A plea for practical work in anatomy / by Thomas Cooke.

  • Cooke, Thomas, 1841-1899.
Date:
1893
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A plea for practical work in anatomy / by Thomas Cooke. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    Let the pure scientist,—let every man during such part of his career as can be devoted to science, indulge to his heart’s content in the highest range of thought of which he may be capable. This is the sine qua non of a liberal education. Let him revel in all forms of knowledge within his reach. This is simply doing his duty. But let him, when he comes to professional work, bear in mind that the basis of such work is a practical and specialised kind of knowledge, a kind of knowledge that appeals to the senses of sight and touch,^—not an abstract and generalised knowledge. The two things are distinct, and should be kept apart. Let us be content, as human anatomists, to deal with obvious matters of fact, visible to the naked eye, palpable, dissectable. The dead body, as examined in our dissecting-rooms, is the one standard we, as human anatomists, should abide by. We should describe what can be really and truly seen by ordinary dissecting-room processes, or such processes as are within every student’s reach, and nothing else. With regard to frozen sections, if we feel called upon to keep a freezing tank in our dissecting-room, then let us adopt this mode of study ; but not otherwise. Never did anyone learn Anatomy to any useful medical purpose, except by thoroughly honest practical work. Let us, as human anatomists, take our histology from the physiologist. Let us fortiori take our morphology from the naturalist.. None of this is Anatomy in the medical or surgical sense. Apology is offered for the quasi counter-movement here attemp- ted. That some effort seems called for at the present moment can scarcely be doubted. “ Dissecting is becoming a lost art!” “ We are becoming demoralised! ” said recently two of the teachers of the largest London medical schools, who were discussing the subject with the Author. Never before, it is believed, have men done so little thorough practical work in Anatomy.