Chapter 4
Old and new medicine
The Gehema/Geuder controversy over medical practices (1688/89)
Article outline
- 1.The controversy, its context, and its relevance
- 2.Writing medical pamphlets in German: The vernacular strategy
- 3.The pragmatic organization of Gehema’s attacking pamphlet (1688)
- 3.1The overall structure of the pamphlet
- 3.2Topics and topic management in Gehema’s pamphlet
- 3.3Moves and strategies in Gehema’s pamphlet
- 3.3.1Gehema’s repertory of moves
- 3.3.2Accusations and criticism
- 3.3.3Complex argumentation
- 3.3.4Anticipating objections and staging a virtual dialogue
- 3.3.5Criticizing the appeal to authorities
- 3.3.6Criticizing the appeal to experience
- 3.4Mentioning his own medical methods
- 3.5Thanking God for medical enlightenment
- 3.6Gehema’s rhetoric
- 3.7Language use
- 4.The pragmatic organization of Geuder’s pamphlet
- 4.1Geuder’s reasons for entering the controversy
- 4.2Principles of scientific discourse – Geuder’s preface
- 4.3Topic management in Geuder’s pamphlet
- 4.4Digressions as a method for evading the point-by-point constraint
- 4.5Answering accusations and criticism – moves and strategies
- 4.5.1Contradicting his opponent’s claim
- 4.5.2Making a (partial) concession and adding modifications or objections
- 4.5.3Making a distinction and refuting part of the claim
- 4.5.4Denying presuppositions of a claim
- 4.5.5Showing logical or dialectical defects of a move made by the opponent
- 4.5.6Replying in kind
- 4.5.7Appeal to experience
- 4.5.8The demand to publish secret recipes
- 5.The dynamics and the result of the controversy
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Notes
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Sources
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References