GREEK BIOLOGY AND MEDICINE 



losopher; ^^ and though Descartes, a great 

 philosopher, followed the investigations of 

 Harvey and dissected animals, his work along 

 these lines was unimportant. 



The origins of Greek biology correspond 

 with its methods and its intellectual temper 

 and predilections. Assuredly it did observe, 

 and observed primarily, the objects or matters 

 which attracted Greek attention. Heraclitus 

 and Aristotle might bid men not to scorn to 

 notice humble, even disgusting, things. But 

 usually it was the objects which were most 

 noticeable and alive that caught the Greek 

 attention, like the quick and cunning animals 

 whose acts and natures might throw some light 

 upon man himself, in whom the Greek was 

 interested most of all. In accord, moreover, 

 with its origins, Greek biology sought for 

 broad and satisfying facts or truths^ such as 

 appealed to the Greek reasoning mind. And 

 the Greek mind, like the Greek hand, was a 

 little impatient of drudgery. It was predis- 

 posed to accept data which satisfied its love of 

 order and symmetry and reason and its desire 

 to find these qualities in nature. Hence it 

 failed to make experiments and cautiously to 

 verify what it observed or desired to observe. 



[42] 



