a history of science-4-第14部分

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m　per　anatomen　indagatis　was　the　largest；　most　accurate；　and　best…illustrated　collection　of　cases　that　had　ever　been　brought　together；　and　marks　an　epoch　in　medical　science。　From　the　time　of　the　publication　of　Morgagni's　researches；　morbid　anatomy　became　a　recognized　branch　of　the　medical　science；　and　the　effect　of　the　impetus　thus　given　it　has　been　steadily　increasing　since　that　time。


WILLIAM　HUNTER

William　Hunter　（1718…1783）　must　always　be　remembered　as　one　of　the　greatest　physicians　and　anatomists　of　the　eighteenth　century；　and　particularly　as　the　first　great　teacher　of　anatomy　in　England；　but　his　fame　has　been　somewhat　overshadowed　by　that　of　his　younger　brother　John。

Hunter　had　been　intended　and　educated　for　the　Church；　but　on　the　advice　of　the　surgeon　William　Cullen　he　turned　his　attention　to　the　study　of　medicine。　His　first　attempt　at　teaching　was　in　1746；　when　he　delivered　a　series　of　lectures　on　surgery　for　the　Society　of　Naval　Practitioners。　　These　lectures　proved　so　interesting　and　instructive　that　he　was　at　once　invited　to　give　others；　and　his　reputation　as　a　lecturer　was　soon　established。　He　was　a　natural　orator　and　story…teller；　and　he　combined　with　these　attractive　qualities　that　of　thoroughness　and　clearness　in　demonstrations；　and　although　his　lectures　were　two　hours　long　he　made　them　so　full　of　interest　that　his　pupils　seldom　tired　of　listening。　　He　believed　that　he　could　do　greater　good　to　the　world　by　〃publicly　teaching　his　art　than　by　practising　it；〃　and　even　during　the　last　few　days　of　his　life；　when　he　was　so　weak　that　his　friends　remonstrated　against　it；　he　continued　his　teaching；　fainting　from　exhaustion　at　the　end　of　his　last　lecture；　which　preceded　his　death　by　only　a　few　days。

For　many　years　it　was　Hunter's　ambition　to　establish　a　museum　where　the　study　of　anatomy；　surgery；　and　medicine　might　be　advanced；　and　in　1765　he　asked　for　a　grant　of　a　plot　of　ground　for　this　purpose；　offering　to　spend　seven　thousand　pounds　on　its；　erection　besides　endowing　it　with　a　professorship　of　anatomy。　Not　being　able　to　obtain　this　grant；　however；　he　built　a　house；　in　which　were　lecture　and　dissecting　rooms；　and　his　museum。　In　this　museum　were　anatomical　preparations；　coins；　minerals；　and　natural…history　specimens。

Hunter's　weakness　was　his　love　of　controversy　and　his　resentment　of　contradiction。　　This　brought　him　into　strained　relations　with　many　of　the　leading　physicians　of　his　time；　notably　his　own　brother　John；　who　himself　was　probably　not　entirely　free　from　blame　in　the　matter。　Hunter　is　said　to　have　excused　his　own　irritability　on　the　grounds　that　being　an　anatomist；　and　accustomed　to　〃the　passive　submission　of　dead　bodies；〃　contradictions　became　the　more　unbearable。　Many　of　the　physiological　researches　begun　by　him　were　carried　on　and　perfected　by　his　more　famous　brother；　particularly　his　investigations　of　the　capillaries；　but　he　added　much　to　the　anatomical　knowledge　of　several　structures　of　the　body；　notably　as　to　the　structure　of　cartilages　and　joints。


JOHN　HUNTER

In　Abbot　Islip's　chapel　in　Westminster　Abbey；　close　to　the　resting…place　of　Ben　Jonson；　rest　the　remains　of　John　Hunter　（1728…1793）；　famous　in　the　annals　of　medicine　as　among　the　greatest　physiologists　and　surgeons　that　the　world　has　ever　produced：　a　man　whose　discoveries　and　inventions　are　counted　by　scores；　and　whose　field　of　research　was　only　limited　by　the　outermost　boundaries　of　eighteenth…century　science；　although　his　efforts　were　directed　chiefly　along　the　lines　of　his　profession。

Until　about　twenty　years　of　age　young　Hunter　had　shown　little　aptitude　for　study；　being　unusually　fond　of　out…door　sports　and　amusements；　but　about　that　time；　realizing　that　some　occupation　must　be　selected；　he　asked　permission　of　his　brother　William　to　attempt　some　dissections　in　his　anatomical　school　in　London。　　To　the　surprise　of　his　brother　he　made　this　dissection　unusually　well；　and　being　given　a　second；　he　acquitted　himself　with　such　skill　that　his　brother　at　once　predicted　that　he　would　become　a　great　anatomist。　　Up　to　this　time　he　had　had　no　training　of　any　kind　to　prepare　him　for　his　professional　career；　and　knew　little　of　Greek　or　Latinlanguages　entirely　unnecessary　for　him；　as　he　proved　in　all　of　his　life　work。　　Ottley　tells　the　story　that；　when　twitted　with　this　lack　of　knowledge　of　the　〃dead　languages〃　in　after　life；　he　said　of　his　opponent；　〃I　could　teach　him　that　on　the　dead　body　which　he　never　knew　in　any　language；　dead　or　living。〃

By　his　second　year　in　dissection　he　had　become　so　skilful　that　he　was　given　charge　of　some　of　the　classes　in　his　brother's　school；　in　1754　he　became　a　surgeon's　pupil　in　St。　George's　Hospital；　and　two　years　later　house…surgeon。　Having　by　overwork　brought　on　symptoms　that　seemed　to　threaten　consumption；　he　accepted　the　position　of　staff…surgeon　to　an　expedition　to　Belleisle　in　1760；　and　two　years　later　was　serving　with　the　English　army　at　Portugal。　　During　all　this　time　he　was　constantly　engaged　in　scientific　researches；　many　of　which；　such　as　his　observations　of　gun…shot　wounds；　he　put　to　excellent　use　in　later　life。　On　returning　to　England　much　improved　in　health　in　1763；　he　entered　at　once　upon　his　career　as　a　London　surgeon；　and　from　that　time　forward　his　progress　was　a　practically　uninterrupted　series　of　successes　in　his　profession。

Hunter's　work　on　the　study　of　the　lymphatics　was　of　great　service　to　the　medical　profession。　　This　important　net…work　of　minute　vessels　distributed　throughout　the　body　had　recently　been　made　the　object　of　much　study；　and　various　students；　including　Haller；　had　made　extensive　investigations　since　their　discovery　by　Asellius。　　But　Hunter；　in　1758；　was　the　first　to　discover　the　lymphatics　in　the　neck　of　birds；　although　it　was　his　brother　William　who　advanced　the　theory　that　the　function　of　these　vessels　was　that　of　absorbents。　One　of　John　Hunter's　pupils；　William　Hewson　（1739…1774）；　first　gave　an　account；　in　1768；　of　the　lymphatics　in　reptiles　and　fishes；　and　added　to　his　teacher's　investigations　of　the　lymphatics　in　birds。　These　studies　of　the　lymphatics　have　been　regarded；　perhaps　with　justice；　as　Hunter's　most　valuable　contributions　to　practical　medicine。

In　1767　he　met　with　an　accident　by　which　he　suffered　a　rupture　of　the　tendo　Achillisthe　large　tendon　that　forms　the　attachment　of　the　muscles　of　the　calf　to　the　heel。　From　observations　of　this　accident；　and　subsequent　experiments　upon　dogs；　he　laid　the　foundation　for　the　now　simple　and　effective　operation　for　the　cure　of　club　feet　and　other　deformities　involving　the　tendons。　　In　1772　he　moved　into　his　residence　at　Earlscourt；　Brompton；　where　he　gathered　about　him　a　great　menagerie　of　animals；　birds；　reptiles；　insects；　and　fishes；　which　he　used　in　his　physiological　and　surgical　experiments。　Here　he　performed　a　countless　number　of　experimentsmore；　probably；　than　〃any　man　engaged　in　professional　practice　has　ever　conducted。〃　These　experiments　varied　in　nature　from　observations　of　the　habits　of　bees　and　wasps　to　major　surgical　operations　performed　upon　hedgehogs；　dogs；　leopards；　etc。　　It　is　said　that　for　fifteen　years　he　kept　a　flock　of　geese　for　the　sole　purpose　of　studying　the　process　of　development　in　eggs。

Hunter　began　his　first　course　of　lectures　in　1772；　being　forced　to　do　this　because　he　had　been　so　repeatedly　misquoted；　and　because　he　felt　that　he　could　better　gauge　his　own　knowledge　in　this　way。　Lecturing　was　a　sore　trial　to　him；　as　he　was　extremely　diffident；　and　without　writing　out　his　lectures　in　advance　he　was　scarcely　able　to　speak　at　all。　　In　this　he　presented　a　marked　contrast　to　his　brother　William；　who　was　a　fluent　and　brilliant　speaker。　Hunter's　lectures　were　at　best　simple　readings　of　the　facts　as　he　had　written　them；　the　diffident　teacher　seldom　raising　his　eyes　from　his　manuscript　and　rarely　stopping　until　his　complete　lecture　had　been　read　through。　　His　lectures　were；　therefore；　instructive　rather　than　interesting；　as　he　used　infinite　care　in　preparing　them；　but　appearing　before　his　classes　was　so　dreaded　by　him　that　he　is　said　to　have　been　in　the　habit　of　taking　a　half…drachm　of　laudanum　before　each　lecture　to　nerve　him　for　the　ordeal。　One　is　led　to　wonder　by　what　name　he　shall　designate　that　quality　of　mind　that　renders　a　bold　and　fearless　surgeon　like　Hunter；　who　is　undaunted　in　the　face　of　hazardous　and　dangerous　operations；　a　stumbling；　halting；　and　〃frightened〃　speaker　before　a　little　band　of；　at　most；　thirty　young　medical　students。　　And　yet　this　same　thing　is　not　unfrequently　seen　among　the　boldest　surgeons。


Hunter's　Operation　for　the　Cure　of　Aneurisms

It　should　be　an　object…lesson　to　those　who；　ignorantly　or　otherwise；　preach　against　the　painless　vivisection　as　practised　to…day；　that　by　the　sacrifice　of　a　single　deer　in　the　cause　of　science　Hunter　discovered　a　fact　in　physiology　that　has　been　the　means　of　saving　thousands　of　human　lives　and　thousands　of　human　bodies　from　needless　mutilation。　We　refer　to　the　discovery　of　the　〃collateral　circulation〃　of　the　blood；　which　led；　among　other　things；　to　Hunter's　successful　operation　upon　aneurisms。

Simply　stated；　every　organ　or　muscle　of　the　body　is　supplied　by　one　large　artery；　whose　main　trunk　distributes　the　blood　into　its　lesser