Litblog: The World Literature Blog

I decided to look into the whole first scientist deal (out of my own curiosity and desire to learn). There are a number of early "scientists" such as the first recognized medical doctor (Imhotep from Egypt in ~2725 B.C.), Pythagoras who developed mathematical theory in ~530 B.C., Leucippus and Democritus who first proposed that matter is made of small, indestructible particles (~370 B.C.), or even the famous astronomers and philosophers Johannes Kepler and Galileo Galilei of the 1600s. The title of "first scientist" could probably be given to the great philosopher Aristotle, who founded the Lyceum and studied logic and philosophy. However, if we're talking about the very first recognized MODERN scientist, consensus would lead us to Francis Bacon. Bacon published his Instauratio Magna (in 1620) which contains his Novum Organum, the modern theory of the scientific method and inductive reasoning upon which modern science is based. Below is a link to a picture of the work's title page.
http://oregonstate.edu/instruct/phl302/images/zbaconfp.gif