Federation of Parts. On Virchow's Notion of Individuality
Authors
Silvia Caianiello
Istituto per la Storia del Pensiero Filosofico e Scientifico Moderno (ISPF), CNR,
Napoli, I
Abstract
An introductory essay to the Italian translation of R. Virchow’s “Atoms and Individuals”, the paper presents his notion of organic individuality as an outcome of his new cell theory. Virchow’s stress on the federal structure of the biological individual as composed of “cell-territories” supersedes the previous cellular atomism, and can be considered a turning point in the establishment of a modular approach to the organism. Key Words: Virchow – Cell theory – Individuality – Organism – Modularity
