Another collection of philosophical conferences of the French virtuosi upon questions of all sorts for the improving of natural knowledg made in the assembly of the Beaux Esprits at Paris by the most ingenious persons of that nation / render'd into English by G. Havers, Gent. & J. Davies ..., Gent.

CONFERENCE CLXXX. Whether more hurt or good hath proceeded from sharing the parts of Physick between Physitians, Apothecaries, and Chirurgions. (Book 180)

THis Question being of the greatest moment of any that hath been discuss'd in this Company, requireth also most caution; because there is none of us knows how soon he may come to be at the Mercy of some one of that Profession which his Sentence shall disoblige. Now all the parts of Physick were practis'd of old by one person; yea, in Aegypt it was no set Profession, but the Priests of Memphis were bound to write in the Temples of Vulcan and Isis such Remedies as any Man came and declar'd to them, that himself had found benefit by; to the end others might use the same. So likewise the Greeks writ in Parchment, and hung at the Porch of the Temples of Apollo and Aesculapius, those Receipts that had cur'd them; which the Priests took from thence to pronounce to others, as if they had been Oracles; authorizing Medicine by Religion. Afterwards, this Science augmenting by degrees, (as all things do) some were found that reduc'd those Experiences to an Art; the ancientest of whom was Aesculapius the Son of Apollo and Ariadne, to whom in time suceeded another Aesculapius, the third of that name; who (as Cicero, Lib. 3. de Natur. Deor.) was the first Tooth-drawer, and undertook first to loosen the belly, leaving for his Successors his Children, Podalirius and Machaon, who were at the siege of Troy, the former of whom profess'd the curing of Inward Diseases, the other of Outward by manual operation; from which time, the Art of Physick began to be divided into Pharmacy and Chirurgery, which were practis'd joyntly by Chiron, who took his Name from the dexterity of his hand in operations, and was feign'd a Centaure, because he was always on Horse-back to relieve remote Patients. And for that the operations of Chirurgery are more apparent than those of the

other parts of Physick; Plato saith, that the ancient Physick was only Chirurgery. Hippocrates, who first spoke worthily of Medicinal Matters, exercis'd the three parts of Physick con∣junctly; and so it was practis'd till Galen's time, to wit, 600. years after. Moreover, 'Tis an Argument, That Chi∣rurgery was exercis'd by the Physicians, That they were expell'd Rome, because one of them had cut off a Roman Citizen's leg with bad success. So also Darius's foot dislocated by a fall from his Horse, and restor'd by Democedes a Crotonian Physician, then his Prisoner at Sardis, (after the vain attempts of his Aegyptian Physician) and is an evidence that he was both a Chirurgion and a Physician. But since, Physicians have done like the heirs of Merchants, they have thought fit to avoid the pains, and enjoy both the honor and the profit; they have reserv'd solely to them∣selves the authority and power of prescribing, and left to the Apothecarie's honesty and skill, the choice, dispensation, prepa∣ration, and composition of medicaments; and to the Chirurgi∣on, all manual operations: Nay, many of these too, out of heed∣lesness, have left to Barbers and Stews-keepers the Art of trim∣ing the Hair; to others, the dexterity of drawing Teeth; and again, to others the Reduction of Luxations and Fractures; all Appendances of Physick. Now to determine, Whether this Division hath done more good or hurt, seems to me to depend upon the capacity of those employ'd in this Art.. For if the Physician hath not skill enough, or strength of Body to attend all those functions, he ought not to undertake them. But he that judges himself able to discharge them all, will be very heed∣full, when he sees the whole honor or blame must fall to himself alone; whereas the division of success amongst many, makes each person more negligent: Besides that, every one can answer better for his own deed, than for another's; and agrees better with himself, than with a second or third; between whom 'tis seldom but some Clash happens, and that to the detriment of the Patient. Lastly, the Physician represents the Intellectual Fa∣culty, the Chirurgion the Animal, and the Apothecary the tal; so that to divide them, is as much as to separate the Liver, Heart, and Brain of one and the same Man; and Theory being never well understood without practice, 'tis no wonder if their dis-union hath occasion'd the setting up many Ignorants and Empericks.

The Second said, If Man's Life be short, in respect of the Art of Physick (according to the saying of Hippocrates the Prince thereof) then 'tis the way to shorten it more, even by two thirds, to assign it three Arts and Exercises, each of which requires the whole Man. The Egyptians were of another Judgment, not only distinguishing Physicians from Operators and Preparers of Medicaments, but also having particular Physicians for each con∣siderable part of Man; as for the Eye, Ear, &c. which render them more expert; because we do nothing well, but what we

do often; and what difference there is between one that exer∣cises more Arts, and him that is contented with one, appears by comparing Country-Apothecaries and Chirurgians, who pra∣ctise all three parts of Physick, and those of great Cities. More∣over the alliance between the Body and the Soul is such, that while the one is employ'd about some work, the other cannot intend its cogitations else-where, as it ought to do in this Case. And therefore to require a Physician to let blood, set a bone, or prepare a medicine, is all one as to expect that a General should both give Orders, and perform the Office of a common Souldier. For if the Mind that is at rest be esteem'd the more wise and ca∣pable of reasoning, (whence our Judges sit, Physicians consult, and the Greeks would have adoration perform'd in that posture) what good advice can be expected from a Physician who is al∣ways out of breath with his preparations and operations? Be∣sides, 'tis not seemly for a Physician to visit his Patient with his Hands smelling and dy'd with drugs, and the confidence of the Patient in him being much conducive to the Cure, it cannot but be better trusting to three persons than to one. And indeed, supposing a Physician were so wicked as to have ill intentions against his Patient's Life, (which yet is hard to imagine, and there are very few Examples of such) it would be harder for him to execute them when others prepare his remedies, than when he prepares them himself. As likewise the Apothecary may play the Villain more securely, when he hath not the inspection of the Physician over him. Wherefore 'tis best that Physick re∣main distributed into three Professions, which, like an Harmoni∣ous Trade, assist and uphold each other; the Physician being as the Head, and the other two as his two Hands. All the bu∣siness, is, that this Harmony and Proportion be so well observ'd, that the Hands think not themselves to be the Head; which hap∣pens but too frequently, to the great dishonor of Physick, and damage of the sick.