A prodromus ('forerunner' or 'precursor') aka prodrome is a term used in the
natural sciences
Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
to describe a preliminary publication intended as the basis for a later, more comprehensive work.
It is also a medical term used for a
premonitory symptom, that is, a symptom indicating the onset of a disease.
The origin of the word is from the 19th century: via French from New Latin ''prodromus'', from Greek ''prodromos'', meaning forerunner.
Nicolas Steno
Niels Steensen (; Latinized to Nicolas Steno or Nicolaus Stenonius; 1 January 1638 – 25 November 1686 ) was a Danish scientist, a pioneer in both anatomy and geology who became a Catholic bishop in his later years. He has been beatified ...
's ''De solido intra solidum naturaliter contento dissertationis prodromus'', one of the early treatises attempting to explain the occurrence of fossils in solid rock.
Ludovico Marracci's
Arabic edition and Latin translation of the
Qur’an
The Quran, also Romanization, romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a Waḥy, revelation directly from God in Islam, God (''Allah, Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which ...
was published in 1698. His ‘Introduction’ (''Prodromus'') had been published seven years earlier.
[Alastair Hamilton, ''After Marracci: The Reception of Ludovico Marracci’s Edition of The Qur’an in Northern Europe from the Late 17thC to the Early 19thC'', ]The Warburg Institute
The Warburg Institute is a research institution associated with the University of London in central London, England. A member of the School of Advanced Study, its focus is the study of cultural history and the role of images in culture – cros ...
Other notable prodromi include ''
Prodromus Entomology'', ''
Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen
''Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen'' (Prodromus of the Flora of New Holland and Van Diemen's Land) is a book by the botanist Robert Brown Robert Brown may refer to: Robert Brown (born 1965), British Director, Animator and ...
'', ''
Prodromus Systematis Naturalis Regni Vegetabilis''.
See also
*
White paper
A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
References
Academic publishing
Medical terminology
Natural sciences
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