PHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH 259 



has really begun to flourish. We live in the age 

 of science, of science applied and, as we see in the 

 present war, of science misapplied. It is the object 

 of this short essay to trace the origin and rise of 

 scientific method in a limited domain of knowledge 

 and to show what may be the fruits of labour 

 wisely guided. 



THE RISE OF MODERN PATHOLOGY. 



Anatomy, one of the oldest sciences allied to 

 medicine, concerns itself with the structure of the 

 body and the mechanism of its component parts. 

 Already at an early date, anatomists reached defi- 

 nite conclusions regarding the position of various 

 organs and their general structure and function. 

 By studying the joints and determining, for in- 

 stance, the points of origin and insertion of the 

 muscles upon the skeleton, students acquired a 

 fair knowledge of the mechanism of locomotion. 

 Efforts were soon made to explain the functions 

 of certain organs of the body. Many sought to 

 explain what they or others had observed by re- 

 sorting to a process of reasoning that frequently 

 led to absurd conclusions, for the imagination was 

 allowed to run riot. 



The respect for authority dominated the Christian 

 Church and this reacted adversely upon original 

 research, for the church dominated learning. The 

 works of classical writers became for centuries the 

 bible of anatomists and physicians. The revolt 



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