按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
ile and fill up。 For long years Copernicus had brooded over the great thoughts which his careful observation had compelled。 We can imagine the touching scene in the little town when his friend Osiander brought the first copy of the precious volume hot from the press； a well enough printed book。 Already on his deathbed； stricken with a long illness； the old man must have had doubts how his work would be received； though years before Pope Clement VII had sent him encouraging words。 Fortunately death saved him from the 〃rending〃 which is the portion of so many innovators and discoverers。 His great contemporary reformer； Luther； expressed the view of the day when he said the fool will turn topsy…turvy the whole art of astronomy； but the Bible says that Joshua commanded the Sun to stand still； not the Earth。 The scholarly Melanchthon； himself an astronomer； thought the book so godless that he recommended its suppression （Dannemann； Grundriss）。 The church was too much involved in the Ptolemaic system to accept any change and it was not until 1822 that the works of Copernicus were removed from the Index。
VESALIUS
THE same year； 1542； saw a very different picture in the far…famed city of Padua； 〃nursery of the arts。〃 The central figure was a man not yet in the prime of life； and justly full of its pride； as you may see from his portrait。 Like Aristotle and Hippocrates cradled and nurtured in an AEsculapian family； Vesalius was from his childhood a student of nature； and was now a wandering scholar； far from his Belgian home。 But in Italy he had found what neither Louvain nor Paris could give； freedom in his studies and golden opportunities for research in anatomy。 What an impression he must have made on the student body at Padua may be judged from the fact that shortly after his graduation in December； 1537； at the age of twenty…four； he was elected to the chair of anatomy and surgery。 Two things favored himan insatiate desire to see and handle for himself the parts of the human frame； and an opportunity； such as had never before been offered to the teacher； to obtain material for the study of human anatomy。 Learned with all the learning of the Grecians and of the Arabians； Vesalius grasped； as no modern before him had done； the cardinal fact that to know the human machine and its working； it is necessary first to know its partsits fabric。
To appreciate the work of this great man we must go back in a brief review of the growth of the study of anatomy。
Among the Greeks only the Alexandrians knew human anatomy。 What their knowledge was we know at second hand； but the evidence is plain that they knew a great deal。 Galen's anatomy was first…class and was based on the Alexandrians and on his studies of the ape and the pig。 We have already noted how much superior was his osteology to that of Mundinus。 Between the Alexandrians and the early days of the School of Salernum we have no record of systematic dissections of the human body。 It is even doubtful if these were permitted at Salernum。 Neuburger states that the instructions of Frederick II as to dissections were merely nominal。
How atrocious was the anatomy of the early Middle Ages may be gathered from the cuts in the works of Henri de Mondeville。 In the Bodleian Library is a remarkable Latin anatomical treatise of the late thirteenth century； of English provenance； one illustration from which will suffice to show the ignorance of the author。 Mundinus of Bologna； one of the first men in the Middle Ages to study anatomy from the subject； was under the strong domination of the Arabians； from whom he appears to have received a very imperfect Galenic anatomy。 From this date we meet with occasional dissections at various schools； but we have seen that in the elaborate curriculum of the University of Padua in the middle of the fifteenth century there was no provision for the study of the subject。 Even well into the sixteenth century dissections were not common； and the old practice was followed of holding a professorial discourse； while the butcher； or barber surgeon； opened the cavities of the body。 A member of a famous Basel family of physicians； Felix Plater； has left us in his autobiography＇19＇ details of the dissections he witnessed at Montpellier between November 14； 1552； and January 10； 1557； only eleven in number。 How difficult it was at that time to get subjects is shown by the risks they ran in 〃body…snatching〃 expeditions； of which he records three。
＇19＇ There is no work from which we can get a better idea of the life of the sixteenth…century medical student and of the style of education and of the degree ceremonies； etc。 Cumston has given an excellent summary of it （Johns Hopkins Hospital Bulletin； 1912； XXIII； 105…113）。
And now came the real maker of modern anatomy。 Andreas Vesalius had a good start in life。 Of a family long associated with the profession； his father occupied the position of apothecary to Charles V； whom he accompanied on his journeys and campaigns。 Trained at Louvain； he had； from his earliest youth； an ardent desire to dissect； and cut up mice and rats； and even cats and dogs。 To Paris； the strong school of the period； he went in 1533； and studied under two men of great renown； Jacob Sylvius and Guinterius。 Both were strong Galenists and regarded the Master as an infallible authority。 He had as a fellow prosector； under the latter； the unfortunate Servetus。 The story of his troubles and trials in getting bones and subjects you may read in Roth's 〃Life。〃＇20＇ Many interesting biographical details are also to be found in his own writings。 He returned for a time to Louvain； and here he published his first book； a commentary on the 〃Almansor〃 of Rhazes； in 1537。
＇20＇ M。 Roth： Andreas Vesalius Bruxellensis； Berlin； 1892。 An excellent account of Vesalius and his contemporaries is given by James Moores Ball in his superbly printed Andreas Vesalius； the Reformer of Anatomy； St。 Louis； 1910。
Finding it difficult； either in Paris or Louvain； to pursue his anatomical studies； he decided to go to Italy where； at Venice and Padua； the opportunities were greater。 At Venice； he attended the practice of a hospital （now a barracks） which was in charge of the Theatiner Order。 I show you a photograph of the building taken last year。 And here a strange destiny brought two men together。 In 1537； another pilgrim was working in Venice waiting to be joined by his six disciples。 After long years of probation； Ignatius Loyola was ready to start on the conquest of a very different world。 Devoted to the sick and to the poor； he attached himself to the Theatiner Order； and in the wards of the hospital and the quadrangle； the fiery； dark…eyed； little Basque must frequently have come into contact with the sturdy young Belgian； busy with his clinical studies and his anatomy。 Both were to achieve phenomenal successthe one in a few years to revolutionize anatomy； the other within twenty years to be the controller of universities； the counsellor of kings； and the founder of the most famous order in the Roman Catholic Church。 It was in this hospital that Vesalius made observations on the China…root； on which he published a monograph in 1546。 The Padu