Cardano was the son of a lawyer of great learning who was also a friend of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519). The young Cardano was sickly from birth, and was treated poorly by his father, but he was extremely bright and applied himself to the study of the classics, mathematics, and astrology, receiving his doctorate in medicine in 1526. Unfortunately, because of his illegitimate birth, Cardano was refused admittance to the College of Physicians at Milan, Italy, until he had demonstrated excellence in his field. This turn of events greatly embittered Cardano, but he did not allow it to hinder him from becoming one of the best known physicians in Europe, second only to Andreas Vesalius. In 1543 he received the appointment of professor of medicine at the University of Pavia. By this time he had already produced well-known works on astrology (a skill that was quite respectable at the time...