PALM-HOUSE

The Botanic Gardens of Padua, Italy (Orto Botanico di Padova) were founded by the University of Padua in 1545 for medicinal plant research. Located south of the Basilica of Sant’Antonio, the herbarium takes the form of a circle divided into four quadrants each containing a carefully curated arrangement of specimens. The herbs and plants in the garden, imported from all over the world, were used to train medical students to identify specific species for medical and therapeutic remedies. ¹ Because of the rarity of the specimens housed inside, the Orto Botanico was fortified against theft with a circular stone wall, revealing how valuable both the botanical specimens and associated medical knowledge was at the time. Such ideal Renaissance botanical gardens performed two functions: rationalizing the natural world into an organized and carefully sorted collection, while also producing an exclusive space for biomedical knowledge production. The organization of the plant species within the walled space reflects the development of pharmaceutical technology in the 16th century, performatively embodying the knowledge structures of botanical medicine to function as a pharmaceutical laboratory.²

https://doi.org/10.35483/ACSA.Teach.2021.24

Volume Editors
Jonathan A. Scelsa & Jørgen Johan Tandberg

ISBN
978-1-944214-38-8