Commission for the History of the Sciences and the Humanities
The interdisciplinary Commission for the History of the Sciences and the Humanities was founded in 2008. Its remit is interdisciplinary and covers all the activities of the Academy concerning the history of the sciences and the humanities, including organising meetings (symposiums, lectures) as well as publishing a book series on the history of the sciences and the humanities.
Letters by Doctors in the Early Modern Age
The first research task of the Commission are the "Letters by Doctors in the Early Modern Age". The aim of this project is to identify and make accessible the numerous letters written by doctors in the German-speaking areas in the early modern age. They can be found in many libraries in Germany and abroad, but so far they have not been surveyed, let alone examined systematically. Written in a time before there were any scholarly journals, these letters are of great interest for the history of medicine and science. They reflect the communication and reception of new theories and discoveries, but at the same time they also provide many varied insights into the intellectual and religious world, everyday professional life, and the private circumstances of the educated classes of that time in general. The letters are to be made available to international researchers in the form of abstracts and, where possible, also as digital reproductions of the originals uploaded in a database accessible via the Internet.
Bernaert van Orley (um 1488-1541): Dr. med. Joris van Zelle 1519, Musées Royaux des Beaux Arts, Brüssel