The Path to the Modern Medicine: Descartes and Medicine

The question regarding the nature of modern medicine can be reformulated as a question of its defining characteristics. In this article, the primary characteristic identified as making medicine “modern” is the full acceptance of a mechanistic view of the human body. Descartes attempted to align his approach to medicine with his worldview to make his medicine as the example that justifies his philosophical claims. However, as he was not a professional physician, Descartes reinterpreted existing medical knowledge within his own framework. Although Vesalius and Harvey, who are often mentioned in the history of medicine as representatives of modern medicine, made significant achievements enough in themselves, they understood their discoveries within an Aristotelian worldview. In contrast, Descartes repositioned the same discoveries within his mechanistic worldview and gave them new meaning, hoping to justify his philosophy by his proposed medicine.