Médico. Nacido en Portugal en una familia de cristianos nuevos que se trasladó a España en 1615. Bachiller en artes en la Universidad de Salamanca, realizó los estudios de medicina en la Universidad de Valladolid donde consigue el grado de doctor en 1625. Se traslada a Madrid antes de 1630 y vive en esta ciudad hasta 1645. Según distintas fuentes Fernando Cardoso estuvo al servicio de Felipe IV, pero se vio incurso en un proceso inquisitorial, resultado de la persecución de los judeoconversos portugueses tras la caída del conde-duque de Olivares en 1640. Llegó a Venecia en 1648 y en 1652 se estableció en Verona como médico en el gueto de la comunidad judía. Cardoso mantuvo en secreto su judaísmo por lo que sus obras publicadas en España están firmadas como Fernando Cardoso, mientras que en sus obras italianas aparece ya como Isaac Cardoso. En 1673 publicó en Venecia su obra más conocida Philosophia libera in septem libros distributa in quibus omnia, qu[a]e ad Philosophum naturalem spectant ... disputantur ..., en la que considera algunas teorías nuevas (Copérnico, Galileo), pero sin abandonar las concepciones aristotélicas. Según López Piñero, adopta una postura favorable al atomismo, en el que se inspira para "suplantar las formas aristotélicas por partículas o corpúsculos indivisibles que existirían en el vacío". Este mismo autor sitúa a Cardoso entre los físicos que adoptaron una actitud moderada, abandonaron el escolasticismo rígido y fueron el primer eco de la nueva física en la filosofía natural española. Para Navarro Brotons, Cardoso trata de mostrarse crítico e independiente hacia las fuentes, aunque se advierte una reluctancia a apartarse de Aristóteles. Su primera obra publicada fue el Discurso sobre el monte Vesuvio, insigne por sus ruinas, famoso por la muerte de Plinio; del prodigioso incendio del año passado de 1631 i de sus causas naturales, i el origen verdadero de los terremotos, vientos, i tempestades. Escribió además, entre otras obras, Vtilidades del agua i de la nieue, del beuer frio i caliente (Madrid, 1637); De febre syncopali : tractatio noviter discussa, vtiliter disputata : controversijs, observationibus, historijs referta ... (Madrid, 1639); Oracion Funebre en la muerte de Lope de Vega (Madrid, 1635, disponible en la edición de Madrid, 1778) ; Philosophia libera in septem libros distributa in quibus omnia, qu[a]e ad Philosophum naturalem spectant ... disputantur ... (Venecia, 1673) y Las excelencias [y calunias] de los hebreos (Venecia, 1679)
Resumen biográfico extraído de Wikipedia en español: <blockquote>"Fernando o Isaac Cardoso (Celorico, Beira, 1603 ó 1604, - Verona, 1683), médico y filósofo preilustrado hispanoportugués."</blockquote>
Abstract from English Wikipedia: <blockquote>"Isaac (Fernando) Cardoso was a Jewish physician, philosopher, and polemic writer. He was born of Marrano parents at Trancoso, near Celorico, in the province of Beira, Portugal in 1603 or 1604 and died at Verona in 1683. He was an older brother of Abraham Miguel Cardoso. After studying medicine, philosophy, and natural sciences at Salamanca, he settled as physician at Valladolid in 1632, but was soon called as chief physician (physico mor) to Madrid. While there he published in 1632 a lecture on Vesuvius and on the causes of the earthquake, and in 1635 a treatise on the color green, which he dedicated to Isabel Henriques, who was celebrated in the academies of Madrid for her intellect, and who lived later in Amsterdam. In the latter year he also composed a funeral discourse for Lope de Vega, which was dedicated to the Duke de Sessa, and a treatise on the uses of cold water, printed in 1637, and dedicated to King Philip IV of Spain. Fernando (his Marrano name) left Spain, probably to escape from the Inquisition, and went with his brother Miguel, who had also studied medicine, to Venice, where both openly embraced Judaism, Fernando changing his name to "Isaac." After a short stay in Venice he settled in Verona, where he remained until his death, highly honored by Jews and Christians. Aside from the works already mentioned, Cardoso published a comprehensive treatise on cosmogony, physics, medicine, philosophy, theology, and natural sciences, printed at Venice in 1673 under the title Philosophia Libera in Septem Libros Distributa, and dedicated to the doge and senate of that city. In this work, which critically discusses the various philosophical systems, he appears as a decided opponent of the Kabbalah and of the pseudo-Messiah Sabbatai Zevi, although his brother Miguel was an adherent. Isaac also ridiculed the kabbalistic, Pythagorean doctrine of the transmigration of souls. This "learned, God-fearing physician," as he is designated by the pious Moses Hagiz (Mishnat Chakamim, p. 120a) defended his coreligionists in his great work, Las Excelencias y Calunias de los Hebreos, printed in 1679 at Amsterdam, and dedicated March 17, 1678, to Jacob de Pinto. In ten chapters he emphasizes the "excelencias" (distinguishing features) of the Jews, their selection by God, their separation from all other peoples by special laws, their compassion for the sufferings of others, their philanthropy, chastity, faith, etc.; and in ten other chapters he refutes the "calunias" (calumnies) brought against them; viz., that they worship false gods, smell badly, are hard and unfeeling toward other peoples, have corrupted Scripture, blaspheme holy images and the host, kill Christian children and use the blood for ritual purposes. This work, which was celebrated by the rabbi J. Brieli of Mantua in a Hebrew sonnet ("Otzar Nechmad," iii. 167), was sent by Cardoso soon after its appearance, July 23, 1679, to the rabbi Samuel Aboab in Venice, asking for an opinion. Aboab answered July 31, thanking him for the splendid gift. In another letter to Aboab, December 24, 1679, he gave his views on the derivation of some Spanish words from persons mentioned in the Bible. According to De Barrios, Cardoso also published Varias Poesias (1680)."</blockquote>