“! 7th Century Medical Innovations, an Rasbj Zoom Talk by Prof. Richard De Grijs
Apr 19 Sun “17th century medical innovations: East vs West”, an RASBJ online talk by Prof. Richard de Grijs
WHAT: RASBJ online discussion with Prof. Richard de Grijs on C17th scientific and medical innovations in China and the West, followed by Q&A.
WHEN: Apr 19, 2020, Sunday 19:00-20:00 Beijing Standard Time
WHERE: Online via Zoom
HOW MUCH: Free and accessible to RASBJ members and affiliates worldwide, who have been emailed login details. If you’re not an RASBJ member but become one by April 17, you’ll be sent the login details for this event. For details, see www.rasbj.org
HOW TO BECOME AN RASBJ MEMBER OR ASSOCIATE: If you’re a non-member and wish to become a member (or, for PRC passport-holders, to become an associate), please befriend Treasurer John Olbrich on Wechat at johnobeijing and send him your name, nationality, mobile number and email address plus the annual subscription amount (or, for aspiring associates, the suggested donation) of RMB 300 for those resident in China, RMB 200 for those resident overseas, and RMB 100 for students. RASBJ members and associates enjoy free access to the RASBJ Zoom series.
MORE ABOUT THE EVENT: In Europe, the 17th century was a period of unbridled progress in our understanding of the world around us. Expeditions to far-flung destinations taught us that we desperately needed a means of determining our position at sea, without having to rely on spotting coastal features. The quest for a means to determine one’s longitude at sea led, in particular, to many unexpected insights, speculations (not all correct!) and innovations in medicine and its applications. While the European story is quite well known, developments in the far East often occurred at a different pace, and sometimes much earlier or later than in Europe. Richard de Grijs will discuss a few of the quirkiest developments in the history of science and medicine that happened in Renaissance Europe, drawing parallels to relevent Chinese innovations.
MORE ABOUT THE SPEAKER: Prof. Richard de Grijs is an acclaimed academic and prolific public speaker. Born and raised in the Netherlands, his successful career has allowed him to enjoy vibrant research environments in the USA, the UK and China (at Peking University). In March 2018, Richard moved to Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia, as Associate Dean (Global Engagement). He has received a number of prestigious awards, including the 2012 Selby Award for excellence in science from the Australian Academy of Science and a 2017 Erskine Award for interdisciplinary science and student mentorship from the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). He is engaged in a number of research projects related to the history of astronomy, with particular emphasis on the 17th Century.
