J238 Biographical Sketch of Anthony Scarpa. 



monstrosity, which he named a tauro^vaccUy called Free martin 

 in England. At this period Scarpa renounced his anatomical 

 labours, to devote himself entirely to the practice of surgery. 

 The works which he had published had already acquired for 

 him, not only in Italy, but throughout Europe, a renown well 

 worthy of envy, and .which has never been surpassed. As great 

 an anatomist as physiologist, it was during the eighteenth cen- 

 tury that he encircled his forehead with a glorious crown, and 

 the present age had hardly commenced, when he had reaped a 

 glorious immortality in the plains of surgery. Scarpa could not 

 have made a more prudent division at the epoch of his labours. 

 When in his panegyric on Carcano Leone, he said, " The his- 

 tory of surgery gives us one useful hint, viz. that the most clever 

 and celebrated surgeons have always commenced their career by 

 studying anatomy deeply ;"" does he not seem to speak of him- 

 self, and partially to refer to the history of his life? It is cer- 

 tain, that during early life, when the feelings are most vigorous, 

 when the body has the greatest power to undergo great fatigue, 

 and withstand the deleterious influence of the emanations from 

 subjects, it is the moment which is favourable to the consecra- 

 tion of the day, and often the night, to delicate dissections, to 

 examinations which always call forth new researches ; it is 

 thus that the eye and the hand become qualified for the prac- 

 tice of the healing art, it is thus that, rich in consequence of 

 his observations and his experience, the anatomist of Pavia 

 soon acquired the reputation of the most adroit and skilful sur- 

 geon. 



He began his new career in 1801, by publishing his work 

 on the Diseases of the Eye. * This remarkable work, which im- 

 mediately had an immense success, which passed through five 

 editions in Italy, and was repeatedly translated into the French, 

 English, and German languages, was the harbinger of all that 

 could be expected from a scholar, who was at this time consi- 

 dered as the first surgeon in Italy, and probably in Europe. 

 He did not disappoint the world : in 1803 he presented the 

 schools of surgery with a smaller work, but of great importance, 



• Saggio di osservazioni e di esperienze suite principali malattie degli occhi. Pa- 

 via, 1801. 4to. 



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