507 
A SHORT SKETCH, ETC. 
monkeys, as he only had opportunity to dissect a human cadaver 
three times. He most strongly recommended the human practi¬ 
tioner to busy himself with observations upon animals. At his 
time we find not only veterinary practitioners, but teachers of the 
principles of veterinary medicine also. Since the third century 
veterinarians held army appointments, and were employed to 
watch over the health of animals kept for combat in the circus. 
According to a decree of Constantine, the veterinarian was placed 
equal to the mediciner with regard to the privileges and advan¬ 
tages of his art. The luxurious stables of the Kaiser of Con¬ 
stantinople may have aided not a little in the progress of veteri¬ 
nary medicine. In Home, the veterinarian was known as mulo- 
medicus, and the art as mulomedicina—a term we also find used 
by Columella and Vegetius. 
Of the medical and veterinary writers of the fourth century 
one alone, Bishop Nemesius, seems to have followed a scientific 
direction. It is no wonder that medical art remained dead for 
several centuries. The Arab and the Moor were alone the 
teachers of Europe. The Arabic doctor was, however, nourished 
and brought up in superstition, and treated diseases accordingly. 
He looked upon disease as the product of supernatural forces, 
only to be combatted by cabalistic formulae and amulets. Actius, 
(550 A.13) a noted doctor in Amida, in his Tetrabiblion speaks of 
the epidemics and epizootics which prevailed at that time. The 
collection “ hippioitrica u, de rustica lib xx,” is worthy of men¬ 
tion. 
MIDDLE AGES. 
Under Constantine Porphyrogenetes, a breath of life again 
animated the dead mass, to which also contributed the philosoph 
and mediciner, Michael Psellus, as well as the pest which from 
the early part of the twelfth century spread desolation among the 
generations of man. The scientific spirit of the Homan Kaiser, 
Frederich II, (1194-1250) exerted a favorable impression on the 
existing conditions, for lie not only founded schools for the study 
of general science at Padua in 1222, at Naples in 1224, also in 
