2 
PATHOLOGY. 
the attention of mankind, that the application of reme¬ 
dies to the cure of internal maladies took its rife. The 
tending of flocks and herds, which then became a very 
general employment, mull have induced habits of leifure 
and contemplation extremely favourable to theacquifition 
of experimental knowledge : we may fuppofe that the paf- 
tors obferved the effects of certain plants on their flocks ; 
and by a natural and eafy tranfition were induced to admi- 
nifter the fame fubftances in ailments of their own bodies : 
a fuppolition which the faffs related by Herodotus and 
others feem to confirm. The above-mentioned author 
obferves, that Melampus difcovered the melampodium, 
or black hellebore, to be poffeffed of a purgative property 
from having obferved its effect on goats which had 
broufed in paftures where this herb was indigenous and 
frequent. Again, we are informed, that the firft ufe of 
enemas was taught mankind by the Ibis, a bird which is 
reported to have the power of introducing its bill into 
the anus, and injefting thereby a quantity of water up 
the inteftines. Pliny likewife mentions a circumftance 
to which he attributed the introduflion of phlebotomy; 
viz. that the Hippopotamus has a cuftom, whenever it 
becomes large and unwieldy, of opening a vein in its leg 
by means of a (harp reed which grows on the banks of 
the Nile. The accuracy of the two latter relations may 
be queftioned ; yet probably they had their origin in fads, 
though tradition and the lapfe of time had altered or ex¬ 
aggerated them. However this may be, there can be 
little doubt, but that in this branch of medicine, as in 
anatomy, the phenomena difplayed in the brute creation 
furniflied man with ufeful hints, and contributed, in a 
few inftances, to introduce medical herbs to his notice. 
The confideration of the more or lefs falubrious qualities 
of his own food led to the introduction of certain regimen, 
or fyftem of diet, which in thefe times, with the occafional 
ufe of a few Ample cathartics, was probably fufficient for 
the cure of mod internal complaints ; and thefe obferva- 
tions, naturally communicated from father to fon, from 
one generation to another, and eftabliflied by long and 
multiplied experiments, at length laid the bafis of materia 
medica and therapeutics. This empirical pradice, how¬ 
ever, being often found to fail in affording the expeded 
relief, a minute attention was paid to the concomitant 
circutnftances under which previous cures had been ef- 
feded, and they were imitated accordingly. Thus one 
plant was direded to be gathered in the night, another 
when the moon was on the wane, See. accompanied with 
abfurd and fuperflitious incantations. 
With refped to the modus operandi of thefe remedies, 
their firft employers mud have been totally uninformed, 
in confequence of their ignorance of natural philofophy ; 
to divine agency therefore they referred the effeds of 
medicinal herbs, rather than to any innate virtue in the 
fubftances themfelves. To this agency likewife they af- 
cribed the occurrence of difeafe, or the reftoration of 
health ; an idea which appears in feme meafure conneded 
with that branch of heathen mythology which attributed 
to every member of the body its guardian genius. 
Up to this period every man was more or lefs a phy- 
fleian, and contributed his individual flock of experience 
to the general good ; but, when the increafing wants and 
number of the human race compelled them to adopt the 
forms of political government, and they eftabliflied the 
military ruler or chieftain on the one hand, and the prieft, 
druid, or brahmin, on the other, the pradice of medicine 
fell exclufively into the hands of thofe who executed the 
facerdotal fundion. They feized with avidity the exer- 
cile of an art, the unknown or uncertain origin of which 
favoured the illufion that it was derived immediately from 
the gods : an art which, clothed in fuperftition, and ve¬ 
nerable from its antiquity, lent them increafed influence 
over the vulgar, and was indeed hardly lefs ufeful for 
that purpofe than the facred or legiflatorial offices which 
they likewife affumed. They taught that peftilence or 
difeafe was inflided by the angel of the enraged gods, 
and eafily found means to perfuade the futferers that fuch 
dire vifitations were only to be removed through the me¬ 
dium of prieftly interceffion, joined with lacrifices and 
offerings. 
From that paffage in Genefis in which it is faid, that 
“ Jofeph commanded his fervunts the phyficians to em¬ 
balm his father,” (Gen. 1 . 2.) the writer of the article 
Medicine in the Encyclopaedia Britannica concludes 
that the firft phyficians of the Egyptians were not priefts; 
becaufe, in that age, the Egyptian priefts were in fuch 
high favour, that they retained their liberty, when, 
through a public calamity, all the reft of the people were 
made flaves to the prince. This, however, we do not 
think a valid objedion; for we cannot doubt that every 
rank of perfons, priefts as well as others, might, under 
an abfolute monarchy, be very properly ftyled fervants of 
the prince, and alfo of his prime minifter. 
The fame writer feems more founded in his conjedure 
that the phyficians of the Jews were originally diftind 
from their priefts ; for we read that, when king Afa was 
difeafed in his feet, “ he fought not to the Lord, but to 
the phyficians.” (2Chron.xvi. 12.) Now, feekingtothe 
priefts, had they been the phyficians, would have been 
the fame thing as feeking to the Lord; and hence it is 
fuppofed, that among the Jews the medical art was 
looked upon as a mere human invention ; and it was 
thought that the Deity never cured difeafes by making 
people acquainted with the virtues of this or that herb, 
but only by his miraculous power. That the fame opi¬ 
nion prevailed among the nations who were neighbours 
to the Jews, is alfo probable from what we read of Aha- 
ziah king of Judah, who, having fent meffengers to in¬ 
quire of Baalzebub, god of Ekron, concerning his dif¬ 
eafe, did not defire any remedy from him or his priefts, 
but limply to know whether he ffiould recover or not. 
(2 Kings i. 2.) 
We ffiall now quote a few verfes from a book of Scrip¬ 
ture (Apocrypha), written “ in the latter times, after the 
people had been led away captive, and called home again, 
and almoft after all the prophets.” In this book phy¬ 
ficians are fpoken of with a much greater degree of re- 
fpeft, but not as if they were priefts. “My foil, in thy 
ficknefs be not negligent: but pray unto the Lord, and 
he will make thee whole. Leave oft"from fin, and order 
thine hands aright, and cleanfe thy heart from all wick- 
ednefs. Give a fweet favour, and a memorial of fine 
flour; and make a fat offering. Then give place to the 
phyfician, for the Lord hath created him : let him not go 
from thee, for thou haft need of him. There is a time when 
in their hands there is goodfuccefs. For they fhall alfo pray 
unto the Lord, that he would profper that which they 
give for eafe and remedy to prolong life. He thatfinneth 
before his Maker, let him fall into the hand of the phyjician. 
Ecclefiafticus xxxviii. 15. 
“ What feems moft probable on this fubjeft therefore 
is, that religion and medicine came to be mixed together 
only in confequence of that degeneracy into ignorance 
and fuperftition which took place among all nations. The 
Egyptians, we know, came at laft to be funk in the moft 
ridiculous and abfurd fuperftition ; and then, indeed, it 
is not wonderful that we fliould find theirpriefts com¬ 
mencing phyficians, and mingling charms, incantations, 
&c. with their remedies. That this was the cafe, long 
after the days of Jofeph, we are very certain ; and in¬ 
deed it feems as natural for ignorance and barbarifm to 
combine religion with phyfic, as it is for a civilized and 
enlightened people to keep them feparate. Hence we fee, 
that among all modern barbarians their priefts or conju¬ 
rors are their only phyficians.” Ency. Brit. vol. xiii. 
However this may be, the union of medicineand religion 
continued for many centuries; but, whatever difeoveries 
may have been made, the myftery attendant on moft fa¬ 
cred inflitutions has prevented communication of them 
to pofterity. Neverthelefs this union was not perhaps fo 
prejudical to the interefts of fcience as many have fup¬ 
pofed. 
