Page:Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 14.djvu/57

 SKODA

35

SLANDER

Skarga waa sent on a mission of conciliation to the rebels, which, however, proved fruitless. Besides the controversial works mentioned, Skarga published a "History of the Church", and "Lives of the Saints" (Wilna, 1579; 25th ed., Lemberg, 1SS3-S4), possibly the most widely read book in Poland. But most im- portant of all are his "Sermons for Sundays and Holidays" (Cracow, 1595) and "Sermons on the Seven Sacraments" (Cracow, 1000), which, besides their glowing eloquence, are profound and instructive. In addition to these are "Sermons on Various Oc- casions" and the "Sermons Preached to the Diet". These last for inspiration and feeling are the finest productions in the hterature of Poland before the Partitions. Nowhere are there found such style, elo- quence, and patriotism, with th(^ deepest religious conviction. Skarga occupies a high place in the literature and the liistory of Poland. His efforts to convert heretics, to restore schismatics to unity, to prevent corruption, and to stem the tide of public and political license, tending even then towards anarchy, were indeed as to this last point unsuccessful; but that was the nation's fault, not hia.

RrcHOiCKl. Peter Skarga and his ape (Lemberg, 1852); Pob- s.o\\^s.l. Life of Peter Skarga (Cracow, 1SS4); BOBRSYHISKI, .Ser- mons to the Diet (Cracow, 1876) ; Chr8.\nowski. Preface to Sermons •othe Diet (2nd ed., Warsaw. 1897); Tarnowski. Schootbook of Polish Literature (Lemberg. 1909); Idem. History of Polish Litera- lure, I (Cracow, 1903)— all in PoUsh.

S. Tarnowski.

Skoda (Schkoda), Josef, celebrated clinical lecturer ind diagnostician and, with Rokitansky, founder of the modern medical school of Vienna, b. at Pilsen in Bohemia, 10 December, 1805; d. at Vienna, 13 .June, 18S1. Skoda was the son of a locksmith. He at- tended the gymnasium at Pilsen, entered the Univer- sity of Vienna in 1S25, and received the degree of Doctor of Medicine on 10 July, 1831. He first .served in Bohemia as physician during the outbreak of cholera, was assistant phvsician in the general hos- pital of Vienna, 1832-38," in 1839 city physician of Vienna for the poor, and on 13 February, 1840, on the recommendation of Dr. Ludwig, Freiherr von Tiirkheim, chairman of the imperial committee of sducation, was appointed to the unpaid position of chief physician of the department for consumptives just opened in the general hospital. In 1840, thanks to the energetic measures of Karl Rokitansky, pro- fessor of pathological anatomy, he was appointed pro- fessor of the medical clinic against the wishes of the rest of the medical faculty. In 1848 he began to lecture in German instead of Latin, being the first professor to adopt this course. On 17 July, 1848, he was elected an active member of the mathematico- physical section of the Academy of Sciences. Early in 1871 he retired from his professorship, and the oc- casion was celebrated by the students and the popula- tion of Vienna by a great torchlight procession in his honour. Rokitansky calls him "a light for those who 3tudy, a model for those who strive, and a rock for tho.se who despair". Skoda 's benevolent disposi- tion is best shown by the fact that, notwithstanding his large income and known simplicity of life, he left a comparatively small fortune, and in his will bequeathed legacies to a number of benevolent institutions.

Skoda's great merit lies in his development of the methods of physical investigation. The discovery of the method of percussion diagnosis made in 1701 by the Viennese physician, Leopold .\uenbrugger (1722-1S09), had been forgotten, and the knowledge of it was first revived in 1808 tjy Corvisart (1755- 1821), court -physician to Napoleon L Laennec (1787-1820) and his pupils Piorrj' and Bouillaud added au.scultation to this method. Skoda began his clinical studies in close connexion with pathological anatomy while a.s,sistant physician of the hospit.al, but his superiors failed to understand his course, and in 1837, by way of punishment, transferred him

to the ward for the insane, as it was claimed that the patients were annoyed by his investigations, espe- cially by, the method of percussion. His first publica- tion, "Uber die Perkussion" in the " Medizinische Jahrbiicher des k.k. osterreichen Kaiserstaates", IX (1830), attracted but little attention. This paper was followed bj-: "Uber den Herzstoss und die durch die Herzbewegungen verursachten Tone und Uber die Anwendung der Perkussion bei Untersuchung der Organe des Unterleibes", in the same periodical, vols. XIII, XIV (1837); "Uber Abdominaltyphus und dessen Behandlung mit Alumen crudum", also in the same periodical, vol. XV (1838); "Untersuch- ungsmethode zur Bestimmung des Zustandes des Herzens", vol. XVIII (1839); "Uber Pericarditis in pathologisch-anatomischer und diagnostischer Beziehung", XIX (1839); "Uber Piorrys .Seniiotik und Diagnostik", vol. XVIII (1839); "Uber die Diagnose der Herzklappenfehler", vol. XXI (1840). His small but up to now unsurpassed chief work, "Abhandlung iiber die Perkussion und Auskulta- tion" (Vienna, 1839), has been repeatedly published and translated into foreign languages. It established his universal renown as a diagnostician. In 1841, after a journey for research to Paris, he made a sep- arate division in his department for skin diseases and thus gave the first impulse towards the reor- ganization of dermatology by Ferdinand Hebra. In 1848 at the request of the ministry of education he drew up a memorial on the reorganization of the study of medicine, and encouraged later by his advice the founding of the present higher administration of the medical school of Vienna. As regards therapeu- tics the accusation was often made against him that he held to the "Nihilism" of the Vienna School. As a matter of fact his therapeutics were exceedingly simple in contrast to the great variety of remedial agents used at that time, which he regarded as useless, as in his experience many ailments were cured with- out medicines, merely by suitable medical super- vision and proper diet. His high sense of duty as a teacher, the large amount of work he performed as a physician, and the early appearance of organic heart- trouble are probablj' the reasons that from 1848 he published less and less. The few papers which he wrote from 1850 are to be found in the transactions of the Academy of Sciences and the periodical of the Society of Physicians of Vienna of which he was the honorary president.

Dr,\sche, Skoda (Vienna, 1881).

Leopold Senfelder.

Slade, John, Venerable See Bodey, John, Ven- erable.

Slander is the attributing to another of a fault of which one knows him to be innocent. It contains a twofold malice, that which grows out of damage unjustly done to our neighbour's good name and that of lying as well. Theologians say that this latter guilt considered in itself, in so far as it is an offence against veracity, may not be grievous, but that never- theless it will frequently be advisable to mention it in confession, in order that the extent and method of reparation may be settled. The important thing to note of slander is that it is a lesion of our neigh- bour's right to his reputation. Hence moralists hol<l that it is not specifically distinct from mere detrac- tion. For the purpose of determining the species of this sin, the manner in which the injury is done is negligible. There is, however, this difference be- tween slander and detraction: that, whereas there are circumstances in which we may lawfully expose the misdeeds which another has actually committed, we are never allowed to blacken his name by charging him with what he has not done. A lie is intrinsically evil and can never be justified by any cause or in any circumstances. Slander involves a violation of com-