Life as Light : Sebastiano Bartoli and the Spread of van Helmont's Theory of the Soul in 17th Century Naples

Within the vibrant intellectual landscape of seventeenth-century Neapolitan medicine, Sebastiano Bartoli (1630-1676) emerges as the most prominent advocate of Van Helmont's doctrines. Bartoli's works exhibit an original theoretical reinterpretation of Helmontian views, embracing many of the ideas advanced by the Flemish physician. However, as this paper argues, the conception of the soul represents the true cornerstone of Bartoli's Helmontianism. Following Van Helmont, the Neapolitan physician views the sensitive soul as a lux vitalis: a theory – the identity between life and light – that proves central to his understanding of vital phenomena. Through an analysis of Bartoli's writings, this article aims to shed light on the reception of Helmontian ideas in Italy, with particular attention to the intellectual and scientific milieu of seventeenth-century Naples. [Publisher's text]

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