A HISTORY OF SCIENCE 



him, and with properly adjusted magnets he claimed 

 to be able to cure many diseases. In epilepsy and lock- 

 jaw, for example, one had but to fasten magnets to the 

 four extremities of the body, and then, "when the 

 proper medicines were given," the cure would be ef- 

 fected. The easy loop-hole for excusing failure on the 

 ground of improper medicines is obvious, but Paracelsus 

 declares that this one prescription is of more value 

 than " all the humoralists have ever written or taught." 



Since Paracelsus condemned the study of anatomy 

 as useless, he quite naturally regarded surgery in the 

 same light. In this he would have done far better to 

 have studied some of his predecessors, such as Galen, 

 Paul of ^Egina, and Avicenna. But instead of " cut- 

 ting men to pieces," he taught that surgeons would 

 gain more by devoting their time to searching for the 

 universal panacea w r hich would cure all diseases, sur- 

 gical as well as medical. In this we detect a taint of 

 the popular belief in the philosopher's stone and the 

 magic elixir of life, his belief in which have been stoutly 

 denied by some of his followers. He did admit, how- 

 ever, that one operation alone was perhaps permissi- 

 ble lithotomy, or the " cutting for stone." 



His influence upon medicine rests undoubtedly upon 

 his revolutionary attitude, rather than on any great or 

 new discoveries made by him. It is claimed by many 

 that he brought prominently into use opium and mer- 

 cury, and if this were indisputably proven his services 

 to medicine could hardly be overestimated. Unfortu- 

 nately, however, there are good grounds for doubting 

 that he was particularly influential in reintroducing 

 these medicines. His chief influence may perhaps be 



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