historical lecturers and essays-第21节

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used　to　pursue　with　stones　and　curses　the　embalmers　as　soon　as　they



had　performed　their　unpleasant　office；　and　though　Herophilus　and



Erasistratus　are　said　to　have　dissected　many　subjects　under　the



protection　of　Ptolemy　Soter　in　Alexandria　itself：　　　yet　the　public



feeling　of　the　Greeks　as　well　as　of　the　Romans　continued　the　same　as



that　of　the　ancient　Egyptians；　and　Galen　was　fainas　Vesalius



provedto　supplement　his　ignorance　of　the　human　frame　by　describing



that　of　an　ape。　　Dissection　was　equally　forbidden　among　the



Mussulmans；　and　the　great　Arabic　physicians　could　do　no　more　than



comment　on　Galen。　　The　same　prejudice　extended　through　the　Middle



Age。　　Medical　men　were　all　clerks；　CLERICI；　and　as　such　forbidden　to



shed　blood。　　The　only　dissection；　as　far　as　I　am　aware；　made　during



the　Middle　Age　was　one　by　Mundinus　in　1306；　and　his　subsequent



commentaries　on　Galenfor　he　dare　allow　his　own　eyes　to　see　no　more



than　Galen　had　seen　before　himconstituted　the　best　anatomical



manual　in　Europe　till　the　middle　of　the　fifteenth　century。







Then；　in　Italy　at　least；　the　classic　Renaissance　gave　fresh　life　to



anatomy　as　to　all　other　sciences。　　Especially　did　the　improvements



in　painting　and　sculpture　stir　men　up　to　a　closer　study　of　the　human



frame。　　Leonardo　da　Vinci　wrote　a　treatise　on　muscular　anatomy。　　The



artist　and　the　sculptor　often　worked　together；　and　realised　that



sketch　of　Michael　Angelo's　in　which　he　himself　is　assisting



Fallopius；　Vesalius's　famous　pupil；　to　dissect。　　Vesalius　soon　found



that　his　thirst　for　facts　could　not　be　slaked　by　the　theories　of　the



Middle　Age；　so　in　1530　he　went　off　to　Montpellier；　where　Francis　I。



had　just　founded　a　medical　school；　and　where　the　ancient　laws　of　the



city　allowed　the　faculty　each　year　the　body　of　a　criminal。　　From



thence；　after　becoming　the　fellow…pupil　and　the　friend　of　Rondelet；



and　probably　also　of　Rabelais　and　those　other　luminaries　of



Montpellier；　of　whom　I　spoke　in　my　essay　on　Rondelet；　he　returned　to



Paris　to　study　under　old　Sylvius；　whose　real　name　was　Jacques



Dubois；　alias　Jock　o'　the　Wood；　and　to　learn　lessas　he　complains



himselfin　an　anatomical　theatre　than　a　butcher　might　learn　in　his



shop。







Were　it　not　that　the　whole　question　of　dissection　is　one　over　which



it　is　right　to　draw　a　reverent　veil；　as　a　thing　painful；　however



necessary　and　however　innocent；　it　would　be　easy　to　raise　ghastly



laughter　in　many　a　reader　by　the　stories　which　Vesalius　himself



tells　of　his　struggles　to　learn　anatomy。　　How　old　Sylvius　tried　to



demonstrate　the　human　frame　from　a　bit　of　a　dog；　fumbling　in　vain



for　muscles　which　he　could　not　find；　or　which　ought　to　have　been



there；　according　to　Galen；　and　were　not；　while　young　Vesalius；　as



soon　as　the　old　pedant's　back　was　turned；　took　his　place；　and；　to



the　delight　of　the　students；　found　for　himprovided　it　were　there



what　he　could　not　find　himself；how　he　went　body…snatching　and



gibbet…robbing；　often　at　the　danger　of　his　life；　as　when　he　and　his



friend　were　nearly　torn　to　pieces　by　the　cannibal　dogs　who　haunted



the　Butte　de　Montfaucon；　or　place　of　public　execution；how　he



acquired；　by　a　long　and　dangerous　process；　the　only　perfect　skeleton



then　in　the　world；　and　the　hideous　story　of　the　robber　to　whom　it



had　belongedall　these　horrors　those　who　list　may　read　for



themselves　elsewhere。　　I　hasten　past　them　with　this　remarkthat　to



have　gone　through　the　toils；　dangers；　and　disgusts　which　Vesalius



faced；　argued　in　a　superstitious　and　cruel　age　like　his；　no　common



physical　and　moral　courage；　and　a　deep　conscience　that　he　was　doing



right；　and　must　do　it　at　all　risks　in　the　face　of　a　generation



which；　peculiarly　reckless　of　human　life　and　human　agony；　allowed



that　frame　which　it　called　the　image　of　God　to　be　tortured；　maimed；



desecrated　in　every　way　while　alive；　and　yetstraining　at　the　gnat



after　having　swallowed　the　camelforbade　it　to　be　examined　when



dead；　though　for　the　purpose　of　alleviating　the　miseries　of　mankind。







The　breaking　out　of　war　between　Francis　I。　and　Charles　V。　drove



Vesalius　back　to　his　native　country　and　Louvain；　and　in　1535　we　hear



of　him　as　a　surgeon　in　Charles　V。's　army。　　He　saw；　most　probably；



the　Emperor's　invasion　of　Provence；　and　the　disastrous　retreat　from



before　Montmorency's　fortified　camp　at　Avignon；　through　a　country　in



which　that　crafty　general　had　destroyed　every　article　of　human　food；



except　the　half…ripe　grapes。　　He　saw；　perhaps；　the　Spanish　soldiers；



poisoned　alike　by　the　sour　fruit　and　by　the　blazing　sun；　falling　in



hundreds　along　the　white　roads　which　led　back　into　Savoy；　murdered



by　the　peasantry　whose　homesteads　had　been　destroyed；　stifled　by　the



weight　of　their　own　armour；　or　desperately　putting　themselves；　with



their　own　hands；　out　of　a　world　which　had　become　intolerable。　　Half



the　army　perished。　　Two　thousand　corpses　lay　festering　between　Aix



and　Frejus　alone。　　If　young　Vesalius　needed　〃subjects；〃　the　ambition



and　the　crime　of　man　found　enough　for　him　in　those　blazing　September



days。







He　went　to　Italy；　probably　with　the　remnants　of　the　army。　　Where



could　he　have　rather　wished　to　find　himself？　　He　was　at　last　in　the



country　where　the　human　mind　seemed　to　be　growing　young　once　more；



the　country　of　revived　arts；　revived　sciences；　learning；　languages；



andthough；　alas！　only　for　awhile　of　revived　free　thought；　such　as



Europe　had　not　seen　since　the　palmy　days　of　Greece。　　Here　at　least



he　would　be　appreciated；　here　at　least　he　would　be　allowed　to　think



and　speak：　　　and　he　was　appreciated。　　The　Italian　cities；　who　were



then；　like　the　Athenians　of　old；　〃spending　their　time　in　nothing



else　save　to　hear　or　to　tell　something　new；〃　welcomed　the　brave



young　Fleming　and　his　novelties。　　Within　two　years　he　was　professor



of　anatomy　at　Padua；　then　the　first　school　in　the　world；　then　at



Bologna　and　at　Pisa　at　the　same　time；　last　of　all　at　Venice；　where



Titian　painted　that　portrait　of　him　which　remains　unto　this　day。







These　years　were　for　him　a　continual　triumph；　everywhere；　as　he



demonstrated　on　the　human　body；　students　crowded　his　theatre；　or



hung　round　him　as　he　walked　the　streets；　professors　left　their　own



chairstheir　scholars　having　deserted　them　alreadyto　go　and



listen　humbly　or　enviously　to　the　man　who　could　give　them　what　all



brave　souls　throughout　half　Europe　were　craving　for；　and　craving　in



vainfacts。　　And　so；　year　after　year；　was　realised　that　scene　which



stands　engraved　in　the　frontispiece　of　his　great　bookwhere；　in　the



little　quaint　Cinquecento　theatre；　saucy　scholars；　reverend　doctors；



gay　gentlemen；　and　even　cowled　monks；　are　crowding　the　floor；



peeping　over　each　other's　shoulders；　hanging　on　the　balustrades；



while　in　the　centre；　over　his　〃subject〃which　one　of　those　same



cowled　monks　knew　but　too　wellstands　young　Vesalius；　upright；



proud；　almost　defiant；　as　one　who　knows　himself　safe　in　the



impregnable　citadel　of　fact；　and　in　his　hand　the　little　blade　of



steel；　destinedbecause　wielded　in　obedience　to　the　laws　of　nature；



which　are　the　laws　of　Godto　work　more　benefit　for　the　human　race



than　all　the　swords　which　were　drawn　in　those　days；　or　perhaps　in



any　other；　at　the　bidding　of　most　Catholic　Emperors　and　most



Christian　Kings。







Those　were　indeed　days　of　triumph　for　Vesalius；　of　triumph　deserved；



because　earned　by　patient　and　accurate　toil　in　a　good　cause：　　　but



Vesalius；　being　but　a　mortal　man；　may　have　contracted　in　those　same



days　a　temper　of　imperiousness　and　self…conceit；　such　as　he　showed



afterwards　when　his　pupil　Fallopius　dared　to　add　fresh　discoveries



to　those　of　his　master。　　And　yet；　in　spite　of　all　Vesalius　knew；　how



little　he　knew！　　How　humbling　to　his　pride　it　would　have　been　had　he



known　thenperhaps　he　does　know　nowthat　he　had　actually　again　and



again　walked；　as　it　were；　round　and　round　the　true　theory　of　the



circulation　of　the　blood；　and　yet　never　seen　it；　that　that　discovery



which；　once　made；　is　intelligible；　as　far　as　any　phenomenon　is



intelligible；　to　the　merest　peasant；　was　reserved　for　another



century；　and　for　one　of　those　Englishmen　on　whom　Vesalius　would　have



looked　as　semi…barbarians。







To　make　a　long　story　short：　　　three　years　after　the　publication　of



his　famous　book；　〃De　Corporis　Humani　Fabrica；〃　he　left　Venice　to



cure　Charles　V。；　at　Regensburg；　and　became　one　of　the　great



Emperor's　physicians。







This　was　the　crisis　of　Vesalius's　life。　　The　medicine　with　which　he



had　worked