medical essays-第78部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

　　And　what　a　delight　in　the　pursuit　of　the　rarities　which　the　eager　book…hunter　follows　with　the　scent　of　a　beagle！

Shall　I　ever　forget　that　rainy　day　in　Lyons；　that　dingy　bookshop；　where　I　found　the　Aetius；　long　missing　from　my　Artis　bledicae　Principes；　and　where　I　bought　for　a　small　pecuniary　consideration；　though　it　was　marked　rare；　and　was　really　tres　rare；　the　Aphorisms　of　Hippocrates；　edited　by　and　with　a　preface　from　the　hand　of　Francis　Rabelais？　　And　the　vellum…bound　Tulpius；　which　I　came　upon　in　Venice；　afterwards　my　only　reading　when　imprisoned　in　quarantine　at　Marseilles；　so　that　the　two　hundred　and　twenty…eight　cases　he　has　recorded　are；　many　of　them；　to　this　day　still　fresh　in　my　memory。　And　the　Schenckius；the　folio　filled　with　casus　rariores；　which　had　strayed　in　among　the　rubbish　of　the　bookstall　on　the　boulevard；and　the　noble　old　Vesalius　with　its　grand　frontispiece　not　unworthy　of　Titian；　and　the　fine　old　Ambroise　Pare；　long　waited　for　even　in　Paris　and　long　ago；　and　the　colossal　Spigelius　with　his　eviscerated　beauties；　and　Dutch　Bidloo　with　its　miracles　of　fine　engraving　and　bad　dissection；　and　Italian　Mascagni；　the　despair　of　all　would…be　imitators；　and　pre…Adamite　John　de　Ketam；　and　antediluvian　Berengarius　Carpensis；but　why　multiply　names；　every　one　of　which　brings　back　the　accession　of　a　book　which　was　an　event　almost　like　the　birth　of　an　infant？

A　library　like　ours　must　exercise　the　largest　hospitality。　　A　great　many　books　may　be　found　in　every　large　collection　which　remind　us　of　those　apostolic　looking　old　men　who　figure　on　the　platform　at　our　political　and　other　assemblages。　　Some　of　them　have　spoken　words　of　wisdom　in　their　day；　but　they　have　ceased　to　be　oracles；　some　of　them　never　had　any　particularly　important　message　for　humanity；　but　they　add　dignity　to　the　meeting　by　their　presence；　they　look　wise；　whether　they　are　so　or　not；　and　no　one　grudges　them　their　places　of　honor。　Venerable　figure…heads；　what　would　our　platforms　be　without　you？

Just　so　with　our　libraries。　　Without　their　rows　of　folios　in　creamy　vellum；　or　showing　their　black　backs　with　antique　lettering　of　tarnished　gold；　our　shelves　would　look　as　insufficient　and　unbalanced　as　a　column　without　its　base；　as　a　statue　without　its　pedestal。　　And　do　not　think　they　are　kept　only　to　be　spanked　and　dusted　during　that　dreadful　period　when　their　owner　is　but　too　thankful　to　become　an　exile　and　a　wanderer　from　the　scene　of　single　combats　between　dead　authors　and　living　housemaids。　　Men　were　not　all　cowards　before　Agamemnon　or　all　fools　before　the　days　of　Virchow　and　Billroth。　　And　apart　from　any　practical　use　to　be　derived　from　the　older　medical　authors；　is　there　not　a　true　pleasure　in　reading　the　accounts　of　great　discoverers　in　their　own　words？　　I　do　not　pretend　to　hoist　up　the　Bibliotheca　Anatomica　of　Mangetus　and　spread　it　on　my　table　every　day。　　I　do　not　get　out　my　great　Albinus　before　every　lecture　on　the　muscles；　nor　disturb　the　majestic　repose　of　Vesalius　every　time　I　speak　of　the　bones　he　has　so　admirably　described　and　figured。　　But　it　does　please　me　to　read　the　first　descriptions　of　parts　to　which　the　names　of　their　discoverers　or　those　who　have　first　described　them　have　become　so　joined　that　not　even　modern　science　can　part　them；　to　listen　to　the　talk　of　my　old　volume　as　Willis　describes　his　circle　and　Fallopius　his　aqueduct　and　Varolius　his　bridge　and　Eustachius　his　tube　and　Monro　his　foramen；all　so　well　known　to　us　in　the　human　body；　it　does　please　me　to　know　the　very　words　in　which　Winslow　described　the　opening　which　bears　his　name；　and　Glisson　his　capsule　and　De　Graaf　his　vesicle；　I　am　not　content　until　I　know　in　what　language　Harvey　announced　his　discovery　of　the　circulation；　and　how　Spigelius　made　the　liver　his　perpetual　memorial；　and　Malpighi　found　a　monument　more　enduring　than　brass　in　the　corpuscles　of　the　spleen　and　the　kidney。

But　after　all；　the　readers　who　care　most　for　the　early　records　of　medical　science　and　art　are　the　specialists　who　are　dividing　up　the　practice　of　medicine　and　surgery　as　they　were　parcelled　out；　according　to　Herodotus；　by　the　Egyptians。　　For　them　nothing　is　too　old；　nothing　is　too　new；　for　to　their　books　of　ail　others　is　applicable　the　saying　of　D'Alembert　that　the　author　kills　himself　in　lengthening　out　what　the　reader　kills　himself　in　trying　to　shorten。

There　are　practical　books　among　these　ancient　volumes　which　can　never　grow　old。　　Would　you　know　how　to　recognize　〃male　hysteria〃　and　to　treat　it；　take　down　your　Sydenham；　would　you　read　the　experience　of　a　physician　who　was　himself　the　subject　of　asthma；　and　who；　notwithstanding　that；　in　the　words　of　Dr。　Johnson；　〃panted　on　till　ninety；〃　you　will　find　it　in　the　venerable　treatise　of　Sir　John　Floyer；　would　you　listen　to　the　story　of　the　King's　Evil　cured　by　the　royal　touch；　as　told　by　a　famous　chirurgeon　who　fully　believed　in　it；　go　to　Wiseman；　would　you　get　at　first　hand　the　description　of　the　spinal　disease　which　long　bore　his　name；　do　not　be　startled　if　I　tell　you　to　go　to　Pott；to　Percival　Pott；　the　great　surgeon　of　the　last　century。

There　comes　a　time　for　every　book　in　a　library　when　it　is　wanted　by　somebody。　　It　is　but　a　few　weeks　since　one　of　the　most　celebrated　physicians　in　the　country　wrote　to　me　from　a　great　centre　of　medical　education　to　know　if　I　had　the　works　of　Sanctorius；　which　he　had　tried　in　vain　to　find。　　I　could　have　lent　him　the　〃Medicina　Statica；〃　with　its　frontispiece　showing　Sanctorius　with　his　dinner　on　the　table　before　him；　in　his　balanced　chair　which　sunk　with　him　below　the　level　of　his　banquet…board　when　he　had　swallowed　a　certain　number　of　ounces；an　early　foreshadowing　of　Pettenkofer's　chamber　and　quantitative　physiology；but　the　〃Opera　Omnia〃　of　Sanctorius　I　had　never　met　with；　and　I　fear　he　had　to　do　without　it。

I　would　extend　the　hospitality　of　these　shelves　to　a　class　of　works　which　we　are　in　the　habit　of　considering　as　being　outside　of　the　pale　of　medical　science；　properly　so　called；　and　sometimes　of　coupling　with　a　disrespectful　name。　　Such　has　always　been　my　own　practice。　　I　have　welcomed　Culpeper　and　Salmon　to　my　bookcase　as　willingly　as　Dioscorides　or　Quincy；　or　Paris　or　Wood　and　Bache。　　I　have　found　a　place　for　St。　John　Long；　and　read　the　story　of　his　trial　for　manslaughter　with　as　much　interest　as　the　laurel…water　case　in　which　John　Hunter　figured　as　a　witness。　　I　would　give　Samuel　Hahnemann　a　place　by　the　side　of　Samuel　Thomson。　　Am　I　not　afraid　that　some　student　of　imaginative　turn　and　not　provided　with　the　needful　cerebral　strainers　without　which　all　the　refuse　of　gimcrack　intelligences　gets　into　the　mental　drains　and　chokes　them　up；am　I　not　afraid　that　some　such　student　will　get　hold　of　the　〃Organon〃　or　the　〃Maladies　Chroniques〃　and　be　won　over　by　their　delusions；　and　so　be　lost　to　those　that　love　him　as　a　man　of　common　sense　and　a　brother　in　their　high　calling？　　Not　in　the　least。　　If　he　showed　any　symptoms　of　infection　I　would　for　once　have　recourse　to　the　principle　of　similia　similibus。　　To　cure　him　of　Hahnemann　I　would　prescribe　my　favorite　homoeopathic　antidote；　Okie's　Bonninghausen。　　If　that　failed；　I　would　order　Grauvogl　as　a　heroic　remedy；　and　if　he　survived　that　uncured；　I　would　give　him　my　blessing；　if　I　thought　him　honest；　and　bid　him　depart　in　peace。　　For　me　he　is　no　longer　an　individual。　He　belongs　to　a　class　of　minds　which　we　are　bound　to　be　patient　with　if　their　Maker　sees　fit　to　indulge　them　with　existence。　　We　must　accept　the　conjuring　ultra…ritualist；　the　dreamy　second　adventist；　the　erratic　spiritualist；　the　fantastic　homoeopathist；　as　not　unworthy　of　philosophic　study；　not　more　unworthy　of　it　than　the　squarers　of　the　circle　and　the　inventors　of　perpetual　motion；　and　the　other　whimsical　visionaries　to　whom　De　Morgan　has　devoted　his　most　instructive　and　entertaining　〃Budget　of　Paradoxes。〃　　I　hope；　therefore；　that　our　library　will　admit　the　works　of　the　so…called　Eclectics；　of　the　Thomsonians；　if　any　are　in　existence；　of　the　Clairvoyants；　if　they　have　a　literature；　and　especially　of　the　Homoeopathists。　　This　country　seems　to　be　the　place　for　such　a　collection；　which　will　by　and　by　be　curious　and　of　more　value　than　at　present；　for　Homoeopathy　seems　to　be　following　the　pathological　law　of　erysipelas；　fading　out　where　it　originated　as　it　spreads　to　new　regions。　　At　least　I　judge　so　by　the　following　translated　extract　from　a　criticism　of　an　American　work　in　the　〃Homoeopatische　Rundschau〃　of　Leipzig　for　October；　1878；　which　I　find　in　the　〃Homoeopathic　Bulletin〃　for　the　month　of　November　just　passed：　〃While　we　feel　proud　of　the　spread　and　rise　of　Homoeopathy　across　the　ocean；　and　while　the　Homoeopathic　works　reaching　us　from　there；　and　published　in　a　style　such　as　is　unknown　in　Germany；　bear　eloquent　testimony　to　the　eminent　activity　of　our　transatlantic　colleagues；　we　are　overcome　by　sorrowful　regrets　at　the　position　Homoeopathy　occupies　in　Germany。　　Such　a　work　＇as　the　American　one　referred　to＇　with　us　would　be　impossible；　it　would　lack　the　necessary　support。〃

By　all　means　let　our　library　secure　a　good　representation　of　the　literature　of　Homoeopathy　before　it　leaves　us　its　〃sorrowful　regrets〃　and　migrates　with　its　sugar　of　milk　pellets；　which　have　taken　the　place　of　the　old　pilulae　micae