A summary of physiology / by F. Magendie ; translated from the French by John Revere.

  • Magendie, François, 1783-1855.
Date:
1822
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A summary of physiology / by F. Magendie ; translated from the French by John Revere. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    PREFAGE. Xl thinking he has thus given a satisfactory explanation of them. What, for example, are the vital and animal spirits of the ancients, the Faculties of Galen,the moving and generative principle, of Aristotle, the archeus, vital properties, &c. which have been successively adopted to explain the functions of animal life, but arbitrary suppositions which have served a long series of generations to conceal that absolute ig- norance which has heretofore, and will perhaps always exist, concerning the cause of life? What is the consequence of all this?—It is that phy- siology, brilliant as it appears in our modern treatises, and notwithstanding the supposed improvements which it has derived from the talents of many distinguished men, is a science still in its infancy.—It is absolutely necessary to do something to remove from it this re- proach. The first step to be taken in accomplishing this object is, to change the method which has been heretofore pursued. It must be made to assume the analytic method, and theoretic form. This is indispen- sable to put it in the way of improvement, and to place it on a level with the more advanced of the physical sciences. My principal aim in this work is, to contribute some- thing towards the accomplishment of this important change. I have endeavored, as far as possible, to pre- sent the science in the theoretic form, following the analytic method, in the explanation of facts. One will especially find in this book facts, the truth of which I have done all in my power to establish as definitely as possible, by observations upon man in a healthy or morbid state, or by experiments upon living