Dictionary of Greek and Roman antiquities. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

CHIRURGIA. CI-IIRURGIA 273
certury A. D., and who has devoted the four last Rome (A. n. 165), he entirely confined himself
books of his work, De Ifedicina, and especially the to medicine, following as he says himself (De
seventh and eighth, entirely to surgical matters. l/etl. Mied.. vi. 20), the custom of the place. His
It appears plainly from reading Cels.as, that since writings prove, however, that he did not entirely
the time of Hippocrates surgery had made very abandon surgery. His Commentaries on the
great progress, and had, indeed, reached a high Treatise of Hippocrates De Qf7cina Medici, and
degree of perfection. Hte is the first author who his, treatise De Fasciis, shows that he was well
gives directions for the operation of lithotomy (De versed even in the minor details of the art. He
ifed. vii. 26. ~ 2. p. 432), and the method de- appears also to have been a skilful operator, though
scribed by him (called the apparatuzs sninor, or no great surgical inventions are attributed to him.
Celszs's method,) continued to be practised till the Antyllus, who lived some time between Galen
commencement of the sixteenth century. It was and Oribasies, is the earliest writer whose direcperformed at Paris, Bordeaux, and other places in tions for performing bronchotomy are still extant,
France, upon patients of all ages, even as late as a though the operation (as was stated above) was
hundred and fifty years ago; and a modern author proposed by Asclepiades about three hundred years
(Allan Oz Litlotonzy, p. 12) recommends it always before. Only a few fragments of the writings of
to be preferred on boys under fourteen. (Cooper's Antyllus remainu and among them the following
DNiet. qf Pac. SY24g., act. Lithotomy.) He de- passagc is preserved by Paulus Aegineta (De Re
scribes (vii. 25. ~ 3. p. 428) the operation of In- Med. vi. 33):_-" Our best surgeons have described
tibulatio, which was so commonly performed by the this operation, Aiutyllus particularly, thus:'We
ancients upon singers, &c., and is often alluded to think this practice useless, and not to be attempted
in classical authors. (See Juv. vi. 73, 379; Senec where all the arteries and the lungs are affected;
apud Lactant. Divin. rInstit. i. 16; Mart. p igr.but b when the inflammation lies chiefly about the
vii. 82. 1, ix. 28. 12, xiv. 215. 1; Tertull. De throat, the chin, and the tonsils which cover the
Coronea Sfil. 11.) He also describes (vii. 25. ~ 1. top of the windpipe, and the artery is unaffected,
p. 427) the operation alluded. to by St. Paul (1 this experiment is very rational, to prevent the
Cor. vii. 18) 7r'ep1-esrTqyne vos vr-s escAlO: s/j e'ir l- danger of suffocation. When we proceed to perr do 0. Compare Paulus Aegineta (De Re form it, we must cut through some part of the
iled. vi. 53), who transcribes from Anltyllus a se- windpipe, below the larynx, about the third or
cond method of performing the operation. fourth ring; for to cut quite through would be
The fi)llowing description, given by Celsus, of dangerous. This place is the most commodions,
the necessary qualifications of a surgeon, deserves because it is not covered with any flesh, and beto be quoted: —" A ssurgeon," says he (lib. vii. cause it has no vessels near it. Therefore, bendP-aeeft.)' ought to be young, or, at any rate, not ing the head of the patient backward, so that the
very old; his hand should be firn and steady, and windpipe may comec more forward to the vieWv, we
never shake; he should be able to use his left make a transverse section between two of the
hand with as much dexterity as his right; his rings, so that ill this case not the cartilage, but the
eye-sight should he acute and clear; his mind in- membrane which iincloses and unites the cartilages
trepid, and so far subject to pity as to make him together, is divided. If the operator be a little
desirous of the recovery of his patient, but not fearful, he may first divide the skin, extended by
so far as to suffer himself to be moved by his cries; a hook; then, proceeding to the windpipe, and
he should neither hurry the operation more than separating the vessels, if any are in the way, he
the case requires, nor cut less than is necessary, must nlake the incision.' Thus far Antyllus, who
buat do every thing just as if the other's screams thought of this way of cutting, by observing (when
made no inlpression upon him." it was, I suppose, cut by chance) that the air
Perhaps the only surgical remark worth quoting rushed through it with great violence, and that the
from Aretaeus, who lived in the first century A. D., voice was interrupted. When the danger of suffois that lie condemns the operation of bronchotomny, cation is over, the lips of the wound must be united
and thinks " that the wxound vould endanger an by suture, that is, by sewing the skin, and not the
inflammation, cough, and strangling; and that if cartilage; then proper vulnerary medicines are to
the danger of being choked could be avoided by be applied. If these do not agglutinate, an incarthis method, yet the parts would not heal, as being nant must be used. The same method must be
cartilaginous." (De leorb. Aeut. Cur. i. 7. p. 227, pursued with those who cut their throat with a
ed. Kiihn.) design of committing suicide." *
Omitting Scribonius Largus, Moschion, and So- Oribasius, physician to the Emperor Julian (A.D.
ranus, the next author of importance is Caelius 361), professes to be merely a compiler; and
Aurelianus, who is supposed to have lived about though there is in his great work, entitled ue v'athe beeginning of the second century A. n., and wycoyal IaspsaI, Collectlr Medicinalia, much surin whose works there is a good deal relating to gieal matter, there is nothing original. The same
surgery, though nothing that can be called original. may be said of Ahtius and Alexander Trallianus,
I-Ie rejected as absurd the. operation of bronlcho- both of whom lived towards the end of the sixth
tomy (De ilfori. C.roon. iii. 4). I-le mentions century A. D, and are not famous for any surgical
a case of ascites that xwas cured by par aceAtesis inventions. Paulus Aegineta has given up the
(Ibid. iii. 8), and also a person who recovered fifth and sixth books of his work, De Re Medira,
after being shot through the lungs by an arrow.
(Ibid. iii. 12.) * This operation appears to have been' very
Galen, the most voluminous and at the same seldom, if ever, performed by the ancients upon a
time the most valuable medical writer of antiquity, human being. Avenzoar (p. 15) tried it uposs a
is less celebrated as a surgeon than as an anatomist goat, and found it might be done without mucih
and physician. He appears to have pr:lctised danger or difficulty; but he says he should not
surgery at Pergamus, but, upon his re:norvld to like to be, the first person to try it upon a man,
T