historical lecturers and essays-第18部分

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knows　nothing　save　about　bones　and　muscles　and　the　outside　of　the



body；　and　is　unworthy　the　name　of　a　true　physician。







One　can　conceive　the　rage　of　the　old　Spanish　pedants　at　the



Netherlander's　appearance；　and　still　more　at　what　followed；　if　we



are　to　believe　Hugo　Bloet　of　Delft；　his　countryman　and　contemporary。



｛10｝　　Vesalius；　he　says；　saw　that　the　surgeons　had　bound　up　the



wound　so　tight　that　an　abscess　had　formed　outside　the　skull；　which



could　not　break：　　　he　asserted　that　the　only　hope　lay　in　opening　it；



and　did　so；　Philip　having　given　leave；　〃by　two　cross…cuts。　　Then　the



lad　returned　to　himself；　as　if　awakened　from　a　profound　sleep；



affirming　that　he　owed　his　restoration　to　life　to　the　German



doctor。〃







Dionysius　Daza；　who　was　there　with　the　other　physicians　and



surgeons；　tells　a　different　story：　　　〃The　most　learned；　famous；　and



rare　Baron　Vesalius；〃　he　says；　advised　that　the　skull　should　be



trepanned；　but　his　advice　was　not　followed。







Olivarez's　account　agrees　with　that　of　Daza。　　They　had　opened　the



wounds；　he　says；　down　to　the　skull　before　Vesalius　came。　　Vesalius



insisted　that　the　injury　lay　inside　the　skull；　and　wished　to　pierce



it。　　Olivarez　spends　much　labour　in　proving　that　Vesalius　had　〃no



great　foundation　for　his　opinion：〃　but　confesses　that　he　never



changed　that　opinion　to　the　last；　though　all　the　Spanish　doctors



were　against　him。　　Then　on　the　6th；　he　says；　the　Bachelor　Torres



came　from　Madrid；　and　advised　that　the　skull　should　be　laid　bare



once　more；　and　on　the　7th；　there　being　still　doubt　whether　the　skull



was　not　injured；　the　operation　was　performedby　whom　it　is　not



saidbut　without　any　good　result；　or；　according　to　Olivarez；　any



discovery；　save　that　Vesalius　was　wrong；　and　the　skull　uninjured。







Whether　this　second　operation　of　the　7th　of　May　was　performed　by



Vesalius；　and　whether　it　was　that　of　which　Bloet　speaks；　is　an　open



question。　　Olivarez's　whole　relation　is　apologetic；　written　to



justify　himself　and　his　seven　Spanish　colleagues；　and　to　prove



Vesalius　in　the　wrong。　　Public　opinion；　he　confesses；　had　been　very



fierce　against　him。　　The　credit　of　Spanish　medicine　was　at　stake：



and　we　are　not　bound　to　believe　implicitly　a　paper　drawn　up　under



such　circumstances　for　Philip's　eye。　　This；　at　least；　we　gather：



that　Don　Carlos　was　never　trepanned；　as　is　commonly　said；　and　this；



also；　that　whichever　of　the　two　stories　is　true；　equally　puts



Vesalius　into　direct；　and　most　unpleasant；　antagonism　to　the　Spanish



doctors。　｛11｝







But　Don　Carlos　still　lay　senseless；　and　yielding　to　popular　clamour；



the　doctors　called　in　the　aid　of　a　certain　Moorish　doctor；　from



Valencia；　named　Priotarete；　whose　unguents；　it　was　reported；　had



achieved　many　miraculous　cures。　　The　unguent；　however；　to　the　horror



of　the　doctors；　burned　the　skull　till　the　bone　was　as　black　as　the



colour　of　ink；　and　Olivarez　declares　he　believes　it　to　have　been　a



preparation　of　pure　caustic。　　On　the　morning　of　the　9th　of　May；　the



Moor　and　his　unguents　were　sent　away；　〃and　went　to　Madrid；　to　send



to　heaven　Hernando　de　Vega；　while　the　prince　went　back　to　our　method



of　cure。〃







Considering　what　happened　on　the　morning　of　the　10th　of　May；　we



should　now　presume　that　the　second　opening　of　the　abscess；　whether



by　Vesalius　or　someone　else；　relieved　the　pressure　on　the　brain；



that　a　critical　period　of　exhaustion　followed；　probably　prolonged　by



the　Moor's　premature　caustic；　which　stopped　the　suppuration：　　　but



that　God's　good　handiwork；　called　nature；　triumphed　at　last；　and



that　therefore　it　came　to　pass　that　the　prince　was　out　of　danger



within　three　days　of　the　operation。　　But　he　was　taught；　it　seems；　to



attribute　his　recovery　to　a　very　different　source　from　that　of　a



German　knife。　　For　on　the　morning　of　the　9th；　when　the　Moor　was



gone；　and　Don　Carlos　lay　seemingly　lifeless；　there　descended　into



his　chamber　a　Deus　e　machina；　or　rather　a　whole　pantheon　of　greater





or　lesser　deities；　who　were　to　effect　that　which　medical　skill



seemed　not　to　have　effected。　　Philip　sent　into　the　prince's　chamber



several　of　the　precious　relics　which　he　usually　carried　about　with



him。　　The　miraculous　image　of　the　Virgin　of　Atocha；　in　embroidering



garments　for　whom；　Spanish　royalty；　male　and　female；　has　spent　so



many　an　hour　ere　now；　was　brought　in　solemn　procession　and　placed　on



an　altar　at　the　foot　of　the　prince's　bed；　and　in　the　afternoon　there



entered；　with　a　procession　likewise；　a　shrine　containing　the　bones



of　a　holy　anchorite；　one　Fray　Diego；　〃whose　life　and　miracles；〃　says



Olivarez；　〃are　so　notorious：〃　and　the　bones　of　St。　Justus　and　St。



Pastor；　the　tutelar　saints　of　the　university　of　Alcala。　　Amid　solemn



litanies　the　relics　of　Fray　Diego　were　laid　upon　the　prince's



pillow；　and　the　sudarium；　or　mortuary　cloth；　which　had　covered　his



face；　was　placed　upon　the　prince's　forehead。







Modern　science　might　object　that　the　presence　of　so　many　personages；



however　pious　or　well　intentioned；　in　a　sick　chamber　on　a　hot



Spanish　May　day；　especially　as　the　bath　had　been；　for　some



generations　past；　held　in　religious　horror　throughout　Spain；　as　a



sign　of　Moorish　and　Mussulman　tendencies；　might　have　somewhat



interfered　with　the　chances　of　the　poor　boy's　recovery。



Nevertheless　the　event　seems　to　have　satisfied　Philip's　highest



hopes；　for　that　same　night　（so　Don　Carlos　afterwards　related）　the



holy　monk　Diego　appeared　to　him　in　a　vision；　wearing　the　habit　of



St。　Francis；　and　bearing　in　his　hand　a　cross　of　reeds　tied　with　a



green　band。　　The　prince　stated　that　he　first　took　the　apparition　to



be　that　of　the　blessed　St。　Francis；　but　not　seeing　the　stigmata；　he



exclaimed；　〃How？　　Dost　thou　not　bear　the　marks　of　the　wounds？〃　　What



he　replied　Don　Carlos　did　not　recollect；　save　that　he　consoled　him；



and　told　him　that　he　should　not　die　of　that　malady。







Philip　had　returned　to　Madrid；　and　shut　himself　up　in　grief　in　the



great　Jeronymite　monastery。　　Elizabeth　was　praying　for　her　step…son



before　the　miraculous　images　of　the　same　city。　　During　the　night　of



the　9th　of　May　prayers　went　up　for　Don　Carlos　in　all　the　churches　of



Toledo；　Alcala；　and　Madrid。　　Alva　stood　all　that　night　at　the　bed's



foot。　　Don　Garcia　de　Toledo　sat　in　the　arm…chair；　where　he　had　now



sat　night　and　day　for　more　than　a　fortnight。　　The　good　preceptor；



Honorato　Juan；　afterwards　Bishop　of　Osma；　wrestled　in　prayer　for　the



lad　the　whole　night　through。　　His　prayer　was　answered：　　　probably　it



had　been　answered　already；　without　his　being　aware　of　it。　　Be　that



as　it　may；　about　dawn　Don　Carlos's　heavy　breathing　ceased；　he　fell



into　a　quiet　sleep；　and　when　he　awoke　all　perceived　at　once　that　he



was　saved。







He　did　not　recover　his　sight；　seemingly　on　account　of　the



erysipelas；　for　a　week　more。　　He　then　opened　his　eyes　upon　the



miraculous　image　of　Atocha；　and　vowed　that；　if　he　recovered；　he



would　give　to　the　Virgin；　at　four　different　shrines　in　Spain；　gold



plate　of　four　times　his　weight；　and　silver　plate　of　seven　times　his



weight；　when　he　should　rise　from　his　couch。　　So　on　the　6th　of　June



he　rose；　and　was　weighed　in　a　fur　coat　and　a　robe　of　damask；　and　his



weight　was　three　arrobas　and　one　poundseventy…six　pounds　in　all。



On　the　14th　of　June　he　went　to　visit　his　father　at　the　episcopal



palace；　then　to　all　the　churches　and　shrines　in　Alcala；　and　of



course　to　that　of　Fray　Diego；　whose　body　it　is　said　he　contemplated



for　some　time　with　edifying　devotion。　　The　next　year　saw　Fray　Diego



canonised　as　a　saint；　at　the　intercession　of　Philip　and　his　son；　and



thus　Don　Carlos　re…entered　the　world；　to　be　a　terror　and　a　torment



to　all　around　him；　and　to　dienot　by　Philip's　cruelty；　as　his



enemies　reported　too　hastily　indeed；　yet　excusably；　for　they　knew



him　to　be　capable　of　any　wickednessbut　simply　of　constitutional



insanity。







And　now　let　us　go　back　to　the　history　of　〃that　most　learned；　famous；



and　rare　Baron　Vesalius；〃　who　had　stood　by　and　seen　all　these　things



done；　and　try　if　we　cannot；　after　we　have　learned　the　history　of　his



early　life；　guess　at　some　of　his　probable　meditations　on　this



celebrated　clinical　case；　and　guess　also　how　those　meditations　may



have　affected　seriously　the　events　of　his　afterlife。







Vesalius　（as　I　said）　was　a　Netherlander；　born　at　Brussels　in　1513　or



1514。　　His　father　and　grandfather　had　been　medical　men　of　the



highest　standing　in　a　profession　which　then；　as　now；　was　commonly



hereditary。　　His　real　name　was　Wittag；　an　ancient　family　of　Wesel；



on　the　Rhine；　from　which　town　either　he　or　his　father　adopted　the



name　of　Vesalius；　according　to　the　classicising　fashion　of　those



days。　　Young　Vesalius　was　sent　to　college　at　Louvain；　where　he



learned　rapidly。　　At　sixteen　or　seventeen　he　knew　not　only　Latin；



but　Greek　enough　to　correct　the　proofs　of　Galen；　and　Arabic　enough



to　become　acquainted　with　the　works　of　the　Mussulman　physicians。　　He



was　a　physicist　too；　and　a　mathematician；　according　to　the　knowledge



of　those　times；　but　his　passionthe　study　to　which　he　was　destined



to　devote　his　lifewas　anatomy。







Little　or　nothing　（it　must　be　understood）　had　been　done　in　anatomy



since　the　days　of　Galen　of　Pergamos；　in　the　second　century　after



Christ；　and　very　little　even　by　him。　　Dissection　was　all　but



forbidden　among　the　ancients。　　The　Egyptians；　Herodotus　tells　us；



used　to　pursue　with　stones　and　curses　th