CHAPTER 38 



o«ii 



History of Zoology 



652 



HE unicorn, which decorates the heading 

 of this chapter, is a mythical animal which 

 illustrated early books and was used in de- 

 signs for vases, tapestries, and many other 

 articles. It is an example of the many mis- 

 conceptions which man once had about ani- 

 mal life. Our knowledge of living things is 

 still very limited, and this textbook attempts 

 to give only a few of the fundamental facts 

 and principles. Yet these facts and principles 

 are based on the work of thousands of in- 

 vestigators, accumulated over a period of 

 2000 years or more. Of particular interest is 

 the international character of the contribu- 

 tions to zoology. Beginning with the Greek 

 scientist Aristotle, we can trace the growth 

 of our subject through Rome, into northern 

 Europe, and to the New World. No one 

 nation has had a monopoly on science, and 

 it would be difficult to select the one that 

 has had the most influence on zoological 

 knowledge. As a rule, certain outstanding 

 scientists can be selected from each country 

 to illustrate the milestones in zoological 

 progress. 



Aristotle (384-322 B.C.), a Greek scientist, 

 was the father of natural history. He was 

 preceded by many natural philosophers but 

 rose above them largely because of his own 

 personal observations and his use of the 

 scientific method. Earlier philosophers 

 tended to reach conclusions and then de- 

 cided what the facts must be to agree with 

 the adopted principle. Aristotle was a crit- 

 ical compiler and had a remarkable knowl- 

 edge of comparative anatomy, physiology, 

 and embr}'ology. 



Claudius Galen (about 130-200?) was 

 one of the most famous of the Roman scien- 

 tists; he was a physician who studied anat- 

 omy by means of dissection and carried out 

 experiments on living animals. Galen's books 

 were used in schools of medicine for many 

 centuries, at a time when very little oppor- 

 tunity was afforded students for original 

 observation. 



The Middle Ages of over 1000 years fol- 

 lowing Galen's time were Dark Ages in 



