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

746 MEDICINA..MEDICINA.
sicknesses, and the not undertaking the treatment doctrine that one meets with is the collection of
of those who are quite overcome by sickness, as writings known under the name of the works of
we know that medicine is here of no avail." For Hippocrates. The science mounts up directly to
other definitions of the art and science of Medi- that origin and there stops. Not that it had not
cine given by the ancients, see Pseudo-Galen (In- been cultivated earlier, and had not given rise to
lroduct. Seuzr fedicus, c. 6. vol. xiv. pp. 686-8-, even numerous productions; but every thing that
ed. Kiihn). T'he invention of medicine was almost had been made before the physician of Cos has
universally attributed by the ancients to the gods. perished. We have only remaining of them scat(Hippocr. dle Prisca CMedic. vol. i. p. 39; Pseudo- tered and unconnected fragments; the works of
(alen, introd. cap. i. p. 674; Cic. Tsc. Dis. iii. Hippocrates have alone escaped destruction; and
~ Plin. 11. N. xxix. 1.) Another source of in- by a singular circumstance there exists a great gap
fonrmation was the observing the means resorted to after themn, as well as before them. The medical
by animals when labouring under disease. Pliny works from Hippocrates to the establishment of
(I:L Ai viii. 41) gives many instances in which the school of Alexandria, and those of that school
these instinctive efforts taught mankind the pro- itself, are completely lost, except some quotations
perties of various plants, and the more simple sur- and passages preserved in the later writers; so that
gical operations. The wild goats of Crete pointed the writings of Hippocrates remain alone amongst
out the use of the Dictamlnus and vulnerary herbs; the ruins of ancient medical literature." The
dogs when indisposed sought the Trqiticnum repes, Asclepiadae, to which family Hippocrates beionged,
and the same animal taught to the Egyptians the were the supposed descendants of Aesculapiius
use of purgative, constituting the treatment called ('AxcAixros), and were in a manner the herediSyrmnaism. The hippopotamus introduced the prac- tary physicians of Greece. They professed to have
tice of bleeding, and it is affirmed that the em- among them certain secrets of the medical art,
ployment of clysters was shown by the ibis. which had been handed down to them from their
(Compare Pseudo-Galen, litrodl. c. i, p. 675.) great progenitor, and founded several medical
Sheep with worms in their liver were seen seeking schools in different parts of the world. Galen
saline substances, and cattle affected with dropsy mentions (De iets. Iled. i. i. vol. x. pp. 5, 6) three,
anxiously looked for chalybeate waters. We are viz., Rhodes, Cnidos, and Cos. The first of these
told (Herod. i. 197; Strab. xvi. c. i, ed. Tauchn.; appears soon to have become extinct, and has left
Pseusdo-Galen, Introd. 1. c.) that the Babylonians no traces of its existence behind. From the second
and Chaldaeans had no physicians, and in cases of proceeded a collection of observations called Kv'sickness the patient was carried out and exposed 8ial rVOjual,'" Chidian Sentences," a work of much
on the highway, that any persons passing by who reputation in early times, which is often mentioned
had been affected in a similar manner, might give by Hippocrates (de Rat. IVict. inz llorb. Acztt.), and
some information respecting the means that had which appears to have existed in the time of
atfforded them relief. Shortly afterwards, these ob- Galen. (Comzment. insHijppocr. lib. cit. vol. xv. p. 427.)
servations of cures were suspended in the temples The school of Cos, however, is by far the most
of the gods, and we find that in Egypt the walls celebrated, on account of the greater number of
of their sanctuaries were covered with records of eminent physicians that sprang from it, and espe..
this description. The priests of Greece adopted cially from having been the birth-place of the great
the same practice, and some of the tablets sus- Hippocrates. WVe learn from IIerodotus (iii. 131)
pended in their temples are of a curious character, that there were also two celebrated medical schools
which will illustrate the custom. The following at Crotona in Magna Graecia, and at Cyrene in
votive memorials are given by Hieron. Mercuri- Africa, of which he says that the former was in
alis (de Ase Gemonoast. Anmstel. 4to. 1672, pp. 2, 3): his time more esteemed in Greece than any other,
"Some days back a certain Caius, who was and in the next place came that of Cyrene. In
blind, learned from an oracle that he should repair subsequent times the medical profession was dito the temple, put up his fervent prayers, cross the vided into different sects; but a detailed account
sanctuary from right to left, place his five fingers of their opinions is foreign to the object of the
on the altar, then raise his hand and cover his eyes. present work. The oldest, and perhaps the most
H-te obeyed, and instantly his sight was restored influential of these sects was that of the Dog2atlici,
amidst the loud acclamations of the multitude. founded about n.c. 400 by Thessalus, the son, and
These signs of the omnipotence of the gods were Polybus, the son-in-law of Hippocrates, and thence
shown in the reign of Antoninus." "A blind called also the I-ippocratici. These retained their
soldier named Valerius Apes, having consulted the influence till the rise of the Eonpisci, founded by
oracle, was informed that he should mix the blood Serapion of Alexandria, and Philinus of Cos, in tile
of a white cock with honey, to make up an oint- third century B. c., and so called, because they
mnet to be applied to his eyes, for three conse- professed to derive their knowledge from expccutive days: he received his sight, and returned rience only; after which time every member of the
public thanks to the gods." "Julian appeared maedical profession during a long period ranged
lost beyond all hope from a spitting of blood. The himself in one of these two sects. In the first
god ordered him to take from the altar some seeds century B. c., Themison founded the sect of the
of the pine, and to mix them with honey, of which Methlodici, who held doctrines nearly intermediate
mixture he was to eat for three days. He was between those of the two sects already mentioned.
saved, and came to thank the gods in presence of About two centuries later the Methodici were
the people." divided into numerous sects, as the doctrines of
With regard to the medical literature of the particular physicians became more generally reancients, " When " (says Littrd, Oec-vres Com- ceived. The chief of these sects were the Polemtpletes d'Hiplpocrate, vol. i. Introd. ch. 1. p. 3) matici and the Eclectici; the former founded by
"' onIe searches into the history of medicine and the Athenaeus about the middle or end of the first
commencement of the science, the first body of century a,. D.; the latter about the same time