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

  • Galen
Date:
1956
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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.

    44/326 (page 12)
    For one tendon moves the thumb, the other the wrist; the motions are alike but the parts moved unlike. [The anatomists] have made it clear that they generally dis/ tinguish muscles by differences in their motions rather than by their places of origin, v^hen they say that there are two muscles bending all the fingers, not one only, although their motion is almost alike in kind, and what is more they have a single origin. For since one head of the tendons bends the second joint, the other the first and third, they say that there are two muscles here. These, they say, are completely united through the whole length of the forearm, until they end in the branching tendons [fexores digitorum suhlimis et profundus], but are perceived to be double from the difference in their motions. [In the ape the fexor suhlimis gives off a fleshy branch to the fexor profundus.] The most accurate method of teaching looks to these points. Yet one must not quarrel with those who follow a second method for any small departure from the first. It is preferable, when we find a statement made by many accepted authorities that departs slighdy from the best method, to accept it tem/ porarily, so as to avoid confusing the hearers by raising an appearance of disagreement. If you insist on precision, either you add to your account, if you are following the accepted method, that it is preferable to suppose that there are, say, two muscles, for the reason given or, if you follow the best method again you will add that these two muscles are really one, on the ground that they coalesce for a large part of their course. It is better that this should be said right away about all the muscles. Chapter 5 [Muscles of Flexor Surface^^ of Forearm] 243 It is now time to explain how to proceed if one would gain experience oneself and give demonstrations to others. I have