Doctor Curmudgeon: A Genius
By Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D. FAAP Doctor Eisman is in Family Practice in Aventura, Florida with her partner, Dr. Eugene Eisman, an internist/cardiologist
The term “genius” has been bandied about to describe extraordinary people. But genius does not adequately describe Leonardo da Vinci.
This renaissance man created magnificent artwork that has survived for centuries. We have all seen reproductions of the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.
Leonardo was so much more than a brilliant artist. He was known for his knowledge of anatomy, zoology, geology, mathematics, and engineering.
But his inventions! I am blown away by the breadth of his inventions.
Da Vinci was born in Anchiano, near Vinci in the Republic of Florence, Italy on April 15, 1452.
What an amazing mind—living in the fifteenth century, and thinking about machines that would let people soar up into the clouds. I am captivated by his thoughts of a hang glider. Human flight was a revolutionary idea. Men flying? Pshaw!
So ahead of his time, Da Vinci was a keen observer and meticulously studied the flight of birds. He is actually the father of aviation technology. His designs for a glider demonstrate his understanding of the importance of lift, weight balance, movable wings, and tail adjustments.
He realized that lift was created by airflow over and under wings. Birds have little structures on their wings, called alulae, and da Vinci recognized how important alulae are in changing airflow. Alulae allow the birds to control their descent and ascent. His concepts of the physics of aeronautics are relevant today.
Do you take your little pedometer for granted? It’s just something you put on your wrist, and it records your number of steps. You think it is something pretty modern. Not so! Thank da Vinci for it and remember that he lived a few centuries ago, in the fifteenth century.
So, when did your pedometer first come on the scene? Who on earth thought about counting steps?
Well, it seems that the Duke of Milan was fascinated by military technology. He was a very influential and wealthy figure in renaissance Italy. The Duke was aware of da Vinci’s genius and his unparalleled dedication to precision. Both da Vinci and the Duke were mindful of the importance of a step counter for military use. Such a device would give valuable information about the distance a soldier travelled his capabilities, and his position.
And so da Vinci designed an instrument that was to be worn at a soldier’s waist. Each time a step was taken, a pendulum rocked back and forth, activating gears that counted the distance the soldier walked.
We are fortunate that many of da Vinci’s journals, designs, studies, and observations have survived.
Da Vinci once said that “things of the mind left untested by the senses are useless.” This explains his passion for creating and innovation. He was a man driven to design objects that people could use.
EDITOR’S NOTE (FROM GALAHAD, A SIBERIAN HUSKY COUSIN OF DOCTOR CURMUDGEON: Much of da Vinci’s writing is done in mirror script and difficult to read. Wikipedia explains mirror script as “writing in the direction that is the reverse of the natural way for a given language, such that the result is the mirror image of normal writing: it appears normal when reflected in a mirror.”
A SKETCH IS THE DESIGN OF A FLYING MACHINE BY LEONARDO DA VINCI.
Dr. Curmudgeon suggests “Bitter Medicine”, Dr. Eugene Eisman’s story of his experiences–from the humorous to the intense—as a young army doctor serving in the Vietnam War.
Bitter Medicine by Eugene H. Eisman, M.D. –on Amazon
Doctor Curmudgeon® is Diane Batshaw Eisman, M.D., a physician-satirist. This column originally appeared on SERMO, the leading global social network for doctors.
SERMO www.sermo.com
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