72 HERBERT ALBERT RATNER 



each of these three did was to free himself from the short- 

 comings of his contemporaries by a daring innovation. The 

 innovation of Descartes was philosophical. He allowed his 

 philosophical genius to carry him to the extreme of founding 

 a completely new philosophy. The innovation of Bacon was 

 pseudo-philosophical. His lack of philosophical genius carried 

 him to the extreme of founding a new methodology of investi- 

 gation. Descartes paved the way for a whole series of modern 

 errors; and Bacon caused the disappearance of methodology in 

 those who became his followers. But the innovation of Harvey 

 lay in the diligence of his investigation of the Aristotelian prem- 

 ises and the profundity of his penetration of Aristotle's method. 

 From this novelty — fidelity to the tradition — has come his 

 permanent contribution to modern science. It made him both 

 an authentic representative of the past and an authentic repre- 

 sentative for the future, and establishes him as a model for an 

 age that slights sense, as well as for an age that slights reason. 



Herbert Albert Ratner, M. D. 



Loyola University 

 Chicago, Illinois 



diastole; and that the cause of the distention, relaxation, and constriction, is 

 not one and the same; as contrary effects so they must have contrary causes; as 

 different movements they must have different motors; just as all anatomists know 

 that flexion and extension of an extremity are accomplished by opposite antagonistic 

 muscles, and contrary or diverse motions are necessarily performed by contrary 

 and diverse organs instituted by nature for the purpose " (Harvey, Second Exercise 

 to John Riolan, ed. cit., pp. 139-140) . 



