Page:Greek Biology and Medicine.djvu/113

 PROGRESS IN ANATOMY nized philosophic view of the constitution of the world and of man, its denizen; for instance, the atomism of Democritus or some other philosopher's opinions as to the psyche or pneuma. There was a school of regular sceptics in Alexandrian times, and scepticism regarding philosophic or scientific knowledge was fre- quent beyond their company. Many physi- cians were inclined to be sceptical of any medical theory. This inclination promoted em- piricism and electicism in medicine. There arose a definite school of so-called Empirics, a name of their own choosing. Although reject- ing theories as to the nature of disease, they were not casual experimenters with likely or foolish remedies. But there had been enough school-talk and argument; cures did not lie in such discussion. The practitioner's efficacy was to be gained from his own observations and even experiments, made with due consideration of the cHnical experience recorded by others. If the case was novel, the analogies of not too dissimilar cases might apply. There were good surgeons among these Empirics, who were adding their own experience to the general store. [91]