Greek Medicine 95 



Anatomy and physiology, the basis of our modern system, 

 was still a very weak point in the knowledge of the pre-Alex- 

 andrians. The surface form of the body was intimately studied 

 in connexion especially with fractures, but there is no evidence 

 in the literature of the period of any closer acquaintance with 

 human anatomical structure. 1 The same fact is well borne 

 out by Greek Art, for in its noblest period the artist betrays 

 no evidence of assistance derived from anatomization. Such 

 evidence is not found until we come to sculpture of Alex- 

 andrian date, when the somewhat strained attitudes and exag- 

 gerated musculature of certain works of the school of Pergamon 

 suggest that the artist derived hints, if not direct information, 

 from anatomists who, we know, were active at that time. 

 It is not improbable, however, that separate bones, if not 

 complete skeletons, were commonly studied earlier, for the 

 surgical works of the Hippocratic collection, and especially those 

 on fractures and dislocations, give evidence of a knowledge of 

 the relations of bones to each other and of their natural position 

 in the body which could not be obtained, or only obtained with 

 greatest difficulty, without this aid. 



There are in the Hippocratic works a certain number of 

 comparisons between human and animal structures that would 

 have been made possible by surgical operations and occasional 

 accidents. The view has been put forward that some anatomical 

 knowledge was derived through the practice of augury from the 

 entrails of sacrificial animals. It appears, however, improbable 

 that a system so scientific and so little related to temple practice 

 would have had much to learn from these sources, and, more- 

 over, since we know that animals were actually dissected as 

 early as the time of Alcmaeon it would be unnecessary to invoke 

 the aid of the priests. The unknown author of iheirepl TOTHAV T&V 

 Kara ar6pa>7roi', On the sites of [diseases'] in man, a work written 



1 A reference to dissection in the ?repi ("ipdpw, On the joints, i, appears 

 of the present writer to be of Alexandrian date. 



