the evolution of modern medicine-第21章
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ke the White Nile in the Soudan; three channels may be followed through the weeds of theological and philosophical speculation。
SOUTH ITALIAN SCHOOL
A WIDE stream is in Italy; where the 〃antique education never stopped; antique reminiscence and tradition never passed away; and the literary matter of the pagan past never faded from the consciousness of the more educated among the laity and clergy。〃'3' Greek was the language of South Italy and was spoken in some of its eastern towns until the thirteenth century。 The cathedral and monastic schools served to keep alive the ancient learning。 Monte Casino stands pre…eminent as a great hive of students; and to the famous Regula of St。 Benedict'4' we are indebted for the preservation of many precious manuscripts。
'3' H。 O。 Taylor: The Mediaeval Mind; Vol。 I; p。 251。
'4' De Renzi: Storia Documentata della Scuola Medica di Salerno; 2d ed。; Napoli; 1867; Chap。 V。
The Norman Kingdom of South Italy and Sicily was a meeting ground of Saracens; Greeks and Lombards。 Greek; Arabic and Latin were in constant use among the people of the capital; and Sicilian scholars of the twelfth century translated directly from the Greek。
The famous 〃Almagest〃 of Ptolemy; the most important work of ancient astronomy; was translated from a Greek manuscript; as early as 1160; by a medical student of Salerno。'5'
'5' Haskins and Lockwood: Harvard Studies in Classical Philology; 1910; XXI; pp。 75…102。
About thirty miles southeast of Naples lay Salernum; which for centuries kept alight the lamp of the old learning; and became the centre of medical studies in the Middle Ages; well deserving its name of 〃Civitas Hippocratica。〃 The date of foundation is uncertain; but Salernitan physicians are mentioned as early as the middle of the ninth century; and from this date until the rise of the universities it was not only a great medical school; but a popular resort for the sick and wounded。 As the scholar says in Longfellow's 〃Golden Legend〃:
Then at every season of the year There are crowds of guests and travellers here; Pilgrims and mendicant friars and traders From the Levant; with figs and wine; And bands of wounded and sick Crusaders; Coming back from Palestine。
There were medical and surgical clinics; foundling hospitals; Sisters of Charity; men and women professorsamong the latter the famous Trotulaand apothecaries。 Dissections were carried out; chiefly upon animals; and human subjects were occasionally used。 In the eleventh and twelfth centuries; the school reached its height; and that remarkable genius; Frederick II; laid down regulations for a preliminary study extending over three years; and a course in medicine for five years; including surgery。 Fee tables and strict regulations as to practice were made; and it is specifically stated that the masters were to teach in the schools; theoretically and practically; under the authority of Hippocrates and Galen。 The literature from the school had a far…reaching influence。 One book on the anatomy of the pig illustrates the popular subject for dissection at that time。'6' The writings; which are numerous; have been collected by De Renzi。'7'
'6' 〃And dissections of the bodies of swine As likest the human form divine。〃Golden Legend。
'7' S。 de Renzi: Collectio Salernitana; 5 vols。; Naples; 1852…1859; P。 Giacosa: Magistri Salernitani; Turin; 1901。
The 〃Antidotarium〃 of Nicolaus Salernitanus; about 1100; became the popular pharmacopoeia of the Middle Ages; and many modern preparations may be traced to it。
The most prominent man of the school is Constantinus Africanus; a native of Carthage; who; after numerous journeys; reached Salernum about the middle of the eleventh century。 He was familiar with the works both of the Greeks and of the Arabs; and it was largely through his translations that the works of Rhazes and Avicenna became known in the West。
One work above all others spread the fame of the schoolthe Regimen Sanitatis; or Flos Medicinae as it is sometimes called; a poem on popular medicine。 It is dedicated to Robert of Normandy; who had been treated at Salernum; and the lines begin: 〃Anglorum regi scripsit schola tota Salerni 。 。 。 〃 It is a hand…book of diet and household medicine; with many shrewd and taking sayings which have passed into popular use; such as 〃Joy; temperance and repose Slam the door on the doctor's nose。〃 A full account of the work and the various editions of it is given by Sir Alexander Croke;'8' and the Finlayson lecture (Glasgow Medical Journal; 1908) by Dr。 Norman Moore gives an account of its introduction into the British Isles。
'8' Regimen Sanitutis Salernitanum; a Poem on the Preservation of Health in Rhyming Latin Verse; Oxford; D。A。 Talboys; 1830。
BYZANTINE MEDICINE
THE second great stream which carried Greek medicine to modern days runs through the Eastern Empire。 Between the third century and the fall of Constantinople there was a continuous series of Byzantine physicians whose inspiration was largely derived from the old Greek sources。 The most distinguished of these was Oribasius; a voluminous compiler; a native of Pergamon and so close a follower of his great townsman that he has been called 〃Galen's ape。〃 He left many works; an edition of which was edited by Bussemaker and Daremberg。 Many facts relating to the older writers are recorded in his writings。 He was a contemporary; friend as well as the physician; of the Emperor Julian; for whom he prepared an encyclopaedia of the medical sciences。
Other important Byzantine writers were Aetius and Alexander of Tralles; both of whom were strongly under the influence of Galen and Hippocrates。 Their materia medica was based largely upon Dioscorides。
From Byzantium we have the earliest known complete medical manuscript; dating from the fifth centurya work of Dioscoridesone of the most beautiful in existence。 It was prepared for Anicia Juliana; daughter of the Emperor of the East; and is now one of the great treasures of the Imperial Library at Vienna。'9' From those early centuries till the fall of Constantinople there is very little of interest medically。 A few names stand out prominently; but it is mainly a blank period in our records。 Perhaps one man may be mentioned; as he had a great influence on later agesActuarius; who lived about 1300; and whose book on the urine laid the foundation of much of the popular uroscopy and water…casting that had such a vogue in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries。 His work on the subject passed through a dozen Latin editions; but is best studied in Ideler's 〃Physici et medici Graeci minores〃 (Berlin; 1841)。
'9' It has been reproduced by Seatone de Vries; Leyden; 1905; Codices graeci et latini photographice depicti; Vol。 X。
The Byzantine stream of Greek medicine had dwindled to a very tiny rill when the fall of Constantinople (1453) dispersed to the West many Greek scholars and many precious manuscripts。
ARABIAN MEDICINE
THE third and by far the strongest branch of the Greek river reached the West after a remarkable and meandering course。 The map before you shows the distribution of the Graeco…Roman Christian world at the beginning of the seventh century。 You will notice that Christianity had extended far eastwards; almost to China。 Most of those eastern Christians were Nestorians and one of their important centres was Edessa; whose school of learning became so celebrated。 Here in the fifth century was built one of the most celebrated hospitals of antiquity。
Now look at another map showing the same countries about a century later。 No such phenomenal change ever was made within so short space of time as that which thus altered the map of Asia and Europe at this period。 Within a century; the Crescent had swept from Arabia through the Eastern Empire; over Egypt; North Africa and over Spain in the West; and the fate of Western Europe hung in the balance before the gates of Tours in 732。 This time the barbaric horde that laid waste a large part of Christendom were a people that became deeply appreciative of all that was best in Graeco…Roman civilization and of nothing more than of its sciences。 The cultivation of medicine was encouraged by the Ar