Begin with sense, of ev'ry art the soul, parts answ'ring parts shall slide into a whole

In a number of ancient cultures, weather was believed to have been controlled by deities, which allowed these groups to cope with natural phenomena. With the 17th-century European Enlightenment, scientific explanation and reason combined with religious belief to create a revolutionary worldview that expanded this principle. This 1751 print illustrates that transition. Environmental conditions and seasonal change were long thought to influence health and disease. Here, the Greek god of medicine Asclepius lays aside his staff to consult a barometer – a modern instrument that recorded atmospheric pressure, while a farmer looks to the heavens and laments his deceased cow.
Courtesy of Boston Public Library