An historical sketch of medicine and surgery, from their origin to the present time, and of the principal authors, discoveries, improvements, imperfections and errors / by W. Black, M.D.

  • William Black
Date:
1782
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An historical sketch of medicine and surgery, from their origin to the present time, and of the principal authors, discoveries, improvements, imperfections and errors / by W. Black, M.D. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

    134/338 (page 120)
    [ 1^0 ] nor reafon. In lefs than one century after the Northern barbarians had fettled in their new con- quefts, every veftige of Roman literature, tafte, and almoft of arts, were either obliterated or de- molilhed. During four centuries after, Europe does not produce one author that deferves to be read, nor any one art, or ufeful invention. The illiterate Goths would not permit their children to read or write, nor to be inftrudted in any fcience but that of war : they imagined that the arts and fciences had enervated the Romans, and de^ bafed their minds. When the religious frenzy of the Mahometans was abated, after they became enriched by com- merce, and fatiated with conqueft, their military ferocity fubfided; arts and literature were then cultivated with great induftry: the medical pro- feflion in particular, was rewarded and encouraged with rank, and bountiful emoluments, fuperior to every other nation where this art had hitherto been exercifed ; and they early endowed feveral medical fehools in Perfia, in Africa, and in Spain. It became a cuftom with the Mahometans, where- ever they built a Temple of Worfliip, to add to it a fchool, and an hofpital for the fick. Hifto- rians report that one of the Mahometan caliphs, in the year 820, lent to the Greek Emperor at Conftantinople, to requeft copies of his bell books, which he ordered to be tranllated into Arabic, by fome of the Jews or Greek Chriftians. Galen had been firft tranflated into the Syrian ian-