the evolution of modern medicine(现代医药的演变)-第35章
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THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN MEDICINE
extent if one may judge from advertisements in certain papers； and from
publications which must have a considerable sale。 Many years ago； I had
as a patient an estimable astrologer； whose lucrative income was derived
from giving people astral information as to the rise and fall of stocks。 It is
a chapter in the vagaries of the human mind that is worth careful study。＇33＇
Let me commend to your reading the sympathetic story called 〃A Doctor
of Medicine〃 in the 〃Rewards and Fairies〃 of Kipling。 The hero is
Nicholas Culpeper； Gent。； whose picture is here given。 One stanza of the
poem at the end of the story； 〃Our Fathers of Old；〃 may be quoted：
Wonderful tales had our fathers of old Wonderful tales of the herbs
and the stars The Sun was Lord of the Marigold； Basil and Rocket
belonged to Mars。 Pat as a sum in division it goes （Every plant had a star
bespoke） Who but Venus should govern the Rose？ Who but Jupiter own
the Oak？ Simply and gravely the facts are told In the wonderful books of
our fathers of old。
＇33＇ It is not generally known that Stonewall Jackson practiced
astrology。 Col。 J。 W。 Revere in 〃Keel and Saddle〃 （Boston； 1872） tells of
meeting Jackson in 1852 on a Mississippi steamer and talking with him on
the subject。 Some months later； Revere received a letter from Jackson
enclosing his （Revere's） horoscope。 There was a 〃culmination of the
malign aspect during the first days of May； 1863both will be exposed to
a common danger at the time indicated。〃 At the battle of Chancellorsville；
May 9； 1863； Revere saw Jackson mortally wounded！
James J。 Walsh of New York has written a book of extraordinary
interest called 〃The Thirteenth； Greatest of Centuries。〃 I have not the
necessary knowledge to say whether he has made out his case or not for
art and for literature。 There was certainly a great awakening and； inspired
by high ideals； men turned with a true instinct to the belief that there was
more in life than could be got out of barren scholastic studies。 With many
of the strong men of the period one feels the keenest mental sympathy。
Grosseteste； the great Clerk of Lincoln； as a scholar； a teacher and a
reformer； represents a type of mind that could grow only in fruitful soil。
Roger Bacon may be called the first of the modernscertainly the first to
appreciate the extraordinary possibilities which lay in a free and
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THE EVOLUTION OF MODERN MEDICINE
untrammelled study of nature。 A century which could produce men
capable of building the Gothic cathedrals may well be called one of the
great epochs in history； and the age that produced Dante is a golden one in
literature。 Humanity has been the richer for St。 Francis； and Abelard；
Albertus and Aquinas form a trio not easy to match； in their special
departments； either before or after。 But in science； and particularly in
medicine； and in the advance of an outlook upon nature； the thirteenth
century did not help man very much。 Roger Bacon was 〃a voice crying in
the wilderness；〃 and not one of the men I have picked out as specially
typical of the period instituted any new departure either in practice or in
science。 They were servile followers； when not of the Greeks； of the
Arabians。 This is attested by the barrenness of the century and a half that
followed。 One would have thought that the stimulus given by Mundinus to
the study of anatomy would have borne fruit； but little was done in science
during the two and a half centuries that followed the delivery of his
lectures and still less in the art。 While William of Wykeham was building
Winchester Cathedral and Chaucer was writing the Canterbury Tales； John
of Gaddesden in practice was blindly following blind leaders whose
authority no one dared question。
The truth is； from the modern standpoint the thirteenth was not the true
dawn brightening more and more unto the perfect day； but a glorious
aurora which flickered down again into the arctic night of mediaevalism。
To sum upin medicine the Middle Ages represent a restatement from
century to century of the facts and theories of the Greeks modified here
and there by Arabian practice。 There was； in Francis Bacon's phrase； much
iteration； small addition。 The schools bowed in humble； slavish
submission to Galen and Hippocrates； taking everything from them but
their spirit and there was no advance in our knowledge of the structure or
function of the body。 The Arabians lit a brilliant torch from Grecian lamps
and from the eighth to the eleventh centuries the profession reached
among them a position of dignity and importance to which it is hard to
find a parallel in history。
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CHAPTER IV
THE RENAISSANCE AND THE RISE OF ANATOMY AND
PHYSIOLOGY
THE 〃reconquest of the classic world of thought was by far the most
important achievement of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries。 It absorbed
nearly the whole mental energy of the Italians。。。。 The revelation of what
men were and what they wrought under the influence of other faiths and
other impulses； in distant ages with a different ideal for their aim； not only
widened the narrow horizon of the Middle Ages； but it also restored self…
confidence to the reason of humanity。〃＇1＇
＇1＇ J。 A。 Symonds： The Renaissance in Italy； the Revival of Learning；
1877； p。 52。
Everywhere throughout the Middle Ages learning was the handmaid
of theology。 Even Roger Bacon with his strong appeal for a new method
accepted the dominant mediaeval convictionthat all the sciences did but
minister to their queen； Theology。 A new spirit entered man's heart as he
came to look upon learning as a guide to the conduct of life。 A revolution
was slowly effected in the intellectual world。 It is a mistake to think of the
Renaissance as a brief period of sudden fruitfulness in the North Italian
cities。 So far as science is concerned； the thirteenth century was an aurora
followed by a long period of darkness； but the fifteenth was a true dawn
that brightened more and more unto the perfect day。 Always a reflex of its
period； medicine joined heartily though slowly in the revolt against
mediaevalism。 How slowly I did not appreciate until recently。 Studying the
earliest printed medical works to catch the point of view of the men who
were in the thick of the movement up to 1480 which may be taken to
include the first quarter of a century of printing one gets a startling
record。 The mediaeval mind still dominates： of the sixty…seven authors of
one hundred and eighty…two editions of early medical books； twenty…three
were men of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries； thirty men of the
fifteenth century； eight wrote in Arabic； several were of the School of
Salernum； and only six were of classical antiquity； viz。； Pliny （first 1469）；
