AN ANATOMICAL STUDY ON THE 



action of its valves. But contradictory and incoherent 

 statements are made about the matter by some who 

 stumble around in the dark, saying much on con- 

 jecture only, as has been pointed out before. 



The chief cause of perplexity and error in this 

 matter seems to me to be the close connection be- 

 tween the heart and lungs in man. When the so- 

 called venous artery, and arterial vein, were both 

 seen to disappear into the lungs, it was very puzzling 

 to determine how the right ventricle might distribute 

 blood to the body or the left draw blood from the 

 vena cava. This was implied by Galen in contro- 

 verting Erasistratus on the origin and function of 

 the veins, and the formation of blood {Be Placit. 

 Hippocrat. & Plat.^ cap, 6), ''You will reply that this 

 is true, that the blood is made in the liver, and then 

 carried to the heart to receive its correct form and full 

 perfection. This is not unreasonable, no great or perfect 

 work is finished at one effort, nor can it get its whole 

 polish from one tool. But if this is really so, show us 

 another vessel which takes the perfect blood from the 

 heart, and distributes it, as the arteries do the spirits, to 

 the whole body.'' Thus Galen would not consent to a 

 reasonable opinion, because not seeing a way of 

 transit, he could not discover a vessel to spread the 

 blood from the heart to the whole body! 



I wonder what that great and ingenious man would 

 have replied, had someone appeared for Erasistratus, 

 or for that opinion now held by us and admitted to 

 be reasonable by Galen himself, and had then pointed 



I50] 



