"A Bridge to the Underworld? An Explanation of the Act of Digging up Plant Roots in Early Modern Medical Fictions" "Un pont vers le monde souterrain ? Une explication de l'acte de déterrer les racines des plantes dans les premières fictions médicales modernes" En Fr

Résumé En Fr

This article explores the folklore and mythologies that surround medical fictions and certain facts reported in botanical treatises of the Early modern times. The case of the mandrake and other medicinal roots are studied in this paper in their relation to the underground. Our objective is to explain the different ontologies of roots to understand the relationship between humans and plants.Book summary : In the pre-modern times, while medicine was still relying on classical authorities on herbal remedies, a new engagement with the plant world emerged. This volume follows intertwined strands in the study of plants, examining newly introduced species that captured physicians' curiosity, expanded their therapeutic arsenal, and challenged their long-held medical theories. The development of herbaria, the creation of botanical gardens, and the inspection of plants contributed to a new understanding of the vegetal world. Increased attention to plants led to account for their therapeutic virtues, to test and produce new drugs, to recognize the physical properties of plants, and to develop a new plant science and medicine.

Cet article explore le folklore et les mythologies qui entourent les fictions médicales et certains faits rapportés dans les traités de botanique. Le cas de la mandragore et d'autres racines médicinales y sont par exemple étudiés, dans leur rapport au souterrain. Notre objectif est d'expliquer les différentes ontologies des racines pour saisir la relation qu'entretiennent les hommes avec les plantes.