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What Galen hath written of Anatomie, and how vniustly he is accused by the later writers especially by Vesalius. CHAP. XI.
ALmost all the Grecians, Arabians, and Latines, do very much extoll Galen, as after Hippocrates, the second Father of Physicke; forasmuch as he hath * 1.1 in such sort amplified and adorned the whole Art by his deep and diuine writings, that vnder him it may seeme to be as it were, borne anew. For indeede howbeit there were extant before many excellent Monuments & Records, yet were they so confused and shuffled out of order, that it see∣med a new worke to gather together those thinges that were dispersed, to illustrate that which was hard and difficile, rude and vnpolisht; to distinguish and order that which was confused, beside many things which he obserued in his owne particular experience. For other parts of Physick I will say nothing, but for Anatomy I will confidently auouch, that Galen hath so beautified and accomplished it, that he hath not onely dispersed the blacke clowds of ignorance which hung ouer the former ages, but also giuen great light & splen∣dor to the insuing posterity. For whereas there are three meanes, which leade vs as it were by the hand to the perfect and exact knowledge of Anatomy, namely, Dissection of the * 1.2 parts, their actions, and their vses: he hath so accurately described them all, as he hath got∣ten the prize from all men, not onely before him, but euen after him also. The manner of Dissection, he hath manifested in his Bookes, de Anatomicis administrationibus, de Dissecti∣one musculorum & neruorum.
The actions of the seuerall parts, he hath elegantly described to the life in his Booke de naturalibus facultatibus & de placitis Hippocratis & Platonis. But aboue all, are those seuen∣teene golden bookes of the Vse of parts, which are truly called Diuine labours, and hymnes sung in praise of the Creator. So that the benefites we all, and those before vs haue recey∣ued by Galen, are indeede very great: and yet (the more the pitty) almost all the new Wri∣ters, do continually carpe and barke at him, yea teare and rend him, whether it be by right or wrong, wounding and lancing his credite vpon euery slight occasion: one by way of ca∣uill, another ambitiously seeking to make himselfe esteemed by Galens disgrace, and few with any desire that truth should take place. But as flouds beating against the rockes, by how much they rush with greater violence, by so much they are more broken and driuen backe into the maine; so, & such are their bootlesse and ridiculous endeauors, who enter∣prize by the disgrace of another, especially of their Maisters and Teachers, to gaine repu∣tation vnto themselues.
But let vs see wherein these Nouices do blame Galen. First they say, hee hath giuen vs onely the Anatomy of bruite beasts, and not of Man, hauing neuer dissected a mans body. * 1.3 Againe they vrge, that he was ignorant of many things, which at this day are generally & commonly knowne. Thirdly they say, he deliuers many things repugnant and contrary to himself. Lastly, that he hath written all things confusedly, & without Method or order. For (say they) what Method can ther be obserued in his books of the vse of Parts, which you cal diuine? First he treats of the hand, then of the legges and feete, and last of all of the lower belly, and the naturall parts. How sillie these calumniations are, and how miserably these * 1.4 men are by their owne ignorance deceiued, let all men heare and iudge. For to begin with the first, I say and affirme, that Galen did not onely cut vp the bodies of Apes, but manie times also the carkasses of men. My witnesse shall be the author himselfe. In his thirteenth booke de vsu partium, I am determined (saith he) to set foorth the structure and composition of Man alone. In his first booke, de Anatomicis administrationibus, It is meete to obserue and looke into euery particle, especially in men. In the second Booke, Now (saith hee) the foote of an Ape differeth from the foote of a Man, in that the structure of the fingers is not alike in them both. In his fourth book de Anat. administ. and in the third de vsu partium, he sheweth the difference of the tendons which go to the legs and feete: and in his first booke de Anat. Ad∣minist. he saith, that The head of the Thigh is more crooked in men then in Apes, and the Mus∣cles also vnlike, which are inserted into the legge. He sheweth also the dissimilitude between the Loynes of a Man and an ape. In his second booke de ratione victus, hee saith, that A Man differeth from some creatures in the Originall of the Veyne called Azugos, that is, the soli∣tary veine, or without a peere. In the 13. booke de vsu partium, he saith, That the wombe of a woman, differeth much from that of other Creatures.