The Importance of University in the Renaissance

Humanist expertise on ancient texts was one factor that made Italy a leading medical center in the Renaissance. Universities drew aspiring physicians and scientists from all over Europe, who then returned home to spread medical learning. There was even a controversy in late 16th century Rome about the safety of drinking water from the Tiber River. Nothing epitomizes Renaissance Italy's university culture better than the dispute over the relative superiority of law and medicine.