{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,19]],"date-time":"2026-01-19T23:29:10Z","timestamp":1768865350888,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":23,"publisher":"Societatea Romana de Morfologie","issue":"3","content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Rom J Morphol Embryol"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,12]]},"abstract":"<jats:p>The pineal gland, a small, unpaired structure located at the center of the brain, was first identified as a distinct organ by Galen of Pergamon, yet its function remained obscure until the early modern period, when philosophers and physicians alike try to understand its function. This paper examines Ren\u00e9 Descartes\u2019 interpretation of the pineal gland in the treatise Le Monde and within the intellectual context of the heliocentric revolution. As research investigation methods we used social-historical documentation and hermeneutic analysis on Descartes\u2019 Le Monde and L\u2019Homme in relation to the scientific thought of the 17th century, i.e., Harvey\u2019s anatomical achievements, and Copernicus\u2019, Kepler\u2019s, and Galileo\u2019s astronomical discoveries. In L\u2019Homme, a chapter of his treatise Le Monde, Descartes analyzed the complex role of the pineal gland not only in a philosophical manner, but also from a medical point of view. The French thinker gave up the analogy between the gland located in the middle of the brain and the pinecone and preferred the analogy with the Sun which in ancient Greek mythology was called Helios, whose role in the cosmic system was considered to be a Hegemonikon. Thus, Descartes named the pineal gland as gland H. Inspired by Copernicus\u2019 and Kepler\u2019s heliocentric theory and by William Harvey\u2019s conception about blood circulation, Descartes has built an analogy between the Sun (Helios), heart, and gland H. As Sun (Helios) ruled the planets in its system, and heart pumped the blood into circulatory system, so gland H (pineal gland) could direct animal spirits through the nerves. Metaphors and analogy method allowed the French philosopher to establish an objective scientific presentation about pineal gland, emphasizing the macrocosm\u2013microcosm analogy and the conceptual shift of the vital center from the heart to the brain.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.47162\/rjme.66.3.21","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,19]],"date-time":"2026-01-19T10:41:45Z","timestamp":1768819305000},"page":"617-623","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The pineal gland as the hegemonikon of the microcosm: anatomical and philosophical interpretations in Descartes\u2019 works"],"prefix":"10.47162","volume":"66","author":[{"name":"Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Philosophy and Social and Political Sciences, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Marius","family":"Dumitrescu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ana-Maria","family":"Dumitrescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Morphofunctional Sciences I, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Elena","family":"\u015eapte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Faculty of Dentistry, Ovidius University of Constan\u0163a, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Veronica","family":"Scripcaru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Morphofunctional Sciences I, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ia\u015fi, Romania; Laboratory of Pathology, Prof. Dr. Nicolae Oblu Emergency Clinical Hospital, Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Raluca Ozana","family":"Chistol","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Morphofunctional Sciences I, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ia\u015fi, Romania; Department of Radiology, Dr. C. I. Parhon Clinical Hospital, Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Lucian","family":"Eva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Doctoral School, Lower Danube University of Gala\u0163i, Romania; 2nd Neurosurgery Clinic, Prof. Dr. Nicolae Oblu Emergency Clinical Hospital, Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Corina","family":"Ciupilan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Morphofunctional Sciences I, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Drago\u015f Andrei","family":"Chiran","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"Department of Morphofunctional Sciences I, Grigore T. Popa University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ia\u015fi, Romania","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"26736","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,12,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref0","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"\"[1] Perrotta G. The pineal gland: anatomical, clinical and neurobiochemical profiles, between hypotheses of the past, certainties of the present and future perspectives. J Neurol Psychol, 2019, 7(1):5.","DOI":"10.13188\/2332-3469.1000041"},{"key":"ref1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","unstructured":"[2] Lopes MBS. The pineal gland. 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