Page:The Hunterian Oration,1838.djvu/47



[The Oration is printed as it was written; a few passages of detail were omitted in the delivery.]

Note A.—Accorpine to Rufus Ephesius, Herophilus marked the difference between the neura, i.e. distinguished the nerves proper from tendon and ligament, as subservient to sensation and voluntary motion, and originating partly from the brain and in part from the spinal chord. He also described, as Galen informs us, the lacteal absorbents as veins of the mesentery not passing to the liver, like its other vessels, but terminating in certain glandular bodies. He gave the name of ‘arterial vein’ to the pulmonary artery, and of ‘venous arteries’ to the pulmonary veins.

Nemesius, Columbus, Servetus, Czesalpinus, Acquapendente, and others were anticipators of the discovery of the circulation, though ignorant of it. The structure of the heart and its valves, the valves of the veins, the pulmonary circulation, and the anastomosis of arteries are accurately described by them, taken collectively; their descriptions stop short at the intercourse or communication between the arteries and veins, so that they were thrown upon the notion of an euripus, or flux and reflux.

Note B.—"Cato was a worse quack than Dr. Hill: his medical receipts, which may be found in his treatise ‘of country affairs,’ are either very simple or very dangerous; and fasting, which he exploded, is better than all his prescriptions.” Langhornes’ Plutarch, note in life of Cato the Censor.

Note C.—"Lanfranc,” says Dr. Freind, “is very much against cutting for the stone, because he had seen instances