Crüger's students, namely, Johannes Hevelius (1611-1687). Chapter 5 studies Hevelius's first major publication, Selenographia (1647) and argues that

Comets, Meteors, and Eclipses: Art and Science in Early Renaissance Italy (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Olson, R. J. M.; Pasachoff, J. M.

1999-09-01

We discuss several topics relating artists and their works with actual astronomical events in early Renaissance Italy to reveal the revolutionary advances made in both astronomy and naturalistic painting. Padua, where Galileo would eventually hold a chair at the University, was already by the fourteenth century (trecento) a renowned center for mathematics and nascent astronomy (which was separating from astrology). It is no wonder that when Enrico Scrovegni commissioned the famous Florentine artist Giotto di Bondone to decorate his lavish family chapel (c. 1303) that in the scene of the Adoration of the Magi Giotto painted a flaming comet in lieu of the traditional Star of Bethlehem. Moreover, he painted an historical apparition he recently had observed with a great understanding of its scientific structure: Halley's Comet of 1301 (since Olson's first publication of this idea in Scientific American we have expanded the argument in several articles and talks). While we do not know the identity of the artist's theological advisor, we discuss the possibility that Pietro d'Abano, the Paduan medical doctor and ``astronomer" who wrote on comets, might have been influential. We also compare Giotto's blazing comet with two others painted by the artist's shop in San Francesco at Assisi (before 1316) and account for the differences. In addition, we tackle the question how Giotto's pupil, Taddeo Gaddi, who is documented as having been partially blinded by lengthy unprotected observation of the partial phase of an annular solar eclipse, reflects his observations in his frescoes in Santa Croce, Florence (1328-30). Giotto also influenced the Sienese painter Pietro Lorenzetti, two of whose Passion cycle frescoes at Assisi (1316-20), contain dazzling meteor showers that hold important symbolic meanings in the cyle's argument but more importantly reveal that the artist observed astronomical phenomena, such as the ``radiant" effect, which was first recorded by Alexander von Humboldt

Problems of the Modern Romanian Astronomy: TELEROM

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grigore, Valentin; Minti, Harry; Vaduvescu, Ovidiu

2011-06-01

Cercetare") the TELEROM project was finally rejected and its funding was lost, after 10 months of discussions and granted funding! Other problems, such as the proliferation of the astrology between Romanian professional astronomers, a reduced weight of physicists between Romanian professional astronomers in comparison with mathematicians, as well as very reduced issue from the professional Romanian astronomers in international journals in the last years and the intellectual theft of publications have been also discussed in this 4 TV series presented by the weekly astronomy show "We and the Sky" of Columna TV (in Romanian).

Syphilis in art: an entertainment in four parts. Part 1.

PubMed Central

Morton, R S

1990-01-01

It is widely recognised that the history of art reveals the contemporary attitudes of societies and artists to changing patterns of social and sexual behaviour. This collection of artistic creations shows that representations of syphilis in art, over more than five centuries, are consistent with this view. The first quarter century of the morbus gallicus in Europe, starting in 1493, coincided with the spread of Renaissance influence, including printing. A host of pamphlets with woodcut illustrations reflected public alarm at the epidemic proportions and severity of the new disease, with its disabling and sometimes deadly consequences. Also revealed in these early works are the astrological and theological beliefs of disease causation as well as identifiable and serious attempts at public education. These twinned themes of understanding and educational endeavour recur together throughout the centuries and take many forms as man attempts to outline and influence attitudes and so improve his medico-social health. Attitudes to causation changed with experience so that by the beginning of the 17th century the morbus gallicus is no longer a mere contagion but recognised socially and represented artistically, as a morbus venereus. Its clinical presentation had changed remarkably from the alarming early days; and so too had its prevalence--from epidemic to endemic proportions. We find that the artists of both the 16th and 17th centuries, while somewhat reticent about syphilis, are nonetheless at pains to suggest that sex is not without its serious side effects. Their artistic exhortations suggest women as the source of the disease, so that we find Venus shown as both ideal love and the source of contamination. Such attitudes contrast strikingly with what follows. The 18th century is characterised by the sophisticated elements of European societies taking an irreverent or satirical view of sex and syphilis. In England this is reflected in the works of Hogarth and other

Uncommon Sense - The Heretical Nature of Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cromer, Alan

1995-08-01

Most people believe that science arose as a natural end-product of our innate intelligence and curiosity, as an inevitable stage in human intellectual development. But physicist and educator Alan Cromer disputes this belief. Cromer argues that science is not the natural unfolding of human potential, but the invention of a particular culture, Greece, in a particular historical period. Indeed, far from being natural, scientific thinking goes so far against the grain of conventional human thought that if it hadn't been discovered in Greece, it might not have been discovered at all.In Uncommon Sense , Alan Cromer develops the argument that science represents a radically new and different way of thinking. Using Piaget's stages of intellectual development, he shows that conventional thinking remains mired in subjective, "egocentric" ways of looking at the world--most people even today still believe in astrology, ESP, UFOs, ghosts and other paranormal phenomena--a mode of thought that science has outgrown. He provides a fascinating explanation of why science began in Greece, contrasting the Greek practice of debate to the Judaic reliance on prophets for acquiring knowledge. Other factors, such as a maritime economy and wandering scholars (both of which prevented parochialism) and an essentially literary religion not dominated by priests, also promoted in Greece an objective, analytical way of thinking not found elsewhere in the ancient world. He examines India and China and explains why science could not develop in either country. In China, for instance, astronomy served only the state, and the private study of astronomy was forbidden. Cromer also provides a perceptive account of science in Renaissance Europe and of figures such as Copernicus, Galileo, and Newton. Along the way, Cromer touches on many intriguing topics, arguing, for instance, that much of science is essential complete; there are no new elements yet to be discovered. He debunks the vaunted SETI (Search for

The site of the Varian Temple of Elagabal in Rome: topographical and astronomical approach to the question

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Arrizabalaga y Prado, L.; de La Fuente Marcos, R.

2005-03-01

Ancient historians refer to a temple in Rome, dedicated to the Syrian sun god Elagabal, by his high priest, the Roman emperor called Varius (204-222AD, commonly called Elagabalus or Heliogabalus). On the basis of their texts, it has been thought that Varius either built a new temple, or rededicated an existing one, expropriated from some other deity, in order to house his god's principal cult object: a large black meteorite, or baetyl, which Varius brought from its temple at Emesa, in Syria, to Rome. In this paper we analyze the hypothesis that the site of the Varian Temple of Elagabal may have been that now known as the Vigna Barberini. A stratigraphic analysis shows that the Vigna Barberini is an artificial platform, built on the rubble of earlier hillside structures, dating from prehistoric times to the Julio-Claudian period. The platform, with more or less its present shape, is of Flavian date, and at that time contained a portico surrounding a central garden. On top of these, a Severan level corresponds to the base of the foundations of a temple that are very solid and go very deep. The azimuth of the temple wall oriented south-east is about 113°. Using a computer program, we have thoroughly scan ned the night sky in AD 1-250, looking for celestial objects that may have been worshipped in the temple. After taking into account the effects of precession, the main candidate for a celestial body worshipped from this site appears to be the star Sirius. In several Mediterranean cultures, the heliacal ortus, or earliest pre-dawn sighting of Sirius (when Sirius again rises into visibility after being hidden by the Sun's light for about 70 days) was thought to have astrological significance. We have compiled the relevant astronomical data for the heliacal ortus of Sirius in the time span 0-250 AD. During that period of time, it falls between 18th and 20th July. The azimuth angle of Sirius, when rising on the heliacal ortus day ci rca 150 AD, is about 111°. Being

Syphilis in art: an entertainment in four parts. Part 1.

PubMed

Morton, R S

1990-02-01

It is widely recognised that the history of art reveals the contemporary attitudes of societies and artists to changing patterns of social and sexual behaviour. This collection of artistic creations shows that representations of syphilis in art, over more than five centuries, are consistent with this view. The first quarter century of the morbus gallicus in Europe, starting in 1493, coincided with the spread of Renaissance influence, including printing. A host of pamphlets with woodcut illustrations reflected public alarm at the epidemic proportions and severity of the new disease, with its disabling and sometimes deadly consequences. Also revealed in these early works are the astrological and theological beliefs of disease causation as well as identifiable and serious attempts at public education. These twinned themes of understanding and educational endeavour recur together throughout the centuries and take many forms as man attempts to outline and influence attitudes and so improve his medico-social health. Attitudes to causation changed with experience so that by the beginning of the 17th century the morbus gallicus is no longer a mere contagion but recognised socially and represented artistically, as a morbus venereus. Its clinical presentation had changed remarkably from the alarming early days; and so too had its prevalence--from epidemic to endemic proportions. We find that the artists of both the 16th and 17th centuries, while somewhat reticent about syphilis, are nonetheless at pains to suggest that sex is not without its serious side effects. Their artistic exhortations suggest women as the source of the disease, so that we find Venus shown as both ideal love and the source of contamination. Such attitudes contrast strikingly with what follows. The 18th century is characterised by the sophisticated elements of European societies taking an irreverent or satirical view of sex and syphilis. In England this is reflected in the works of Hogarth and other

Aerosol radiative effects and their trends under clear-sky situations over Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartok, Blanka

2017-04-01

In the literature great uncertainties ca be found regarding radiative effects of aerosols on the energy budget of the atmosphere (IPCC, 2013). In the study the aerosols radiative effects on clear-sky solar radiation are quantified over Europe using empirical and physical modelling approaches. The values of aerosol radiation effect are determined by the MAGIC radiation code. In the first run clear-sky radiation is calculated integrating KINEE/MPI/Aerocom aerosol climatology and ERA-INTERIM water vapour multiannual monthly means. In the next run the clear-sky radiation are also calculated ignoring aerosol data (adjusted to 0) from the algorithm. Both runs were carried out for each months of the year, taking into account the varying astrological factors. The difference between the aerosol-included and aerosol-free clear-sky radiation is equal to the absolute aerosol radiative effect in W/m2. The annual mean of the surface aerosol radiative effects in clear-sky situations over Europe is -7.1 ± 2.9 W/m2, high values are representing the central part of the continent and the Mediterranean Basin. Furthermore the trends of the aerosol radiative effects are also determined for the period of 2001-2012. First a linear fitting is elaborated between the aerosol optical depth (AOT) built in the MAGIC code and its aerosol radiative effect calculated by the code. Next, based on these linear functions a radiative effect values are assigned to each monthly AOT500 value available from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Terra Level-3 experiment. In this way a new dataset of aerosol radiative effect for the period of 2001-2012 has been created. Beside of this approach the changes in aerosol radiative effects are also calculated based on ground-based clear-sky radiation trends. This approach is used as a validation of the method applied in earlier stage, mainly for the linear fitting. The starting point of this approach is to elaborate the trends of clear

BOOK REVIEW: Tycho Brahe and Prague: Crossroads of European Science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterken, C.; Christianson, J. R.; Hadravová, A.; Hadrava, P.; Solc, M.

2003-01-01

The 16th volume of the Acta Historica Astronomiae is the Proceedings of the International Symposium on the History of Science in the Rudolphine Period. The meeting was held in Prague from 22 to 25 October 2001, on the 400th anniversary of Tycho's sudden death, and was attended by approximately 65 scientists and historians. The volume contains 36 contributions dealing with the life and work of Tycho Brahe, the astronomy of the era, and many cultural aspects of Rudolphine Prague. One of the first papers is an eye-opener on the fact that Tycho Brahe was a cosmologically-driven observer. This is followed by a very illuminating paper on gender roles in science in the late 16th century, with emphasis on the role of Sophie Brahe, Tycho's youngest sister. Several subsequent papers reveal the existence of barely known links between Tycho and his contemporaneous colleagues. These extremely-well documented papers also deal with the broader philosophical investigation he was involved in, viz. meteorology, medicine, astrology, alchemy and even theology. Important names of Tycho's days are Petrus Severinus, Johannes Pratensis, Theophrastus Paracelsus, John Craig, Ursus (Nicolai Reymers Baer) etc. Very illuminating is the information on the relations between Tycho and the Jesuits in Prague, explaining the reason why this order was very supportive of the Tychonic cosmological model. The relationsship with Kepler, and also Kepler's observational activities (after Tycho's death) are highlighted as well as the hideous mode of communication between Galileo and Kepler. More than one paper deals with the accuracy and precision of Tycho's observations, and the causal impact of this accuracy on the scientific revolution. Another study discusses the study of Tycho's handwriting, this paper brings the aditional bonus of a list of accessible works which contain notes by him. One very interesting project was Brahe's proposal to the Republic of Venice to determine the exact latitudes of

The religious and social principles of patients' rights in holy books (Avesta, Torah, Bible, and Quran) and in traditional medicine.

PubMed

Hatami, Hossein; Hatami, Maryam; Hatami, Neda

2013-03-01

Health protection and promotion in healthy people and restoring patients' health have been the most important themes in medicine and health throughout our history. Therefore, discussion of different aspects of patients' rights includes implementation of these objectives by the medical community, including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, etc., and the people in charge of health affairs. The principal objective of our research is the study of medical ideology and the approaches of our ancestors in relation to different aspects of patients' rights. To study the different ideologies of traditional medicine in relation to patients' rights, appropriate data were extracted from the original resources of traditional medicine and from religious books. By means of library research we studied these resources in addition to electronic versions of the Alhavi book (by Rhazes), the Kamel-al-Sanaah (by Ahvazi), the Canon of Medicine (by Avicenna), the Zakhireye Khawrazmshahi (by Jorjani), the Avesta, the Torah, the Bible, the Quran, and many other resources, and, finally, after searching, gathering, and encoding the findings, analyzed them qualitatively for thematic content. The holy Avesta book clearly insists on the competence of physicians and setting the appointment fee in accordance with peoples' income. The Old Testament (holy Torah) warned government officials who did not observe patients' rights. In the four gospels (holy Bible) the importance of treatment and taking care of the patient is stressed. After the emergence of Islam, medical students, before beginning the principal courses, had to study Islamic jurisprudence, ethics, logic sciences, natural sciences, geometry, astrology, calculus, and similar courses so that after purifying their soul they could enter the saintly profession of physicians. The holy Quran refers to saving the life of a human irrespective of social class, race, and religion, and insists on exemption of patients from physical activity, including

Ancient cults of the sun (German Title: Antike Sonnenkulte)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, Rahlf

In ancient astronomy, the heliocentric system of Aristarchus of Samos did not meet universal approval. Contrary to that, the cult of the sun gained immense importance in the Roman Empire. Relics of this significance we still find e.g. in the meaning of the Sunday in the week and in the date of Christmas. The rise of the sun cults is characterised by the merging of different gods from various cultures. Already in classical Greece the god of the sun, Helios, almagated with the god of light, Apollo. The resulting entity was regarded as the harmonic guide of the visible universe, symbolized by Apoll. As well as he plays the lyre, he conducts the cosmos harmonically as the sun. Plato recommends to politicians to study musical harmonics and astronomy in order to get a feeling of the right way to rule the state. In consequence to the conquests of Alexander the Great, the Babylonian star religion was mingled with Greek cosmology and the concept of transmigration of souls. The astrology resulting therefrom spread out over the whole Hellenistic world and was very common in the Roman Empire. The calendar with its religious division of time as the days of the week, following the principle of the gods of the planets governing the hour, was well known. The god of the sun was graded up by the adoption of the calendar of the sun from Egypt by Caesar. Augustus chose Apoll as his guardian god and built with “his” sundial a symbol of the god of the sun, which was visible from a long distance. Augustus used more astral symbols as propaganda of leadership. During the competition with the Parthians, another large empire, for world domination the focus fell on an Iranian god: the Iranian god of light and contract - Mithras. Shortly before 100 A.D., a new cult of mysteries arose in the Roman Empire, called cult of Mithras, and spread quickly. It combined the attributes of a classical sun-god with a religion of salvation, guaranteed by baptism, communion and seven degrees to be passed

Signing off

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2001-07-01

Widget Jones's Highgate science week diary Saturday 17 March Alcohol units 20 (but all went up in flames—what a waste!), smoke—lots (but none from cigarettes!) (g. though possible concern about passive inhaling) Who needs a hangover when you've got crazy Highgate School chemist 'Zbig' Szydlo launching Science Week with exploding potato crisp cartons! Looks like that liquid nitrogen stuff might be good for chilling the Chardonnay though. Memo to self: buy earplugs next year and go with Shazzer so don't suffer embarrassment of grabbing hold of complete stranger during scary bits! Must take sunglasses too for big flash at the end—must admit Hydro Gin is a brand I've not come across, but sounds v.g. Monday 19 March Alcohol units 2 (fizzy wine at opening ceremony for refurbished Physics Department!), smoke—lots again (but all from Trevor's pipe!) Big coup as Trevor Baylis turned up to speak about inventing the clockwork radio. Not sure I'd have strength or coordination to wind one up before breakfast—would need to find environmentally aware boyfriend with healthy liver and strong wrist. We all proved weakest links when it came to the 'name a woman inventor' quiz—Trev was so right when he said that men don't realize that girls with great legs can have good ideas as well! But then went on to say that even the blokes often end up penniless and destined —like me the way things are going—to be discovered half eaten by Alsatians a couple of weeks after snuffing it in a lonely bedsit. Thursday 22 MarchAlcohol units 0 (but the first event was at 9 o'clock in the morning!), smoke—none (couldn't persuade any of the pupils to give me one!), endangered species saved: 1 (v.v.g. indeed) Lured by promise of 'live astrology in the classroom' I staggered out of bed at an ungodly hour hoping to find that my Venus was ascendant and Mark Darcy and I would be aligned soon. Initially disappointed to discover that it was in fact astronomy on the breakfast menu via a remotely

Perrault's experiments, a matter of soil hydrology and epistemology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barontini, Stefano; Berta, Andrea; Settura, Matteo

2017-04-01

to misinterpretate the experiments by a physical point of view. As his interpretation of the experiments did not corroborate the hypothesis that precipitation might be at the origin of all the springs, it accepted one of the forms of the traditional scheme of water circulation. According to it, greatly productive springs should be sustained by evaporation and condensation processes taking place below the soil surface. Even if Perrault's conclusions went in the direction of the ancient opinion, not only De l'origine des fontaines is a seminal work of experimental hydrology, but also it can be regarded to as a milestone of scientific revolution. In his critique of both ancient (e.g. Aristotle) and modern scholars (e.g. Nicolas Papin) he makes use of principles drawn by the works of Bacon, Galilei and Pascal. Stating that "the first and most usual maxim of our moderns is to doubt everything", he shows deep awareness of the specific essence of scientific modernity. Moreover his rejection of alchemy, analogical reasoning and astrological influences arises from the conviction that "it is to experiments that we owe the finest knowledge we now have concerning the things of nature". According to this perspective, despite of all the difficulties of the soil-hydrologic laboratory practice, Perrault was nevertheless able to report his experiments in terms that we can properly reproduce nowadays.

TYCHO Brahe's Empiric Methods, His Instruments, His Sudden Escape from Denmark and a New Theory About His Death

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thykier, C.

1992-07-01

by the young new King Christian IV. Almost all of Tycho Brahe's privileges given to him by the late King Frederik II were taken from him. Shortly after that, he gathered his family and assistants and went to Rostock, from where he wrote a letter to Christian IV saying that he would contemplate returning to Denmark if the king would give him back his privileges. Christian very sternly answered the astronomer that if he should hope to return to Denmark he had to act like a servant. Tycho was too proud to go down to his knees for the king and never returned. So the reason for Tycho's acceptance of the invitation by Emperor Rudolf to come to Prague was that Christian IV would not continue the very considerable financial support to Tycho of about one percentage of the state income. The latest historical research has indicated that a "camarilla" of enemies stood behind Christian IV's aversion against Tycho. Tycho was not merely an astronomer, but also an astrologer and alchemist. As far as we know he never tried to make gold; his alchemic experiments were of medical character. This was not legal without permission from the Church and the University. Both the clergy and the doctors of the university envied the great scientist because princes and learned people preferred to visit Tycho at his "private university" on the island of Hven instead of visiting the University of Copenhagen. A new theory about Tycho's death has appeared. It has always been told that he died of a burst urinary bladder because he drank too much at parties. According to forensic medicine, however, this cannot be true. Tycho lived for some time after he became ill, and a bursted bladder would cause sudden death. A more plausible explanation would be that Tycho poisoned himself with his very strong medicines containing heavy metals like mercury and arsenic.

Book Review: Beitraege zur Astronomiegeschichte, Band 5 (Acta Historica Astronomiae Vol. 15)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duerbeck, H. W.; Dick, W. R.; Hamel, J.

2002-12-01

The 15th volume of the Acta Historica Astronomiae is at the same time the fifth collection of essays on the history of astronomy (Beitraege zur Astronomiegeschichte, Band 5), edited by the historians of astronomy W.R. Dick (Potsdam) and J. Hamel (Berlin). Besides a few short notices and book reviews, the book contains 11 major articles, which deal with astronomical topics covering the time from the 16th to the 20th centuries. The first article, on the analysis and interpretation of historical horoscopes as a source of the history of science, is based on the inaugural lecture of its author, Guenther Oestmann. After a general introduction, which deals with the principles of horoscope making, the author discusses the horoscope of Count Heinrich Ranzau (1526-1598), the Danish governor of Schleswig-Holstein, who was a friend of Tycho Brahe. Oestmann shows that the astronomical-mathematical basis of such a horoscope can be reconstructed and interpreted. However, it is hardly possible to gain an insight in the process how the interpretation of a horoscope was done in detail. The second and third articles, by Franz Daxecker, deal with Athanasius Kircher and Christoph Scheiner, two catholic astronomers of the 17th century. Kircher's Organum Mathematicum is a calculating device that can be used in the fields of arithmetic, geometry, chronology, astronomy, astrology and others. The author provides extracts of the description of the Organum taken from a book by Caspar Schott, which deal with chronology and astronomy. A photograph of the Organum indicates that this tool consists of a set of tables glued on wooden or cardboard, but details of its contents and applications remain pretty obscure for the reader - a few elaborated examples would have been helpful. The second paper deals with the life of Christoph Scheiner SJ, the co-discoverer of sunspots (next to Galileo), after leaving Rome in 1633 - the year of the Galileo trial. Scheiner spent his later years in the Austrian and

The Sun as you never saw it before

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

1997-02-01

The remarkable images come from SOHO's visible-light coronagraph LASCO. It masks the intense rays from the Sun's surface in order to reveal the much fainter glow of the solar atmosphere, or corona. Operated with its widest field of view, in its C3 instrument, LASCO's unprecedented sensitivity enables it to see the thin ionized gas of the solar wind out to the edges of the picture, 22 million kilometres from the Sun's surface. Many stars are brighter than the gas, and they create the background scene. The results alter human perceptions of the Sun. Nearly 30 years ago, Apollo photographs of the Earth persuaded everyone of what until then they knew only in theory, that we live on a small planet. Similarly the new imagery shows our motion in orbit around the Sun, and depicts it as one star among - yet close enough to fill the sky emanations that engulf us. For many centuries even astrologers knew that the Sun was in Sagittarius in December and drifting towards the next zodiacal constellation, Capricornus. This was a matter of calculation only, because the Sun's own brightness prevented a direct view of the starfield. The SOHO-LASCO movie makes this elementary point of astronomy a matter of direct observation for the first time. The images are achievable only from a vantage point in space, because the blue glow of the Earth's atmosphere hides the stars during the day. A spacial allocation of observing time, and of data tranmission from the SOHO spacecraft, enabled the LASCO team to obtain large numbers of images over the period 22-28 December 1996. Since then, a sustained effort in image processing, frame by frame, has achieved a result of high technical and aesthetic quality. Only now is the leader of the LASCO team, Guenter Brueckner of the US Naval Research Laboratory, satisfied with the product and ready to authorize its release. "I spend my life examining the Sun," Brueckner says, "but this movie is a special thrill. For a moment I forget the years of effort that

News & Announcements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

2000-02-01

of thermal analysis education. The grant will be awarded on an annual basis to not-for-profit organizations in North America that confer degrees up to the Ph. D. level and provide or intend to provide education in thermal analysis; it will consist of Mettler-Toledo thermal analysis instrumentation, peripherals, training and service. Applications must be submitted by April 1, 2000. Application forms may be downloaded from http://www.na.mt.com. Questions should be directed to Jon Foreman, Product Manager, Thermal Analysis, Mettler-Toledo, Inc., 1900 Polaris Parkway, Columbus, OH 43240; phone: 1-800/638-8537; fax: 614/438-4871; email: Thermal.Grant@mt.com.

Courses, Seminars, Meetings, Opportunities

Ep7_Total Eclipse over America

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-08-18

to tell you, when you see the eclipse you will see a number of planets visible in the sky. >> Oh. >> So, if you get a chance, you ll see stars. Venus is off to the west, mars is even closer. It s-- venus is about 35 degrees to the west, mars is about 10 degrees to the west, mercury s about 10 degrees to the east, and jupiter s way over on the other side of the sky at 60 degrees to the east. And the star, regulus, which is a bright star, will be about 5 degrees to the east of the sun, so you can see if you can see that. >> And this will happen during totality, right? >> During totality, because the stars will come out. >> Wow, amazing. So you ll be able to see all of these, and you re talking about from the perspective if you re looking up and-- the sun-- >> right. >> Once it goes to totality-- and we can get to safety in a minute, but i do know, once it gets to totality you can take off your glasses for about that two minutes, right? >> That s right. Yeah. >> And then, that s when you ll be able to see all those different parts. >> Yes. >> That s really cool. >> Yeah, that s it. Let s talk a little about the history, because there s some interesting history, of course. >> Sure, yeah. >> The most famous story, which is probably legendary, but the story about a chinese astronomer, or possibly two chinese astronomers, named xi he, who was hired by the king. He was the high astronomer, the head astronomer. >> Mm-hmm. >> To make predictions about primarily with astrology to make sure that nothing bad was going to happen to the king. Well, apparently there was a solar eclipse he did not predict. >> Oh. >> And apparently, he had had a little too much to drink and he wasn t on the job when the time came. >> Oh. >> And the chinese actually thought, and a lot of ancient cultures thought, that something bad was happening. The chinese thought a dragon was swallowing the sun, and they would bang on pots and pans to scare the dragon away. And that s actually still practiced in