a history of science-2-第27节

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on　were　adverse；　and　a　feeling　of　gloom　cast　a　shade　of　serious　thought；　if　not　dejection；　over　his　countenance。　〃　'You　are　of　high　rank；'　said　the　astrologer；　as　he　calculated　and　looked　on　the　stranger；　'and　of　illustrious　title。'　The　stranger　made　a　graceful　inclination　of　the　head　in　token　of　acknowledgment　of　the　complimentary　remarks；　and　the　astrologer　proceeded　with　his　mission。　〃The　celestial　signs　were　ominous　of　calamity　to　the　stranger；　who；　probably　observing　a　sudden　change　in　the　countenance　of　the　astrologer；　eagerly　inquired　what　evil　or　good　fortune　had　been　assigned　him　by　the　celestial　orbs。　'To　the　first　part　of　your　inquiry；'　said　the　astrologer；　'I　can　readily　reply。　You　have　been　a　favorite　of　fortune；　her　smiles　on　you　have　been　abundant；　her　frowns　but　few；　you　have　had；　perhaps　now　possess；　wealth　and　power；　the　impossibility　of　their　accomplishment　is　the　only　limit　to　the　fulfilment　of　your　desires。'　〃　〃　'You　have　spoken　truly　of　the　past；'　said　the　stranger。　'I　have　full　faith　in　your　revelations　of　the　future：　what　say　you　of　my　pilgrimage　in　this　lifeis　it　short　or　long？'　〃　'I　regret；'　replied　the　astrologer；　in　answer　to　this　inquiry；　'to　be　the　herald　of　ill；　though　TRUE；　fortune；　your　sojourn　on　earth　will　be　short。'　〃　'How　short？'　eagerly　inquired　the　excited　and　anxious　stranger。　〃　'Give　me　a　momentary　truce；'　said　the　astrologer；　'I　will　consult　the　horoscope；　and　may　possibly　find　some　mitigating　circumstances。'　〃Having　cast　his　eyes　over　the　celestial　map；　and　paused　for　some　moments；　he　surveyed　the　countenance　of　the　stranger　with　great　sympathy；　and　said；　'I　am　sorry　that　I　can　find　no　planetary　influences　that　oppose　your　destinyyour　death　will　take　place　in　two　years。'　〃The　event　justified　the　astrologic　prediction：　George　IV。　died　on　May　18；　1830；　exactly　two　years　from　the　day　on　which　he　had　visited　the　astrologer。〃＇8＇　This　makes　a　very　pretty　story；　but　it　hardly　seems　like　occult　insight　that　an　astrologer　should　have　been　able　to　predict　an　early　death　of　a　man　nearly　seventy　years　old；　or　to　have　guessed　that　his　well…groomed　visitor　〃had；　perhaps　now　possesses；　wealth　and　power。〃　Here　again；　however；　the　point　of　view　of　each　individual　plays　the　governing　part　in　determining　the　importance　of　such　a　document。　To　the　scientist　it　proves　nothing；　to　the　believer　in　astrology；　everything。　The　significant　thing　is　that　it　appeared　shortly　AFTER　the　death　of　the　monarch。

On　the　Continent　astrologers　were　even　more　in　favor　than　in　England。　Charlemagne；　and　some　of　his　immediate　successors；　to　be　sure；　attempted　to　exterminate　them；　but　such　rulers　as　Louis　XI。　and　Catherine　de'　Medici　patronized　and　encouraged　them；　and　it　was　many　years　after　the　time　of　Copernicus　before　their　influence　was　entirely　stamped　out　even　in　official　life。　There　can　be　no　question　that　what　gave　the　color　of　truth　to　many　of　the　predictions　was　the　fact　that　so　many　of　the　prophecies　of　sudden　deaths　and　great　conflagrations　were　known　to　have　come　truein　many　instances　were　made　to　come　true　by　the　astrologer　himself。　And　so　it　happened　that　when　the　prediction　of　a　great　conflagration　at　a　certain　time　culminated　in　such　a　conflagration；　many　times　a　second　but　less…important　burning　took　place；　in　which　the　ambitious　astrologer；　or　his　followers；　took　a　central　part　about　a　stake；　being　convicted　of　incendiarism；　which　they　had　committed　in　order　that　their　prophecies　might　be　fulfilled。　But；　on　the　other　hand；　these　predictions　were　sometimes　turned　to　account　by　interested　friends　to　warn　certain　persons　of　approaching　dangers。　For　example；　a　certain　astrologer　foretold　the　death　of　Prince　Alexander　de'　Medici。　He　not　only　foretold　the　death；　but　described　so　minutely　the　circumstances　that　would　attend　it；　and　gave　such　a　correct　description　of　the　assassin　who　should　murder　the　prince；　that　he　was　at　once　suspected　of　having　a　hand　in　the　assassination。　It　developed　later；　however；　that　such　was　probably　not　the　case；　but　that　some　friend　of　Prince　Alexander；　knowing　of　the　plot　to　take　his　life；　had　induced　the　astrologer　to　foretell　the　event　in　order　that　the　prince　might　have　timely　warning　and　so　elude　the　conspirators。　The　cause　of　the　decline　of　astrology　was　the　growing　prevalence　of　the　new　spirit　of　experimental　science。　Doubtless　the　most　direct　blow　was　dealt　by　the　Copernican　theory。　So　soon　as　this　was　established；　the　recognition　of　the　earth's　subordinate　place　in　the　universe　must　have　made　it　difficult　for　astronomers　to　be　longer　deceived　by　such　coincidences　as　had　sufficed　to　convince　the　observers　of　a　more　credulous　generation。　Tycho　Brahe　was；　perhaps；　the　last　astronomer　of　prominence　who　was　a　conscientious　practiser　of　the　art　of　the　astrologer。

VII。　FROM　PARACELSUS　TO　HARVEY　PARACELSUS　In　the　year　1526　there　appeared　a　new　lecturer　on　the　platform　at　the　University　at　Basela　small；　beardless；　effeminate…looking　personwho　had　already　inflamed　all　Christendom　with　his　peculiar　philosophy；　his　revolutionary　methods　of　treating　diseases；　and　his　unparalleled　success　in　curing　them。　A　man　who　was　to　be　remembered　in　after…time　by　some　as　the　father　of　modern　chemistry　and　the　founder　of　modern　medicine；　by　others　as　madman；　charlatan；　impostor；　and　by　still　others　as　a　combination　of　all　these。　This　soft…cheeked；　effeminate；　woman…hating　man；　whose　very　sex　has　been　questioned；　was　Theophrastus　von　Hohenheim；　better　known　as　Paracelsus　（1493…1541）。　To　appreciate　his　work；　something　must　be　known　of　the　life　of　the　man。　He　was　born　near　Maria…Einsiedeln；　in　Switzerland；　the　son　of　a　poor　physician　of　the　place。　He　began　the　study　of　medicine　under　the　instruction　of　his　father；　and　later　on　came　under　the　instruction　of　several　learned　churchmen。　At　the　age　of　sixteen　he　entered　the　University　of　Basel；　but；　soon　becoming　disgusted　with　the　philosophical　teachings　of　the　time；　he　quitted　the　scholarly　world　of　dogmas　and　theories　and　went　to　live　among　the　miners　in　the　Tyrol；　in　order　that　he　might　study　nature　and　men　at　first　hand。　Ordinary　methods　of　study　were　thrown　aside；　and　he　devoted　his　time　to　personal　observationthe　only　true　means　of　gaining　useful　knowledge；　as　he　preached　and　practised　ever　after。　Here　he　became　familiar　with　the　art　of　mining；　learned　the　physical　properties　of　minerals；　ores；　and　metals；　and　acquired　some　knowledge　of　mineral　waters。　More　important　still；　he　came　in　contact　with　such　diseases；　wounds；　and　injuries　as　miners　are　subject　to；　and　he　tried　his　hand　at　the　practical　treatment　of　these　conditions；　untrammelled　by　the　traditions　of　a　profession　in　which　his　training　had　been　so　scant。　Having　acquired　some　empirical　skill　in　treating　diseases；　Paracelsus　set　out　wandering　from　place　to　place　all　over　Europe；　gathering　practical　information　as　he　went；　and　learning　more　and　more　of　the　medicinal　virtues　of　plants　and　minerals。　His　wanderings　covered　a　period　of　about　ten　years；　at　the　end　of　which　time　he　returned　to　Basel；　where　he　was　soon　invited　to　give　a　course　of　lectures　in　the　university。　These　lectures　were　revolutionary　in　two　respectsthey　were　given　in　German　instead　of　time…honored　Latin；　and　they　were　based　upon　personal　experience　rather　than　upon　the　works　of　such　writers　as　Galen　and　Avicenna。　Indeed；　the　iconoclastic　teacher　spoke　with　open　disparagement　of　these　revered　masters；　and　openly　upbraided　his　fellow…practitioners　for　following　their　tenets。　Naturally　such　teaching　raised　a　storm　of　opposition　among　the　older　physicians；　but　for　a　time　the　unparalleled　success　of　Paracelsus　in　curing　diseases　more　than　offset　his　unpopularity。　Gradually；　however；　his　bitter　tongue　and　his　coarse　personality　rendered　him　so　unpopular；　even　among　his　patients；　that；　finally；　his　liberty　and　life　being　jeopardized；　he　was　obliged　to　flee　from　Basel；　and　became　a　wanderer。　He　lived　for　brief　periods　in　Colmar；　Nuremberg；　Appenzell；　Zurich；　Pfeffers；　Augsburg；　and　several　other　cities；　until　finally　at　Salzburg　his　eventful　life　came　to　a　close　in　1541。　His　enemies　said　that　he　had　died　in　a　tavern　from　the　effects　of　a　protracted　debauch；　his　supporters　maintained　that　he　had　been　murdered　at　the　instigation　of　rival　physicians　and　apothecaries。　But　the　effects　of　his　teachings　had　taken　firm　root；　and　continued　to　spread　after　his　death。　He　had　shown　the　fallibility　of　many　of　the　teachings　of　the　hitherto　standard　methods　of　treating　diseases；　and　had　demonstrated　the　advantages　of　independent　reasoning　based　on　observation。　In　his　Magicum　he　gives　his　reasons　for　breaking　with　tradition。　〃I　did；〃　he　says；　〃embrace　at　the　beginning　these　doctrines；　as　my　adversaries　（followers　of　Galen）　have　done；　but　since　I　saw　that　from　their　procedures　nothing　resulted　but　death；　murder；　stranglings；　anchylosed　limbs；　paralysis；　and　so　forth；　that　they　held　most　diseases　incurable。　。　。　。　therefore　have　I　quitted　this　wretched　art；　and　sought　for　truth　in　any　other　direction。　I　asked　myself　if　there　were　no　such　thing　as　a　teacher　in　medicine；　where　could　I　learn　this　art　best？　Nowhere　better　than　the　open　book　of　nature；　written　with　God's　own　finger。〃　We　shall　see；　however；　that　this　〃book　of　nature〃　taught　Paracelsus　some　very　strange　l