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Additional
history of biology
English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia
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History of biology
The
history of biology
traces the study of the
living world
from
ancient
to
modern
times. Although the concept of
biology
as a single coherent field arose in the 19th century, the biological sciences emerged from
traditions of medicine
and
natural history
reaching back to
ayurveda
,
ancient Egyptian medicine
and the works of
Aristotle
and
Galen
in the ancient
Greco-Roman world
. This ancient work was further developed in the Middle Ages by
Muslim physicians
and scholars such as
Avicenna
. During the European
Renaissance
and early modern period, biological thought was revolutionized in Europe by a renewed interest in
empiricism
and the discovery of many novel organisms. Prominent in this movement were
Vesalius
and
Harvey
, who used experimentation and careful observation in physiology, and naturalists such as
Linnaeus
and
Buffon
who began to
classify the diversity of life
and the
fossil record
, as well as the development and behavior of organisms.
Microscopy
revealed the previously unknown world of microorganisms, laying the groundwork for
cell theory
. The growing importance of
natural theology
, partly a response to the rise of
mechanical philosophy
, encouraged the growth of natural history (although it entrenched the
argument from design
).
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