Albert the Great (c. 1193–1280) and the Configuration of the Embryo

Amalia Cerrito is an Associate Member of the Centre for the Study of Medicine and the Body in the Renaissance (CSMBR) of Pisa, Italy. Having studied the history of medieval philosophy at the Universities of Pisa and Florence, she has published journal articles on the interaction between natural philosophy and the biblical exegesis of Albert the Great. Amalia’s recent publications are devoted to the theoretical background of Albert the Great’s natural philosophy and Neoplatonism’s influence on his theories of zoology, botany, and embryology.

• Chapter 1. Albert the Great’s Embryology: An Interdisciplinary Approach .- Chapter 2. The Christian-Neoplatonic Background of Albert the Great’s Doctrine of Virtus Formativa.- Chapter 3. Virtus Formativa and Human Embryology.- Chapter 4. The Transmission of Genetic Inheritance.- Chapter 5. Final Remarks.