Abstract

In his endeavor to promote a “rational medicine”, Leibniz endorsed the accomplishments of a group of physiologists, some of whom he had developed close relationship with during his sojourn in Italy (1688-1690). One of the main figures of that network, Bernardino Ramazzini is well known for having elaborated and implemented a model to analyze “epidemic constitutions”, which received Leibniz’s full approval. Our present task is to analyze the epistemic features of Ramazzini’s model and the assessment Leibniz made of it from both theoretical and practical viewpoints.