Historical Bibliography Updated: July 14, 2026
Discours sur l’anatomie du cerveau.
Paris: Robert de Ninville, 1669.
In this remarkably prescient argument for, and critique of, anatomical research into brain function Stensen opposed Descartes (No. 574) arguing that it was idle to speculate about cerebral function when so little was known about the anatomical structure of the brain. Stensen proved anatomically that the pineal gland was not the seat of the soul. Latin translation, Leiden, 1671. Reprinted in Winslow (No. 394), and translated in that work. Modern English translation, Copenhagen, 1950. Digital facsimile of the 1669 edition from BnF Gallica at this link.
Facet Tags
Subjects
| Catalog Metadata | Reference Information |
|---|---|
| Entry Number | #1378.1 |
| Permanent Link | https://beta.historyofmedicine.com/id/1783 |
| Author Bio Link | Wikipedia ↗ |
| External URL | discours-sur-lanatomie-du-cerveau |
Geographic Context
Publication place: Paris
Mentioned in annotation: Copenhagen; Leiden