II32 LIFE : OUTLINES OF GENERAL BIOLOGY 



gress of our science — a good principle throughout biological develop- 

 ment — if we first tackle the books, or more easily the catalogue 

 cards, of which we must assume a fuller collection than that of 

 books. How then have anatomy and physiology respectively 

 actually developed? Broadly speaking, anatomy from the burial of 

 the dead, as from the careful preparation of mummies; and also 

 from early surgery from repairs of fractures onwards. Physiology 

 on the other hand owes its origin more especially to ancient medicine, 

 as it advanced from its earliest diagnoses and treatments. We know 

 too little of the early precursors, summed into the traditional 

 demigod, Esculapius; so we take our beginning from that ancient 

 master of medical science, wisdom and virtue, who is still honoured 

 in every medical school of the world, as its very founder and inspirer, 

 and model, the great Hippocrates. For though a modern physician 

 knows incomparably more in details and even principles of the 

 working of the body than did Hippocrates, he still recognises him 

 as a veritable model in the wholeness of his view of the patient, 

 founded, of course, on close and thorough observation, yet with 

 penetrative intuition as well. He thus recognises what Hippocrates 

 called "temperament", what we oftener now call "constitution", 

 and what the physician calls "diathesis" ; and thence, with due study 

 both of general aspect and behaviour and of particular sjonptoms, 

 he reaches his forecast or prognosis, and treats accordingly. And it 

 is worth noting here that besides this particular and general compre- 

 hension of the organism in its physiological life and as a whole, 

 however partially disordered, Hippocrates also added a notable 

 insight into what we now call ecology. Understanding life as inter- 

 action with environment, he wrote, besides his book on tempera- 

 ments, a treatise on Air, Water, and Places, and he often prescribed 

 change of these, much as modern physicians so often do. Of his 

 many disciples in later ages we know too little, so may fear they 

 lacked originality; for the only later great medical name of well- 

 nigh kindred authority is that of Galen, six centuries later, and who 

 was something of an anatomist as well. Our modern epoch begins, 

 with so much of modern science, with the Renaissance ; and in this 

 case with the brilliant Vesalius, whose work stands to this day as 

 our fundamental classic for anatomy; so that we may broadly regard 

 all subsequent anatomists as his continuators, of course with more 

 and more exactitude. Yet anatomical research has later outstanding 

 figures; and without enumerating these, we may note that the 

 greatest were most inspired by the desire of functional understand- 

 ing as well. Hence, though we may keep their books in historic 

 series on the side of anatomy, we may often with advantage intro- 

 duce a card of reference to them on the physiological side, which 

 the great interest of medical inquiry also aided, as of course also to 

 this day. But disinterested inquiry was also acquiring its fascination, 



