medical essays-第78节
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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
