On the class of medical literature most needed at the present day : addressed to the students of St. Bartholomew's Hospital / by Horace Dobell.

  • Dobell, Horace Benge, 1828-1917.
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On the class of medical literature most needed at the present day : addressed to the students of St. Bartholomew's Hospital / by Horace Dobell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    tioned in connection with certain periods, lo designate the phases of their literary progress: of this we have striking examples in sacred history, but we have also enough in the history of science. Thus we find the Pythagorean age distinguished by Pythagoras and his disciples ; the dogmatism connected with the names of Hippocrates, Aristotle, and Plato ; the scepticism of Permanides and Pyrrho, which in medical science became the empiricism of Philinus, Serapion, and Heraclitus; the methodism associated with the names of Asclepiades, Themison, Ccelius Aurehanus, and of Leucippus and Democritus. Then we have the period characterised by the writings of Galen—a period in the history of medical science taking its cha- racter, and that one of such importance, from the exertions of one man. In later years we have the spiritual philosophy connected with the names of Descartes, Leibnitz, and Kant; the sensual phi- losophy of Bacon, Locke, and Condillac. Numerous other instances might be mentioned where the character of a hterary age is due to the exertions and writings of a few individuals; but it is needless to enumerate them, as we have seen enough to establish the fact; and this fact is to us of most serious import and of the deepest interest, in so far as we learn from it that, if we labour for our science, we must be careful with what end the labour is performed ; for, uncon- sciously to ourselves, we may give a wrong direction to the Uterature of medicine, and thus retard its progress ; or, on the other hand, we may, by labouring with care and circumspection, and by combined efforts, give a valuable character to the hterature of the period in which we hve, and assist in bearing on towards perfection. I have endeavoured to show that, in order to raise and perfect the science of medicine, we must first determine its exact present condi- tion. We have seen that the present condition of the science being determined, something more is still necessary before an improvement can be made. A knowledge must be gained of the deficient parts, the |)arts necessary to make it perfect. And further, I have asserted that these parts can only be safely supplied in a certain order; that, in consequence of this, it is necessary to determine what stands first in this order, which is the first part to be supplied, the first step to- wards perfection. Having done this, we are prepared to take the ste]), and when the step is taken we have worked an imjjrovement. And lastly, we have seen that the steps of past ages in science have been taken by a few individuals who have agreed to walk together ; that, whether the step were to improvement or degeneration, by some