The Scientific Context
The Scientific Context The emerging natural sciences of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries became increasingly specialized as knowledge increased and as opportunities for specialized teaching and research came into being in the German universities (Ben-David, 1971). The study of physiology emerged as a discipline separate from anatomy as the nineteenth century began. Studying intact physiological systems, in vivo or in vitro, accelerated the understanding of the functional characteristics of those systems and built on the knowledge gained from the study of anatomy via dissection. The methods and subject matter of physiology, especially sensory physiology, helped to provide the scientific basis for psychology.Sensory Physiology Johannes Muller (1801–1858), the “Father of Physiology,” produced the classic systematic handbook 1833–1840) that set forth what was then known about human physiology and offered observations and hypotheses for further research. Among th...
