Galen : two bibliographical demonstrations in the library of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, 9th December, 1891, and 30th March, 1893 / by James Finlayson.
- James Finlayson
- Date:
- 1895
Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Galen : two bibliographical demonstrations in the library of the Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow, 9th December, 1891, and 30th March, 1893 / by James Finlayson. 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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![Galen as a Peactitioneb.—Bloodletting. The theoretical principles underlying Galen's practice have been already alluded to, but it may interest some to learn that as far back as Galen M^e have a clear enunciation of the principle of cure 2^er similia as well as per contraria; many of the public foolishly think that the former principle was originated last century, although universally recognised long before. [Per similia et per contraria.']— Ac si prajter naturam sit quod indicet, contrarium id semper indicare : sin secundum naturam se habeat non contrarium sed simile.—(Kiihn, tom. x, p. 775). On the great question of bloodletting, the following extracts given by Dr. T. K. Chambers in his racy paper, mentioned in the first footnote, may serve, along with the last quotation, to indicate Galen's ideas and practice in this respect. [Galen's Cases hearing on Bloodletting.]—When I first came to Rome, I found some physicians who were so averse to venesection, that sometimes, when a man was scarce able to breathe from conges- tion, they would not employ this treatment. There was a woman, just under 21, who after suppression of the catamenia, had a flushed face, with loose cough and dyspnoea, whom they treated by bandaging the limbs and depriving her entirely of food ; but they would neither open a vein nor let me do so. And on account of their being acquaintances of the woman's household and senior practitioners, more faith was had in their opinion than in mine. I made no more attempts to persuade them to bleed, but I asked if there was any objection to set up a derivation of blood to the uterus by means of drugs calculated for that object. And when they consented, I immediately got the midwife, usually employed by the patient, and desired her to use them. But she said she had already applied remedies of this sort at the proper time—namely, when the catamenia might normally be expected ; and she named the drugs—all of tried efficacy—which she had administered to the woman, so that no one could suppose that it was from the inefficiency of these medicines that relief had failed to be given. When I heard this, and, more- over, that the menses had been already suppressed for months, I had](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b22362575_0048.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
