Stensen, Niels

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The Linacre QuarterlyVolume 23 | Number 3 Article 4August 1956Man of Science and Man of FaithNiels StensenFollow this and additional works at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnqRecommended CitationStensen, Niels (1956) "Man of Science and Man of Faith," The Linacre Quarterly: Vol. 23 : No. 3 , Article 4.Available at: http://epublications.marquette.edu/lnq/vol23/iss3/4.. 11ta,,e ~ Sdeltu ad NIELS STENSEN A MONG the Catholic scientists fi pictured in the permanent display of the Federa tion of Cath-olic Physicians' Guilds is to be found the likeness of Niels Sten-sen (Nicolaus Steno) whose cause for beatification is now before Rome. At the s ugges tion of the E xecut ive Board to present bio-graphical sketches o f the Catholic men of science chosen for the ex-hibit, it seems fitting to begin with Bishop Stensen; interest in his life and work will be a stimulus to the efforts of those e ndeavoring to have the Church set her seal on this servant of God by ra ising him to the honors of her a ltars. Niels Stensen was born on Jan-uary 1, 1638 in Copenhagen. A l-ready as a student at the univer-sity of that city he showed re-markable aptitude for physical sciences. During a period of re-search in Holland he won inter-na tional repute by his anatomical · discoveries ( Sten sen · s duct , glands, structure of heart and muscles) . Later he gave his famous lecture on the anatomy of the brain at Paris, whence he traveled to Florence. Here in the congenial company of men of science who were both gifted and profoundly 82 ?1{a,e ~ ';atti religious, Stensen's genius achieve I extraordinary resu lts; he la id ti ! foundations of enti r e ly ne , branches of science: geology. cry tallography, paleontology. In spite of these triumphs he r -mained humble and unassumin I · Nor did he restrict his keen pm -ers of observation, rare acum, n and intellectua l honesty to the d -main of science: disagreeme ,t among protestants shook his fai h in the Lutherism of his early yea ~: a Corpus Christi procession ma !e a great impression upon him; c1.=-quaintance with devout Cathol,cs of learning and culture; a conv c-tion of the holiness of the C huu:h - these were some of the factc, rs which led him, after prolonged study and reflection, to make his profession of faith on November 7, 1667. H appy in his new faith he con-tinued his research work until 1672, w hen he was appoin ted royal anatomist in Copenhagen. However, intolerance and misun-derstanding soon made him return to F lorence. Struck by the need for men devoted entirely to the salvation of souls, he decided eventually that he could serve God a nd humanity better as a priest LINACRE QUARTERLY than as a scientist. In 1675 he was ordained. adding to his vow of celibacy one of voluntary poverty. An experienced writer, he used his pen to good effect ( e.g., his open letter to the philosopher Spinoza ) . and in every way showed great priestly zeal. Appointed bishop with jurisdic-tion over Northern Germany. Denmark and Norway. Stensen spent the last nine y ears of his life striving a fter p ersonal holi-ness and working tirelessly for souls. H e died after much suffer-ing in Schwerin on D ecember 5. 1686. His body was taken to his beloved Florence and buried in San Lorenzo. All who study the life of this great scientist . convert and bish-0p will agree with the verdict of his contemporaries that he was a man of unusual sanctity; they will not fail to be impressed by his brilliance as a scientist. attracted by his gentle , unassuming good-ness and edified by h is holiness. In the words of His Eminence John Cardinal d 'Alton , Archbish-op of Armagh Primate for all Ire-land, "The story of Niels Stensen's life reads more like a romance than a reality. One of the happy results of the · inc reasing interest in the history of scie.nce has been to rescue him from the compara-tive oblivion into which he had fallen , and to establish his out-standing importance as a scientist. He was clearly a many-sided genius endowed with rare gifts as an investigator in whatever field he laboured. H e w as able to make contributions in the sphere of AUGUST, 1956 anatomy that were remar!.. hie for his day, and that have earned for him an honoured p lace ,n every textbook of repute. But his rich and varied ta lents wen equally conspicuous when he a pplied him-self to the study of geology. H ere he is regarded as a pioneer. w ho securely laid the scientific foun-dations on w hich subsequent scholars were enabled to build." Further observations of Cardi-nal d 'Alton indicate his opinion that apart from his achievements as a scientist. Niels Stensen has a special significance for our time. He states that we have passed through a century of dreary ag-nosticism. during which it was fashionable for scientists to deny God. or to ignore Him in their work. Man's discoveries in the realm of na ture have been ac-claimed without a ny reference to his Creator , a nd without any limits being set to their possibil-ities. The horrors of two world-wars. and the frightful potential-ities o f nuclear weapons have de-stroyed some ch erished illusions, and have convinced not a few that something besides the gospel o f materialism is needed to bring peace and happiness to a sorely troubled world. To Stensen it was clear that the study of nature must lead back to nature's God. H e would agree that whenever science opens a new door, it a l-ways finds God behind it. So for him there could be no real conflict between religion a nd science, for God is the author both of the truths of science a nd the truths of revelation. 83 A small leaflet wi.h a picture of Niels Stensen a, l a brief biography has been printed in ~nglish. T he following nota-tion is inc ded: Althougl are has to be used, before the approb, :n of the C hurch, in avoid- · ing all that c~ 1/d be called public cult of Niels Stensc . there is no reason why as many as possible should not ask his intercession, study his beautiful life 1 •o-foundly and ask God to glorify his ,. ··v-ant with be,. .,,. ,tion. All cases of favours and graces received through ·.he intercession of Niels Stensen and al tn· quiries should be sent to G. Scher: C. SS. R.., Hans Bogbinders Alie 2, Cc ·n-hagen, S. Denmark. THE W HIT E MASS is scheduled for October 18 to honor St. Luke, Patron of Catholic Physicians. Plan to assist at Mass with · your Gui ld for this special observance. 81 LJNACRE QUARTERLY The Federation of Catholic Physicians' Guilds Exhibit A.M.A. Convention - June 11 -15, 1956 For the •first time The Federation of Catholic Physic,ans· Guilds participated as an exhibitor in the American Medical Association Convention during the annual sessions held at the Navy Pier in Chicago, June 11-15, 1956. Staffed by officers, Guild members, and personnel of the Federa-tion central office, the booth received a steady complement of visitors during the five days the exhibits were open. The photograph indicates the caption of the center panel to be "Moral Issues in Medical P ractice" and this was the attraction that created in terest, Visitors wei:e asked to sign inquiry cards on which they had checked topics about w hich they would like information concerning the ·catholic viewpoint on moral issues involved in medical practice. The d isplay was made possible through the generosity of Mr. Thomas J. Mahon, New York, of the Homemakers' P roducts Cor-poration. The tireless assistance of Dr. D. A. Mulvihill, New York City; D r. E. J. Murphy, Bronx, N ew York, and D r . J. Muccigrosso, W estchester, N. Y . in helping with the details de-lerves particular mention. Their zeal for the project was •eflected in its apparent success, measured in the interest particularly of the non-Catholic doctors who wish further information regarding the Catholic attitude on medico-moral issues. A UGUST, 1956 85 I 1' I 

Man of Science and Man of Faith

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Man of Science and Man of Faith

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