Galen on anatomical procedures : de Anatomicis administrationibus / translation of the surviving books with introduction and notes by Charles Singer.

  • Galen
Date:
1956
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: Galen on anatomical procedures : de Anatomicis administrationibus / translation of the surviving books with introduction and notes by Charles Singer. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    on exposed parts, recognized them explicidy and completely, telling the patients to make this movement or that, such as we knew was effected by this or that muscle, sometimes contract/ ing or displacing the muscles a litde to observe a large artery, nerve, or vein lying beside them. We then saw some students, as though blind, unable to recognize the parts, uselessly raising or displacing the exposed muscles (which needlessly distressed the patients), or even making no attempt to observe. Yet others, who had had more practice, knew how to direct the patient to move the part appropriately. Thus I perceived that, in observing wounds, those are confirmed who already know what to expect, but the ignorant learn nothing thereby. 226 I therefore maintain that the bones must be learnt either from man, or ape, or better from both, before dissecting the muscles, for these two [namely bones and muscles] form the ground-' work of the other parts, the foundations, as it were, of a build/ ing. And next, study arteries, veins, and nerves. FamiHarity with dissection of these will bring you to the inward parts and so to a knowledge of the viscera, the fat, and the glands, which also you should examine separately, in detail. Such should be the order of your training. As I have already said, you should seek in demonstrations to uncover the part for study as rapidly as possible, and to dis/ play it in many aspects, adopting various methods of handling. If you have no ape, bodies of other animals must serve, making 22 j clear from the start wherein they differ from an ape, as I shall presently explain. Chapter 3 [Distinctiveness of Muscles and Neglect of the Ancients in dissecting Them] First read my exposition De ossihus^^ so as to have it at your 227 finger/tips, not only as regards the facts, but also the names, for I cannot discuss incidental points during my argument.