1 32 Memoirs of Erasmus Darwin, M. D. 



The illustrious Sauvage, the contemporary of LinnaeuSy 

 both inventors of new systenis* of botanical arrangement, 

 carried the ideas of Linnsus to a still higher degree of per- 

 fection, and published in 1762 a very learned Nosology, 

 where not only diseases are arranited into their respective 

 classes, orders, genei*, and species, and accurately defined, 

 but also the causes ot each disease is attempted to be pointed 

 out, with the nitihod of cure. 



Various attempts were after that made to Improve this 

 important part of iriedical knowledoje, and hence we possess 

 the syr.tenis of Vogcl, Sagar, Macbride, &c. and lastly the 

 more finished labours of the celebrated Dr. Cullen, who for 

 a great number of years, with great honour to himself, held 

 the academic chair in the university of Edinburgh. In his 

 " Synopsis Nosologiae Methodicae,"' the learned professor 

 ]ias added to his work the republication of the systems pre- 

 ceding, of which be speaks rather in too contemptuous 

 terms: " Auctores hi ahquid laudis sine dubio merentur ; 

 quanquam enim eornm opera, renrr ex toto confecisse mi- 

 nime videantur, nee multum utilitatis tyronibus inexpcrtis 

 afferre queant ; in arte tamen versatis, et in dignosccndis 

 morbis aliquatenus exercitatis, nonnihil commodi exinde 

 oriri possit." 



He goes on to say, greatly complimenting Linn^us, 

 " Norunt eruditi. III. Linn^um methodum plantarum per- 

 fectiorem reddidisse, eo, quod botanices linguam, usurpatis 

 ubique vocibus maxima idonels et dclinitis, magis accuralam 

 effecit ; nee quidem dubito quin delineatiomorbi, ad instar 

 delineationis plantae, aLiNx.^o exhibitae, in Nosologiamul- 

 tum profutura sit. In Nosologia autem, ac in botanice, non 

 aeque necessarium esse videtur; turn quod tarn multae re- 

 rum circumstantiae, in Nosolooia, ac in Botanice, notandae 

 non veniunt ; tuni quod symptomatologia, in quibuscunque 

 fere Pathologiae gencralis svstematibus cxhibita, pHirimunt 

 in hac re jam pvaestitit. Fatcndum quidem, symptoniato- 

 logias vulgo prolatas, ncc adeo plenas esse, nee adco ex- 



* LinnrtiK is the author of a System founded on the Sexes of Plants, and 

 Sauvage contrived a Metlwd of finding out Plants by their Leaves. 



8 actas. 



