Embodiments of Will: Anatomical and Physiological Theories of Voluntary Animal Motion from Greek Ant

This book examines the two chief anatomical and
physiological embodiment theories of voluntary animal
motion, which I call the cardiosinew and
cerebroneuromuscular theories of motion, from the
time of Aristotle (384 322 B.C.) to that of Mondino
(d. A.D. 1326). The study of animal motion commenced
with the ancient Greek natural scientist Aristotle
who wrote the monograph 'On the motion of animals'
(De motu animalium). Subsequent inquiries into
voluntary animal motion may be found in a variety of
Greek, Latin, and Arabic compendia, commentaries, and
encyclopedias throughout the ancient and medieval
periods. The motion of animals was considered
relevant to natural philosophers and theologians
investigating the nature of the soul, and to
physicians seeking to discover the causes of
disorders of voluntary movement such as epilepsy and
tetany. The book fills a gap in the scholarly
literature concerned with pre-modern studies of the
anatomical and physiological mechanisms of will and
bodily movement. The accompanying photographs of my
own anatomical dissections illuminate ancient and
medieval conceptual, empirical, and experimental
methods of anatomical and physiological research.