THE END.
Footnotes
1. The library destroyed by the Caliph Omar, was situated in the temple of Serapis, and consisted of 300,000 volumes; in addition to which there existed in the Bruchion quarter of the city of Alexandria, a second collection of 400,000 books, which was accidentally lost by fire during the war with Julius Cæsar.Alexandria (founded 332 B.C.) stood in an intermediate position between the east and west, and united the commerce of Europe, Aralia, and India; here came first into collision the Greek and Oriental mind; here the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament was written; and the collections formed by the ancient kings of Egypt were rapidly enriched and enlarged by the interchange of ideas with the Greek philosophers.
1. The library destroyed by the Caliph Omar, was situated in the temple of Serapis, and consisted of 300,000 volumes; in addition to which there existed in the Bruchion quarter of the city of Alexandria, a second collection of 400,000 books, which was accidentally lost by fire during the war with Julius Cæsar.
Alexandria (founded 332 B.C.) stood in an intermediate position between the east and west, and united the commerce of Europe, Aralia, and India; here came first into collision the Greek and Oriental mind; here the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament was written; and the collections formed by the ancient kings of Egypt were rapidly enriched and enlarged by the interchange of ideas with the Greek philosophers.
2. The contagiousness of Leprosy was held in universal belief up to the seventeenth century, when certain writers on the subject began to question the validity of a doctrine which had been handed down to them through successive ages, by all the early observers of the Jewish, Egyptian, Arabian, Grecian, and Hindoo countries, and the view then advanced has been confirmed by the report of the Committee recently appointed by the College of Physicians, who statethat:—“The all but unanimous conviction of the most experienced observers in different parts of the world, is quite opposed to the belief that leprosy iscontagiousorcommunicablebyproximityorcontact.”On the other hand we have to consider the testimony afforded us by the shrewd and intelligent teachers of ancient times. Thus, Aretæus believed it to be as contagious as theplague, and likeitcommunicable by respiration; andŒtius, followingArchigenes, thought that “the air became contaminated through the effluvia of the sores.”Avicennabelieved leprosy to be contagious in thegeneralsense of that term;Avenzoarby contact;Haly AbbasandAlsaharaviusthrough the respiration; andRogerius“per coitum.”[These interesting facts are taken from an able article in the Lancet, February 9, 1867.]
2. The contagiousness of Leprosy was held in universal belief up to the seventeenth century, when certain writers on the subject began to question the validity of a doctrine which had been handed down to them through successive ages, by all the early observers of the Jewish, Egyptian, Arabian, Grecian, and Hindoo countries, and the view then advanced has been confirmed by the report of the Committee recently appointed by the College of Physicians, who statethat:—“The all but unanimous conviction of the most experienced observers in different parts of the world, is quite opposed to the belief that leprosy iscontagiousorcommunicablebyproximityorcontact.”
On the other hand we have to consider the testimony afforded us by the shrewd and intelligent teachers of ancient times. Thus, Aretæus believed it to be as contagious as theplague, and likeitcommunicable by respiration; andŒtius, followingArchigenes, thought that “the air became contaminated through the effluvia of the sores.”Avicennabelieved leprosy to be contagious in thegeneralsense of that term;Avenzoarby contact;Haly AbbasandAlsaharaviusthrough the respiration; andRogerius“per coitum.”
[These interesting facts are taken from an able article in the Lancet, February 9, 1867.]
3.Plinytells us that the priests ofCybele, the mother of the gods had sharp stones with which they cut themselves in their extasies.Catullussays, thatAtysemasculated himself with such an instrument.The Rabbinical law stands thus: “we may circumcise with anything, even with a flint, with crystal (glass) or with anything that cuts,except with the sharp edge of a reed, because theenchantersmake use of that, or it may bring on a disease.” Again we have the evidence ofLeutholfthat the Æthopians usedstone knivesfor circumcision in his time, 1581. Speaking of theAlnajahAlnajah, an Æthopian race, hesays:—“Alnajah gens Æthiopum cultris lapideis circumcisionem peragit.”Mr. E. B. Tylor in his “Researches into the Early History of Mankind,” has suggested as the probable reason why stone was used as a cutting instrument, that it was less likely to cause inflammation than either bronze or iron. AndPlinystates that the mutilation of the priests ofCybelewas done with a sherd of Samian ware to avoid the same danger.
3.Plinytells us that the priests ofCybele, the mother of the gods had sharp stones with which they cut themselves in their extasies.Catullussays, thatAtysemasculated himself with such an instrument.
The Rabbinical law stands thus: “we may circumcise with anything, even with a flint, with crystal (glass) or with anything that cuts,except with the sharp edge of a reed, because theenchantersmake use of that, or it may bring on a disease.” Again we have the evidence ofLeutholfthat the Æthopians usedstone knivesfor circumcision in his time, 1581. Speaking of theAlnajahAlnajah, an Æthopian race, hesays:—“Alnajah gens Æthiopum cultris lapideis circumcisionem peragit.”
Mr. E. B. Tylor in his “Researches into the Early History of Mankind,” has suggested as the probable reason why stone was used as a cutting instrument, that it was less likely to cause inflammation than either bronze or iron. AndPlinystates that the mutilation of the priests ofCybelewas done with a sherd of Samian ware to avoid the same danger.
4. Travels in Africa, Egypt, and Syria, from the year 1792 to 1798, p. 347. London, 1799.
4. Travels in Africa, Egypt, and Syria, from the year 1792 to 1798, p. 347. London, 1799.
5. Travels in Nubia, by the late John Lewis Burckhardt, p. 332. London, 1819.
5. Travels in Nubia, by the late John Lewis Burckhardt, p. 332. London, 1819.
6. “As for Medicine, something of it must have been understood in that age, though it was so far from perfection, that, according to Celsus, (book i.) what concerneddietwas invented long after by Hippocrates. The accidents of life make the search after remedies too indispensable a duty to be neglected at any time; accordingly, he tells us, that the Egyptians, who had many medicinal plants in their country, were all Physicians, and perhaps he might have learnt his own skill from his acquaintance with that nation.“The state of war in which Greece lived, required a knowledge in the healing of wounds, and this might make him breed his princes, Achilles, Patroclus, Podalirius and Machaon, to the science; what Homer thus attributes to others he himself knew, and he has given us reason to believe, not slightly, for if we consider his insight into the structure of the human body, it is so nice, that he has been judged by some to have wounded his heroes with too much science; or, if we observe his cure of wounds, which are the accidents proper to an epic poem, we find him directing the chirurgical operations, sometimes infusing lenitives, at other times bitter powders, when the effusion of blood required astringent qualities.”—Pope’s Essay on the Character of Homer.
6. “As for Medicine, something of it must have been understood in that age, though it was so far from perfection, that, according to Celsus, (book i.) what concerneddietwas invented long after by Hippocrates. The accidents of life make the search after remedies too indispensable a duty to be neglected at any time; accordingly, he tells us, that the Egyptians, who had many medicinal plants in their country, were all Physicians, and perhaps he might have learnt his own skill from his acquaintance with that nation.
“The state of war in which Greece lived, required a knowledge in the healing of wounds, and this might make him breed his princes, Achilles, Patroclus, Podalirius and Machaon, to the science; what Homer thus attributes to others he himself knew, and he has given us reason to believe, not slightly, for if we consider his insight into the structure of the human body, it is so nice, that he has been judged by some to have wounded his heroes with too much science; or, if we observe his cure of wounds, which are the accidents proper to an epic poem, we find him directing the chirurgical operations, sometimes infusing lenitives, at other times bitter powders, when the effusion of blood required astringent qualities.”—Pope’s Essay on the Character of Homer.
7. Lord Derby’s Translation.
7. Lord Derby’s Translation.
8. Taken from E. B.TylorTylor—“Early History of Mankind,” p. 217.
8. Taken from E. B.TylorTylor—“Early History of Mankind,” p. 217.
9. See Notes and Letters of Pliny.
9. See Notes and Letters of Pliny.
10. The Earl of Shrewsbury.
10. The Earl of Shrewsbury.
11. Now the site of Stationers’ Hall.
11. Now the site of Stationers’ Hall.
12. Corroborative evidence of the esteem in which this remedy was held will be found in Macaulay’s account of the death scene ofCharles II.:—“All the medical men of note in London were summoned. Several of the prescriptions have been preserved; one of them is signed by fourteen doctors. The patient was bled largely. Hot iron was applied to his head. A loathsome volatile salt,extracted from human skulls, was forced into his mouth.”[This volatile salt is thus described in the Dictionares des Drogues: Amsterdam, 1716. “L’Usnée humaine contient beaucoup de sel volatil et d’huile; elle ne bouillonne point avec les acides.”]
12. Corroborative evidence of the esteem in which this remedy was held will be found in Macaulay’s account of the death scene ofCharles II.:—“All the medical men of note in London were summoned. Several of the prescriptions have been preserved; one of them is signed by fourteen doctors. The patient was bled largely. Hot iron was applied to his head. A loathsome volatile salt,extracted from human skulls, was forced into his mouth.”
[This volatile salt is thus described in the Dictionares des Drogues: Amsterdam, 1716. “L’Usnée humaine contient beaucoup de sel volatil et d’huile; elle ne bouillonne point avec les acides.”]
Transcriber’s notes:The errors deemed most likely to be the printer’s have been corrected, and are noted here.Where hyphenation occurs on a line break, the decision to retain or remove is based on occurrences elsewhere in the text.Errors in punctuation and quotes have been silently restored.The footnotes were moved to the end of the e-text.The numbers below reference the page or footnote and line in the original book.referencecorrectionoriginal text5.24lawgiverJewish law-giver, it is a positive34.13fellow menhe instructed his fellow-men,56.11Harveyour own great Hervey, of whom we60.10menstruousmenstrous blood, and even then it is68.23carpentryskill in carpentery and smiths’ work.92.6knowledgesomething to the knowlege which wentfn3.11AlnajahSpeaking of the alnajah, anfn8.1TylorTaken from E. B. Tyler—“Early History
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