Mail and Microbes. 81 



medicine, however, did not advance, for it was sacrilege to 

 touch a human corpse. And without anatomy and physiology 

 there could be little progress. 



VI. MEDICINE IN THE DARK AGES. 



Throughout the entire Dark Ages, when a false theology held 

 sway, and had throttled every inception of knowledge, medi- 

 cine, of course, did not advance. On the other hand, like every 

 other science, it retrograded as a result of the unmerciful sup- 

 pression given it by the hierarchy of the times. Assuredly 

 Europe was in a state of extreme intellectual stagnation. At 

 the end, however, of a thousand years of darkness the dawn 

 came, and, curiously enough, it was those dark-skinned build- 

 ers of mosques who contributed much to the European twi- 

 light. 



Through Arabian commentators and Latin translators 

 Europe was again given much of the knowledge that was its 

 by birthright. Constantine, the African, translated Hippo- 

 crates and Galen. Thus Europe again became familiar with 

 these two early master teachers of medicine. 



From the tenth to the fourteenth century medicine in Europe 

 was augmented by the immigration of Jews versed in Arabic 

 medicine. With the fall of Constantinople, in 1453, the study of 

 Greek was further stimulated by learned Greek scholars who 

 migrated from that city to Rome. Then Greek manuscripts 

 that had been buried for centuries reappeared. A discovery 

 of the original manuscripts of Hippocrates and Galen was 

 made. It was found that the translations of the Arabic did not 

 entirely agree with those of the original. This led to a noted 

 controversy, which even took a religious character. Thus did 

 the influence and contributions of these two men serve once 

 more to stimulate the spirit of investigation, which began with 

 the Renaissance. 



Roger Bacon, Columbus, Copernicus, the printing press — all 

 played an important role in the revival of learning. The res- 

 urrection of the study of anatomy in the middle of the six- 

 teenth century marks the real rebirth of medicine. Sylvius, 

 Versalius and Fabricius each in turn contributed to the science 

 of medicine. To Versalius in particular we owe much, for he 

 it was who dared to ignore Galen's teachings, for the first 

 time, and trust to his own oij.servations. Even Sylvius con- 



6— Sci Acad.— 2163 



