Essays and observations on natural history, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and geology / by John Hunter, being his posthumous papers on those subjects, arranged and revised, with notes ; to which are added the introductory lectures on the Hunterian collection of fossil remains delivered in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, March 8th, 10th and 12th, 1855 / by Richard Owen.
- John Hunter
- Date:
- 1861
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Essays and observations on natural history, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and geology / by John Hunter, being his posthumous papers on those subjects, arranged and revised, with notes ; to which are added the introductory lectures on the Hunterian collection of fossil remains delivered in the theatre of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, March 8th, 10th and 12th, 1855 / by Richard Owen. Source: Wellcome Collection.
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![subject be made perfect master of tbe ancient notion; and tben let us see whether or no his notions are exactly the same with the present: if they are, then the ancients understood it; if they are not, then we may conclude that they did not. Secondly, let us examine what hap- pened when this notion made its first appearance. If it seemed to be new, then we may say that it was so ; for we must suppose that the ancient notion was known at that time: if it met with opposi- tion, then it was certainly new; for the opposite must be in favour of the ancients: and, if it even met with a friend, it was a sign that it was new. A man with a sufficient fund of knowledge, and a close application to one art or science, will make great improvements in it though his talents may not be the best; or, in other words, though he be not a great genius. There are three ways of obtaining a knowledge of physics, which differ in an equal proportion from one another. The first and least useful, is by reading; which, indeed, ought not to go first, but to follow the second or third. However, it is of more use, as we shall see, to the second; for it helps to explain what perhaps we did not understand. What makes this [reading] of least use, is that it leaves us to conceive everything, none of our other senses being struck thereby, though it comes nearest to what we learn by the sense of hearing. The second way is twofold, ' demonstration' and * description1.' The first of these must always attend the last, but the last may not attend the first, though it always ought to be joined with it; so that the second way includes two methods of acquiring knowledge in one sense, and but one in another. It will be greatly assisted by reading, and, without reading, will be far preferable to reading only. But demonstration ought to be the first step; for description without demonstration is little better than mere reading. The third means of acquiring knowledge is by much the best: it is no more than the former two taken together by oneself; that is, for a person to be his own operator and instructor. This is not so easily compassed; for, besides the faculty of comprehension, it requires dex*- terity of hand, and also some preceding knowledge of the subject. So that demonstration is what we should begin with, then manual opera- tion, and lastly reading. Demonstration shows us matter and its properties. Manual opera- tions fix these more firmly in our mind, as we are always more atten- tive to what we do ourselves than we are to what others do. After 1 [Here oral description is meant; such as is given by the demonstrator of anatomy to the students in the dissecting room.]](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21182656_0396.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
