?r [Vol. LI 



cations of anatomical knowledge among these ancient peo- 

 ples as this knowledge has been preserved in their sculp- 

 tures. It is a matter of great interest that he has inter- 

 preted a terra-cotta object from Babylon, to which an age 

 of from 2000-3000 b.c. may be assigned, as a model of a 

 sheep's liver, supposedly used in connection with sooth- 

 saying or with sacrifices. This interpretation is sustained 

 by the description of two other similar objects of a later 

 date, one in alabaster from Piacenza, and a bronze liver 

 from Settina. One can recognize on the visceral surface 

 of these objects the processus papillaris, the processus 

 caudatus, and the vesica fellea; all of which are very 

 clearly represented. The lower surface of the object 

 from Babylon is divided into squares and studded with 

 inscriptions, supposedly of a prophetic nature. 



In addition to these very definite anatomical models 

 many plastic representations exhibit some knowledge of 

 ^^he superficial musculature of the extremities. The larger 

 subcutaneous veins, such as the cephalic, basilic, and 

 saphenous, are often clearly shown. From an anthro- 

 pological standpoint it is noteworthy that various racial 

 types are indicated in some of the representations of the 

 head, so that we can not say that these peoples were en- 

 tirely devoid of anatomical knowledge and we are forced 

 to admit their keen powers of observation. 



Such anatomy as was taught to students in the medical 

 schools of China was highly erroneous and fanciful. Al- 

 though the study of medicine has a very ancient history 

 in China, as ancient as the history of its civilization, going 

 ])ack to more than 3000 years b.c, anatomy was not studied 

 at all in any laboratory form. They taught, for instance, 

 that there are 365 bones in the human body; that the small 

 intestines were attached to the heart ; that they were tra- 

 versed by the products of digestion ; that the larynx opens 

 into the heart ; the spinal cord into the testicles, that the 

 lung has eight lobes ; the liver seven, that the kidneys, sus- 

 pended the vertebral column, have the form of an egg and 

 possess the subtle principle of generating the spermatic 



