Mat 16, 1919] 



SCIENCE 



473 



He refers in an interesting way to the 

 tangled trianple between Leonardo da Vinci, 

 Vesalius and Marc Antonio della Torre (1473- 

 1506) which has been discussed extensively 

 by iTcMurrich, Forster and others. Singer 

 speaks of the "projected treatise of Marcan- 

 tonio della Torre" which was to be prepared 

 in conjunction with Leonardo, giving an in- 

 teresting reference" to support his conclusion. 

 Elsewhere he says : " Leonardo da Vinci's . . . 

 anatomical researches were without influence, 

 and remained long unnoticed," thus casting 

 doubt on the supposition that these illustra- 

 tions had influenced the work of Vesalius. 



The short biographical sketch of Hieronymo 

 Manfredi (1430-1493) is without particular 

 interest and is doubtless duplicated in all es- 

 sentials many times in the biographical 

 sketches given in the "Biographic Medicale " 

 and in the biographical dictionary of Gurlt 

 and Hirsch which is largely based in the " Bio- 

 graphie Medicale." 



Manfredi's anatomical views were modified 

 by the astrological learning so prominent in 

 Bologna at that time. The matter of greatest 

 interest about his " Anothomia " however is 

 that it represents the breaking away from the 

 old Galenic anatomy, which was based on 

 calves, dogs and other mammals, and applied 

 without question to man. Manfredi's anat- 

 omy, while only a compilation, it is true, is 

 yet based on a careful study of many writers. 

 " It is in the main a rearranged and on the 

 whole improved Mondino, but amplified by 

 reference to translations from Galen, Rhazes, 

 Haly Abbas and Avicenna." 



Perhaps other writers were also used. It is 

 not an original work, not yet a piece of re- 

 search, although he had confirmed some of 

 his descriptions by actual dissection. How- 

 ever, " It is perhaps the first complete treatise 

 on its subject written originally in the vernac- 

 ular," and represents anatomy as taught at 

 Bologna at the end of the fifteenth century. 



The translations of portions of the text, 



6 G. Cervetto, "Di alcuni illustri anatomici 

 italiani del decimoquinto secolo," p. 46, Verona, 

 1842. 



made by A. Mildred Westland, are interesting 

 and instructive. Manfredi's discussion of the 

 scalp, skull and meninges reads remarkably 

 like a modem text-book of anatomy, the 

 medieval terms almochatim and lauda being 

 no worse than those of the BNA. 



It may be interesting to give Manfredi's 

 discussion of the chorioid plexus, which re- 

 calls, in a way the ideas held later by Des- 

 cartes and Swedenborg, concerning the pineal 

 body. 



To the side ... is another thing like a subter- 

 ranean worm, red as blood, yet tethered by certain 

 ligaments and nervelets. And this worm when it 

 lengthens itself closes these passages, and thus 

 blocks the path between the first ventricle and the 

 second. Nature has wrought it thus, so that when 

 a man wills he may cease from cogitation and 

 thought; and similarly when, on the other hand, 

 he would think and contemplate, this worm con- 

 tracts itself again and opens these passages and 

 thus frees the way between one ventricle and 

 another. 



Manfredi gives the customary six cranial 

 nerves, all that were known to the ancients. 

 His discussion of the anatomy of the eye 

 shows the strong influence of the Arabians 

 who were excellent ophthalmologists, while his 

 description of the heart follows closely that 

 of Mondino. 



In the opinion of the reviewer there have 

 been few studies of more fundamental im- 

 portance to the study of anatomical history 

 than the present one by Dr. Singer. Sudlioffs 

 study already referred to, the studies of 

 Stieda, Toply and Jastrow on the " Begin- 

 nings of Anatomy" among the ancient Chal- 

 deans, Babylonians and Romans are to be 

 mentioned in this connection. Important con- 

 tributions to anatomical history are difiScult 

 to produce, since it requires great linguistic 

 ability, access to large collections of manu- 

 scripts and books, and some knowledge of 

 anatomical structure. Such a combination, 

 rare and diflBcult as it is, is found in the 

 person of Dr. Charles Singer who is doing 

 notable work in the advancement of knowl- 

 edge of ancient medical literature through 



