THE 

 LONDON, EDINBURGH, and DUBLIN 



PHILOSOPHICAL MAGAZINE 



AND 



JOURNAL OF SCIENCE. 



[FIFTH SERIES.] 



OCTOBER 1881. 



XXX. The Domain of Physiology, or Nature in Thought and 

 Language. By T. Sterry Hunt, LL*D., F.R.S.* 



Part I. — Historical. 

 1. Etymology and significance of Physis and Natura. 2. Physical 

 Science defined. 3. Physicus and Physiologia. 4. Physic or Natural 

 Philosophy; Gower, Locke. 5. Physiology defined. 6. The Greek 

 Physiologists ; Humboldt. 7. General Physiology ; Cud worth, Moore, 

 Stewart, Burke, Philosophical Transactions. 8. Special Physiology, 

 Glanvil; Mental Physiology, Brown ; Reynolds. 9. Physic and Phy- 

 siology in Medicine ; Chaucer. 10. Physician ; Naturien and Natu- 

 riste. 11. Hippocrates ; Nature in Medicine. 12. Hippocrates as a 

 Natural Philosopher. 13. Alexandria; the Greek and the Arab Phy- 

 sicians. 14. The terms Medecin and Mediciner. 



§ 1. HP HE importance of a correct and well-defined termi- 

 Ja- nology in science cannot be overestimated, since a 

 want of precision in language leads to vagueness in thought, 

 and often to errors in philosophy. There are few more stri- 

 king examples of indefiniteness in language than can be found 

 in the use of the words physic, physiology, and their deriva- 

 tives. The material universe is designated with etymological 

 correctness as physical (that is to say, natural) — a term which 

 belongs alike to the organic and the mineral kingdoms ; but 

 in the use of this and of other words having a similar etymo- 

 logy (Gr. <f>vcns, Lat. natura) we find in modern language 

 many restrictions, limitations, and ambiguities. It will aid 

 us in our present inquiry if we bear in mind that both the 

 Greek physis and the Latin natura involve the notion of a 



* From advanced sheets communicated by the Author. Essay pre- 

 sented to the National Academy of Sciences, and read before it in ab- 

 stract, at Washington, April 1 8, 1881. 



Phil. Mag. S. 5. Vol. 12. No. 75. Oct, 1881. T 



