Giambattista della Porta, Physiognomy, 1586
Physiognomy, or the notion that a person's temperament and character can be deduced from the shape of his or her face or body, was first proposed by Classical Greek philosophers and physicians, and Aristotle wrote about the concept extensively. By the Renaissance, the science of physiognomy had been combined with astrology to become rather complex. Giambattista della Porta (1535 - February 4, 1615) was an Italian scholar, polymath and playwright who lived in Naples at the time of the Scientific Revolution and Reformation. His work, De humana physiognomonia, published in 1586, attempted to make a strong case for physiognomy, and contained numerous illustrations. How seriously trained physicians of the time took Porta's arguments is debatable, but physiognomy has appeared again and again in the medical literature.
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