The works of Francis Bacon, lord chancellor of England.

204 ADVANCEMENT OF LEARNING. BOOK II.
mon case, nor so reserved as to admit none but cures of many, some as in their nature incurable,
wonders; for many things are new in the manner, and others as past the period of cure; so that
which are not new in the kind; and if men will Sylla and the triumvirs never proscribed so many
intend to observe, they shall find much worthy to men to die, as they do by their ignorant edicts;
observe. whereof numbers do escape with less difficulty
In the inquiry which is made by anatomy I find than they did in the Roman proscriptions. Theremuch deficience: for they inquire of the parts, and fore I will not doubt to note as a deficience, that
their substances, figures, and collocations; but they inquire not the perfect cures of many dithey inquire not of the diversities of the parts, seases, or extremities of diseases; but, Irrcnounlcthe secrecies of the passages, and the seats or ing them incurable do enact a law of neglect, and
nestlings of the humours, nor much of the foot- exempt ignorance from discredit.
steps and impressions of diseases: the reason of Nay, further, I esteem it the office cf a 1physici in
which omission I suppose to be, because the first not only to restore health, but to mitigate pain,
inquiry may be satisfied in the view of one or a and dolours; and not only when such miti-ration
few anatomies; but the latter, being comparative may conduce to recovery, but when it may serve
and casual, must arise from the view of many. to make a fair and easy passage: for it is no small
And as to the diversity of parts, there is no doubt felicity which Augustus Cesar was wont to Mwish
but the facture or framing of the inward parts is to himself, that same "' euthanasia;" and which
as full of differences as the outward, and in that was specially noted in the death ofAntoninus Pius,
is the cause continent of many diseases; which whose death was after the fashion and semblance
not being observed, they quarrel many times with of a kindly and pleasant sleep. So it is written
the humours, which are not in fault; the fault of Epicurus, that after his disease was judged
being in the very frame and mechanic of the part, desperate, he drowned his stomach and senses
which cannot be removed by medicine alterative, with a large draught and ingurgitation of wine,
but must be accommodate and palliate by diets whereupon the epigram was made, i" Hine Stygias
and medicines familiar. As for the passages and ebrius hausit aquas;" he was not sober enough
pores, it is true, which was anciently noted, that to taste any bitterness of the Stygian water. But
the more subtile of them appear not in anatomies, the physicians, contrariwise, do make a kind of
because they are shut and latent in dead bodies, scruple and religion to stay with the patient after
though they be open and manifest in live; which the disease is deplored; whereas, in my judgbeing supposed, though the inhumanity of 6" ana- ment, they ought both to inquire the skill, and to
tomia vivorum" was by Celsus justly reproved; give the attendances, for the facilitating and asyet in regard of the great use of this observation, suaging of the pains and agonies of death.
the inquiry needed not by him so slightly to have In the consideration of the cures of diseases,
been relinquished altogether, or referred to the I find a deficience in the receipts of propriety,
casual practices of surgery; but might have been respecting the particular cures of diseases: for
well diverted upon the dissection of beasts alive, the physicians have frustrated the fruit of tradiwhich notwithstanding the dissimilitude of their tion and experience by their magistralities, in
parts, may sufficiently satisfy this inquiry. And adding, and taking out, and changing " (quid pro
for the humours, they are commonly passed over quo," in their receipts, at their pleasures; comin anatomies as purgaments; whereas it is most manding so over the medicine, as the medicine
necessary to observe, what cavities, nests, and cannot command over the diseases: for except it
receptacles the humours do find in the parts, with be treacle and mithridatum, and of late diascortlle differing kind of the humours so lodged and dium, and a few more, they tie themselves to no
received. And as for the footsteps of diseases, receipts severely and religiously: for as to the
and their devastations of the inward parts, im- confections of sale which are in the shops, they
posthumations, exulcerations, discontinuations, are for readiness, and not for propriety; for they
putrefactions, consumptions, contractions, exten- are upon general intentions of purging, opening,
sions, convulsions, dislocations, obstructions, re- comforting, altering, and not much appropriate to
pletions, together with all preternatural substances, particular diseases: and this is the cause why
as stones, carnosities, excrescences, worms, and empirics and old women are more happy many
the like; they ought to have been exactly times in their cures than learned physicians, beobserved by multitude of anatomies, and the con- cause they are more religious in holding their
tribution of men's several experiences, and care- medicines. Therefore here is the deficience which
fully set down, both historically, according to the I find, that physicians have not, partly out of their
appearances, and artificially, with a reference to own practice, partly out of the constant probathe diseases and symptoms which result from tions reported in books, and partly out of the
them, in case where the anatomy is of a defunct traditions of empirics, set down and delivered
patient; whereas now: upon opening of bodies, over certain experimental medicines for the cure
bhey are passed over slightly and in silence. of particular diseases, besides their own conjecIn the inquiry of diseases, they do abandon the tural and magistral descriptions. For as they