Abstract

The Swedish University of Tartu can be considered an important centre of early modern medical thought in Eastern Europe. Although like in the universities of Uppsala and Turku no doctoral dissertations were defended in the field of medicine during the first half of the 17th century, three medical disputations and two orations were held in Tartu from 1630 to 1656. Among the five students who presented their medical treatises in Tartu at that time there was only one student of medicine while others were students of theology and future clergymen.

The present article focuses on the medical ideas prevailing at the Swedish University of Tartu during its first period of activity, using original Latin sources as the research material.

The results of the research show that the medical studies completed in Tartu between 1630 and 1656 dealt with both ancient humoral pathological and early modern iatrochemical views on medicine. Scientists who attempted to combine these ideas were appreciated as quoted authors. One can also conclude that the medical studies written in Tartu from 1630 to 1656 reflect both early modern scientific ideas on medicine as well as the mythological and religious picture of medicine, based on ancient authors (e.g. Ovid) and the Bible.