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The Wikipedia article over Jane Elizabeth Hodgson was relatively unbiased and all claims were cited. All citations that were checked functioned properly and the information from the sources were well transferred. All references were from news sources, academic journals, or governments sources. The titles of several news sources were click-bait worthy, but the content of the original article was itself easy to pick apart and relatively neutral. Although the information about her life was well put together, I wish there were more details about the stages in her life rather than simply brief overviews. There were a few comma errors, most of which are personal preference. The "Talk" section of this page includes a lot of discussion correcting random errors (like changing a date from 1820 to 1920, which fits into a lifetime better); there is also discussion about improving formatting and re balancing the information discussed in the article overall. I have been unable to find the rating for this article, but I would rate it "good" for the reasons listed above. This Wiki page is a part of WikiProjects for groups concerned with Biographies of scientists, women scientists, abortion, and the state of Minnesota.

Article Editing Intro - Camille Erculiani
I am going to find more information on the methods use by Apothecaries.

Read her book and add more on her methods of creating her products. Also find sources to compare her to other apothecaries as far as remedies and tools used.

Poland was going through a Humanistic renaissance at the time

Define natural science!

Life
Erculiani was herself one of six children and her father was a spice merchant. She had one child with her first husband and five with the second, whom she married only half a year after the death of her first husband. Pauda, Italy, was one of the first locations that could boast a botanical garden in 1545. She is also know by the name Camilla Herculiana.

Erculiani was very educated, despite her claims otherwise -- in her works, she often cites Galen and Aristotle. The early modern pharmacy was a popular location to spread new ideas, including religious dissent, and it was frequently on watch lists during the Inquisition. This indicates the atmosphere of freedom Erculiani likely experienced in her life as an apothecary and the access she had to new ideas.

The introduction to her first work contains disclaimers noting that she only published by force -- someone else threatened to publish her work under another name. Also in this same section, she focuses back on her roles as a wife and mother. This could arguably be a method to deflect criticism. She seems to have taken these as important parts of her life, but she no less thought women deserved a place in the realm of science.

Work - Methods
Her history with a father in the spice trade indicates much of her work involved this type of base. The term "speziala," which she used to refer to herself, means "female apothecary." She used this title in the intro to her collection, although she was not an officially listed member of the apothecaries guild. Early modern spicer-apothecaries were an outlet to buyers for both botanical and pharmaceutical remedies, selling candies, cosmetics, paper, and medicines (p115).

She used the methods of a typical apothecary of the 16th century. Medieval apothecaries were the original "general practitioner." They were heavily involved in both dispensing medications and providing medical advice. These methods reflect practices passed on to the field of Pharmacy as the Modern Period.

In her work "Principia Philosophia," Erculiani addresses several topics, all the while repeatedly hitting on the intelligence and true equality of ability possessed by women. No effort is ever made to hide the gender of the person whose work this is -- it is in fact noted very early on in the text. Although she claimed early in the text to be unlearned and to focus on "innate" reasoning, she exhibits her understanding of important writers such as Galen and Aristotle and suggest well-crafted reasons to deviate from their long accepted teachings. She is also inconsistent in her work because she continually supports a separation between theology and natural philosophy, while she frequently comes close to connecting the two. The format on this work as a series of letters perhaps had the effect of cushioning the reality of the (anti-religious) statements she was making.

In addition to the general content discussing the natural sciences, her work contains four letters. Two by her to Giorgio Garnero, one of Garnero's response, and a final letter addressed to Martin Berzeviczy (p 121). The use of letter writing was a popular literary technique of the age. Sometimes full published letters would be fabricated just for publishing, or real letters would be published without the permission of the sender. This method additionally permitted authors to state the views of the other side without claiming support for them, as well as create a clear avenue to respond to each point of possible criticism. Reflecting on the past is also a way to avoid criticism and the consequences of such things stated in the past. In Garnero's response, he refers to Erculiani's arguments as "gifts from the Holy Spirit" which further protects her from trouble due to her actual views. His letter continues to praise her as a positive influence in science due to her devotion that comes with little in return (no wealth, fame, or money). He is thus able to support her credibility, all the while providing counter points to her arguments.

One of the final big pieces of her work focused on the cause of the great Biblical flood. This was a hot topic of the century, as many were concerned that other factors would result in another one. Erculiani attempt to explain the cause of mortality beyond the Original Sin and linked it to the flood. She combines her understanding of the humors with those of the elements found in nature of earth, water, and air. In explaining a cycle where by the death of man replenishes the element earth back to the planet, she postulated that a detriment existed in the supply of earth available to the Earth at the time of the flood. This factor allowed the water element to "take over" and engulf the land. This explanation was contrary to that put forth by several natural philosophers of the time, who explained that only divine intervention could cause another such flood due to the "natural stasis of elements." The focus on finding natural, scientific reasoning for Biblical events was very important during this period. Erculiani's understanding of elements through her pharmaceutical work shines through this explanation in particular, and also shows her understanding of the four major pillars of Paracelus's theory of medicine. Later in the text, she again diverges from the largely accepted views of, this time, Aristotle with regards to rainbows.

The letter to Berzevczy was framed in response to an accusation he made concerning her writings on the Biblical Flood. He considered her work not to be her own, but rather taken from the writings of others. Her response was formatted so as to demolish such a criticism in her genuine belief in the importance of free and frequent critical thought. Here, as opposed to the beginning of her Letters, she does discuss the importance of reading the works of other authors.

"My goal in my studies is to show the world that we women are as capable as men in every area of knowledge [scientie]."

Influence
Her work played a great role in challenging both old scientific concepts as well as the place of women in science.

Erculiani was often frustrated at not being treated equal with men academically and spent a great deal of her life attempting to speak out against such discrimination. She referred often to a piece by Cicero where he stated about Cornelia "were she not a woman, she would have been counted as outstanding among all the philosophers." She went on to write herself "I don't know what malignant star causes [men] to refuse to recognize greatness, except in the things they accomplish themselves."

Despite her continual focus on the equality of men and women in intellect, the very differences between the two sexes as seen by society are perhaps what saved her from the Inquisition.

There is some evidence to suggest Erculiani wrote more than her most famous work, but they have yet to be rediscovered since it refers to other works currently unknown.

See these other Wiki Articles:
Sarrocchi, Apothecary, Anna Jagiellon