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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    In this work he found fo many occafions of correcting Galen, that his contemporaries, partial to antiquity, and jealous of his reputation, complained that he carried his turn for improvement and criticifrns to licentioufnefs. The fpirit of opposition and emulation was prefently rouzed ; and Syl- vius in France, Columbus, Fallopius, and Euftachius in Italy, who were all in high anatomical reputation about the middle of this fixteenth century, endeavoured to defend Galen, at the expence of Vefalius. In their difputes they made their appeals to the human body : and thus in a few years our art was greatly improved. And Vefalius being detected in the very fault which he condemns in Galen, to wit, defcribing from the difTections of brutes, and not of the human body, it expofed fo fully, that blunder of the older Anatomifts, that in fucceeding times there has been little reafon for fuch complaint. From the time of Vefalius, the ftudy of Anatomy gradually difFufed itfelf over Europe ; infomuch that for the la ft hundred years it has been daily improving by the labour of a number of profeffed Anatomifts, almoft in every country of Europe. We may form a judgement about the ftate of Anatomy, even, in Italy, in the beginning of the feventeenth century, from the information of Cortefius. He had been profeffor of Anatomy at Bologna, and was then profdTor of medicine at MelTana; where, though he had a great defire to improve himfelf in the art, and to finifti a treatife which he had be- gun on practical Anatomy, in twenty-four years he could, twice only, procure an opportunity of dilfecting a human body, and then it was with difficulties and in hurry; whereas, he