Two introductory lectures, delivered by Dr. William Hunter, to his last course of anatomical lectures, at his theatre in Windmill-Street : as they were left corrected for the press by himself. To which are added, some Papers relating to Dr. Hunter's intended plan, for establishing a museum in London, for the improvement of anatomy, surgery, and physic.

  • Hunter, William, 1718-1783.
Date:
1784
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Two introductory lectures, delivered by Dr. William Hunter, to his last course of anatomical lectures, at his theatre in Windmill-Street : as they were left corrected for the press by himself. To which are added, some Papers relating to Dr. Hunter's intended plan, for establishing a museum in London, for the improvement of anatomy, surgery, and physic. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by University of Bristol Library. The original may be consulted at University of Bristol Library.

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    For thofe times his writings muft be allowed to be ex- cellent. What he principally wanted, to be truly refpectable, with regard to the more obvious parts of Anatomy, was, opportunities of diffecling human bodies : for his fubject was moil commonly fome quadrupede whofe flructure was fuppofed to come neareft to the human. Thus Anatomy, for a long feries of years, had been ad- vancing to that degree of perfection, to which it was brought in Galen's time j and from that time, it declined again. We may obferve,. that when any man arrives at the reputa- tion of having carried his art far beyond all others, it feema to throw the reft of the world into a kind of defpair. Hope- lefs of being able to improve their art ftill further, they do nothing. The great man, who was at firft only refpectable,, grows every day into higher credit; till at length he is de- ified, and every page of his writings becomes facred and in- fallible. This was actually the fortune of Ariftotle in phi- lofophy, and of Galen in Anatomy for many ages, and fuch refpect ftiewn to any man, in any age, muft always be a mark of declining fcience. The ftudy of Anatomy, learning, and fcience in general,, met with, great checks, and difcouragement, from the con- fufions and diftreftes which attended the decline, the divifion, (A. D.364) and the final fubverfion of the Roman empire- With the lofs of their liberty,, the Grecians firft, and then the Romans, gradually loft vigor in all intellectual purfuitstheir tafte for learning, and for every kind of excellence became weaker and depraved > fpecious fophiftry, or unmeaning de- clamation