MEDICINE 



(fissure of Sylvius) that bears it. He laid great stress 

 on the cause of fevers and other diseases as originating 

 in the disturbances of the process of fermentation in 

 the stomach. The doctrines of Sylvius spread widely 

 over the continent, but were not generally accepted in 

 England until modified by Thomas Willis (1622-1675), 

 whose name, like that of Sylvius, is perpetuated by 

 a structure in -the brain named after him, the circle 

 of Willis. Willis's descriptions of certain nervous dis- 

 eases, and an account of diabetes, are the first recorded, 

 and added materially to scientific medicine. These 

 schools of medicine lasted until the end of the seven- 

 teenth century, when they were finally overthrown by 

 Sydenham. 



The latrophysical school (also called iatromathe- 

 matical, iatromechanical, or physiatric) was founded 

 on theories of physiology, probably by Borelli, of Naples 

 (1608-1679), although Sanctorius Sanctorius, a profess- 

 or at Padua, was a precursor, if not directly interested 

 in establishing it. Sanctorius discovered the fact that 

 an "insensible perspiration" is being given off by the 

 body continually, and was amazed to find that loss of 

 weight in this way far exceeded the loss of weight by 

 all other excretions of the body combined. He made 

 this discovery by means of a peculiar weighing-machine 

 to which a chair was attached, and in which he spent 

 most of his time. Very naturally he overestimated 

 the importance of this discovery, but it was, never- 

 theless, of great value in pointing out the hygienic 

 importance of the care of the skin. He also intro- 

 duced a thermometer which he advocated as valu- 

 able in cases of fever, but the instrument was prob- 



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