Science and Medieval Thought / The Harveian Oration Delivered Before the Royal College of Physicians, October 18, 1900

The oration surveys medieval intellectual life and its relation to the rise of modern science, arguing that theological frameworks, scholastic methods, and transmission of classical and non-Western learning shaped natural philosophy rather than wholly obstructing it. It traces how speculative argument and devotional motives coexisted with practical investigation, considers the recovery of ancient texts and university teaching, and highlights the gradual adoption of experimental and mathematical approaches — including anatomical dissection and vivisection — that enabled later advances. The speaker adopts a comparative method to reassess common prejudices, drawing lessons about continuity, transformation, and the complex interplay of faith and inquiry in the emergence of modern scientific thought.