historical lecturers and essays-第19节

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healed　diseases；　and　collected　plants；　and　wrote　a　book　on　fish。



But　the　learned　men　of　Montpellier；　and　of　all　Europe；　had　a　very



different　opinion　of　him。　　His　body　was　buried　at　Realmont；　but



before　the　schools　of　Toulouse　they　set　up　a　white　marble　slab；　and



an　inscription　thereon　setting　forth　his　learning　and　his　virtues；



and　epitaphs　on　him　were　composed　by　the　learned　throughout　Europe；



not　only　in　French　and　Latin；　but　in　Greek；　Hebrew；　and　even



Chaldee。







So　lived　and　so　died　a　noble　man；　more　noble；　to　my　mind；　than　many



a　victorious　warrior；　or　successful　statesman；　or　canonised　saint。



To　know　facts；　and　to　heal　diseases；　were　the　two　objects　of　his



life。　　For　them　he　toiled；　as　few　men　have　toiled；　and　he　died　in



harness；　at　his　workthe　best　death　any　man　can　die。















VESALIUS　THE　ANATOMIST　｛9｝















I　cannot　begin　a　sketch　of　the　life　of　this　great　man　better　than　by



trying　to　describe　a　scene　so　picturesque；　so　tragic　in　the　eyes　of



those　who　are　wont　to　mourn　over　human　follies；　so　comic　in　the　eyes



of　those　who　prefer　to　laugh　over　them；　that　the　reader　will　not　be



likely　to　forget　either　it　or　the　actors　in　it。







It　is　a　darkened　chamber　in　the　College　of　Alcala；　in　the　year　1562；



where　lies；　probably　in　a　huge　four…post　bed；　shrouded　in　stifling



hangings；　the　heir…apparent　of　the　greatest　empire　in　the　then



world；　Don　Carlos；　only　son　of　Philip　II。　and　heir…apparent　of



Spain；　the　Netherlands；　and　all　the　Indies。　　A　short　sickly　boy　of



sixteen；　with　a　bull　head；　a　crooked　shoulder；　a　short　leg；　and　a



brutal　temper；　he　will　not　be　missed　by　the　world　if　he　should　die。



His　profligate　career　seems　to　have　brought　its　own　punishment。　　To



the　scandal　of　his　father；　who　tolerated　no　one's　vices　save　his



own；　as　well　as　to　the　scandal　of　the　university　authorities　of



Alcala；　he　has　been　scouring　the　streets　at　the　head　of　the　most



profligate　students；　insulting　women；　even　ladies　of　rank；　and



amenable　only　to　his　lovely　young　stepmother；　Elizabeth　of　Valois；



Isabel　de　la　Paz；　as　the　Spaniards　call　her；　the　daughter　of



Catherine　do　Medicis；　and　sister　of　the　King　of　France。　　Don　Carlos



should　have　married　her；　had　not　his　worthy　father　found　it　more



advantageous　for　the　crown　of　Spain；　as　well　as　more　pleasant　for



him；　Philip；　to　marry　her　himself。　　Whence　came　heart…burnings；



rage；　jealousies；　romances；　calumnies；　of　which　two　lastin　as　far



at　least　as　they　concern　poor　Elizabethno　wise　man　now　believes　a



word。







Going　on　some　errand　on　which　he　had　no　businessthere　are　two



stories；　neither　of　them　creditable　nor　necessary　to　repeatDon



Carlos　has　fallen　downstairs　and　broken　his　head。　　He　comes；　by　his



Portuguese　mother's　side；　of　a　house　deeply　tainted　with　insanity；



and　such　an　injury　may　have　serious　consequences。　　However；　for　nine



days　the　wound　goes　on　well；　and　Don　Carlos；　having　had　a　wholesome



fright；　is；　according　to　Doctor　Olivarez；　the　medico　de　camara；　a



very　good　lad；　and　lives　on　chicken　broth　and　dried　plums。　　But　on



the　tenth　day　comes　on　numbness　of　the　left　side；　acute　pains　in　the



head；　and　then　gradually　shivering；　high　fever；　erysipelas。　　His



head　and　neck　swell　to　an　enormous　size；　then　comes　raging　delirium；



then　stupefaction；　and　Don　Carlos　lies　as　one　dead。







A　modern　surgeon　would；　probably；　thanks　to　that　training　of　which



Vesalius　may　be　almost　called　the　father；　have　had　little　difficulty



in　finding　out　what　was　the　matter　with　the　luckless　lad；　and　little



difficulty　in　removing　the　evil；　if　it　had　not　gone　too　far。　　But



the　Spanish　physicians　were　then；　as　many　of　them　are　said　to　be



still；　as　far　behind　the　world　in　surgery　as　in　other　things；　and



indeed　surgery　itself　was　then　in　its　infancy；　because　men；　ever



since　the　early　Greek　schools　of　Alexandria　had　died　out；　had　been



for　centuries　feeding　their　minds　with　anything　rather　than　with



facts。　　Therefore　the　learned　morosophs　who　were　gathered　round　Don



Carlos's　sick　bed　had　become　according　to　their　own　confession；



utterly　confused；　terrified；　and　at　their　wits'　end。







It　is　the　7th　of　May；　the　eighteenth　day　after　the　accident



according　to　Olivarez's　story：　　　he　and　Dr　Vega　have　been　bleeding



the　unhappy　prince；　enlarging　the　wound　twice；　and　torturing　him



seemingly　on　mere　guesses。　　〃I　believe；〃　says　Olivarez；　〃that　all



was　done　well：　　　but　as　I　have　said；　in　wounds　in　the　head　there　are



strange　labyrinths。〃　　So　on　the　7th　they　stand　round　the　bed　in



despair。　　Don　Garcia　de　Toledo；　the　prince's　faithful　governor；　is



sitting　by　him；　worn　out　with　sleepless　nights；　and　trying　to　supply



to　the　poor　boy　that　mother's　tenderness　which　he　has　never　known。



Alva；　too；　is　there；　stern；　self…compressed；　most　terrible；　and　yet



most　beautiful。　　He　has　a　God　on　earth；　and　that　is　Philip　his



master；　and　though　he　has　borne　much　from　Don　Carlos　already；　and



will　have　to　bear　more；　yet　the　wretched　lad　is　to　him　as　a　son　of



God；　a　second　deity；　who　will　by　right　divine　succeed　to　the



inheritance　of　the　first；　and　he　watches　this　lesser　deity



struggling　between　life　and　death　with　an　intensity　of　which　we；　in



these　less　loyal　days；　can　form　no　notion。　　One　would　be　glad　to



have　a　glimpse　of　what　passed　through　that　mind；　so　subtle　and　so



ruthless；　so　disciplined　and　so　loyal　withal：　　　but　Alva　was　a　man



who　was　not　given　to　speak　his　mind；　but　to　act　it。







One　would　wish；　too；　for　a　glimpse　of　what　was　passing　through　the



mind　of　another　man；　who　has　been　daily　in　that　sick　chamber；



according　to　Olivarez's　statement；　since　the　first　of　the　month：



but　he　is　one　who　has　had；　for　some　years　past；　even　more　reason



than　Alva　for　not　speaking　his　mind。　　What　he　looked　like　we　know



well；　for　Titian　has　painted　him　from　the　lifea　tall；　bold；　well…



dressed　man；　with　a　noble　brain；　square　and　yet　lofty；　short　curling



locks　and　beard；　an　eye　which　looks　as　though　it　feared　neither　man



nor　fiendand　it　has　had　good　reason　to　fear　bothand　features



which　would　be　exceeding　handsome；　but　for　the　defiant　snub…nose。



That　is　Andreas　Vesalius；　of　Brussels；　dreaded　and　hated　by　the



doctors　of　the　old　schoolsuspect；　moreover；　it　would　seem　to



inquisitors　and　theologians；　possibly　to　Alva　himself；　for　he　has



dared　to　dissect　human　bodies；　he　has　insulted　the　mediaevalists　at



Paris；　Padua；　Bologna；　Pisa；　Venice；　in　open　theatre；　he　has　turned



the　heads　of　all　the　young　surgeons　in　Italy　and　France；　he　has



written　a　great　book；　with　prints　in　it；　designed；　some　say；　by



Titianthey　were　actually　done　by　another　Netherlander；　John　of



Calcar；　near　Clevesin　which　he　has　dared　to　prove　that　Galen's



anatomy　was　at　fault　throughout；　and　that　he　had　been　describing　a



monkey's　inside　when　he　had　pretended　to　be　describing　a　man's；　and



thus；　by　impudence　and　quackery；　he　has　wormed　himselfthis



Netherlander；　a　heretic　at　heart；　as　all　Netherlanders　are；　to　God



as　well　as　to　Galeninto　the　confidence　of　the　late　Emperor　Charles



V。；　and　gone　campaigning　with　him　as　one　of　his　physicians；



anatomising　human　bodies　even　on　the　battle…field；　and　defacing　the



likeness　of　Deity；　and　worse　than　that；　the　most　religious　King



Philip　is　deceived　by　him　likewise；　and　keeps　him　in　Madrid　in



wealth　and　honour；　and　now；　in　the　prince's　extreme　danger；　the　king



has　actually　sent　for　him；　and　bidden　him　try　his　skilla　man　who



knows　nothing　save　about　bones　and　muscles　and　the　outside　of　the



body；　and　is　unworthy　the　name　of　a　true　physician。







One　can　conceive　the　rage　of　the　old　Spanish　pedants　at　the



Netherlander's　appearance；　and　still　more　at　what　followed；　if　we



are　to　believe　Hugo　Bloet　of　Delft；　his　countryman　and　contemporary。



｛10｝　　Vesalius；　he　says；　saw　that　the　surgeons　had　bound　up　the



wound　so　tight　that　an　abscess　had　formed　outside　the　skull；　which



could　not　break：　　　he　asserted　that　the　only　hope　lay　in　opening　it；



and　did　so；　Philip　having　given　leave；　〃by　two　cross…cuts。　　Then　the



lad　returned　to　himself；　as　if　awakened　from　a　profound　sleep；



affirming　that　he　owed　his　restoration　to　life　to　the　German



doctor。〃







Dionysius　Daza；　who　was　there　with　the　other　physicians　and



surgeons；　tells　a　different　story：　　　〃The　most　learned；　famous；　and



rare　Baron　Vesalius；〃　he　says；　advised　that　the　skull　should　be



trepanned；　but　his　advice　was　not　followed。







Olivarez's　account　agrees　with　that　of　Daza。　　They　had　open