The life and work of Jan Jesensky (1566–1621), the physician of a dying time

Jan Jesensky (Johannes Jessenius) ranks among the outstanding Renaissance polymaths of Central Europe. Stemming from Horne Jaseno (present-day Slovakia), born in Wrócław (Poland), he studied philosophy and medicine in Wittenberg, Leipzig (Germany) and Padua (Italy), worked in Wrócław, Wittenberg, Pr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of medical biography 2013-08, Vol.21 (3), p.153-163
Main Authors: Kachlik, David, Vichnar, David, Kachlikova, Dana, Musil, Vladimir, Szabo, Kristian, Stingl, Josef
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:Jan Jesensky (Johannes Jessenius) ranks among the outstanding Renaissance polymaths of Central Europe. Stemming from Horne Jaseno (present-day Slovakia), born in Wrócław (Poland), he studied philosophy and medicine in Wittenberg, Leipzig (Germany) and Padua (Italy), worked in Wrócław, Wittenberg, Prague (Czech Republic) and Vienna (Austria), and was executed in Prague. He was influenced by and himself impacted upon a large area of the pre-30-year-war Europe science, learning and politics. The year 2011 marked the 410th anniversary of the publication of his famous description of the public dissection performed in Prague, as well as the 390th anniversary of his death. His scientific and editorial work covers not only anatomy but also surgery, internal medicine, infectious diseases and even philosophy and poetry. Moreover, he was very active as University Rector (in both Wittenberg and Prague) and also as politician of the Protestant fraction in Bohemia, which unfortunately led to his violent death. He was an excellent promoter of his own person and work and he understood and exerted dexterously the power of publicity.
ISSN:0967-7720
1758-1087
DOI:10.1177/0967772013479736