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Sometimeago,inPoland,thereappearedaclock
showingnotonlyquartersoftheMoonbutalsothe
conjunctionsofplanetswiththree,four,andsixviews
andtheremainingmovesindicatemonthsandeven
years.Butthemostamazingthingisthattherevolving
elementshowsthemovementsofstars,months,days,
andhoursandalsotherevolutionsoftheMoon.
MichaelBoym,ClavisMedica,Norimbergae1686
IdedicatethisshortextractfromMichaelBoym’s
shipremainsuncertain.BeforehisjourneytoChinain
MedicalKeytothose,whoclaimthatthea.m.work
wasatranslationfromChineseandthatitsauthor-
1643,BoymlivedseveralyearsinKalisz(Calisia)andCra-
cowstudyingphilosophyandtheologyandhere,hede-
scribestheplanetary-figuralclock,builtaround1628,later
setintothewallofSt.Mary’sChurchtowerinCracow
fromthesideofSt.Florian’sStreet.AccordingtoPolish
historicalsourcesitsmachinerycausedthat:
[ł]everydaythemonthlygloberevolvedandthequar-
tersofeachmonthwereshownwithfairlybigfigures,
amongwhichonerangeveryhourandstruckwithits
teethandanotheronewasmovingwithregiments.1
Here,Boympresentsanexampleofaclocktoexplain
theprinciplesunderlyingthefoundationsoftheChinese
medicalphilosophy:thetheoryofyin-yang,ofthefive
1
W
.Siedlecka,Polskiezegary(PolishClocks),Wrocław1971,
p.49.
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