Medicine and surgery one inductive science, being an attempt to improve its study and practice, on a plan in closer alliance with inductive philosophy, and offering, as first fruits, the law of inflammation ... the whole being the introduction and first part of a system of surgery / By George Macilwain.

  • Macilwain, George, 1797-1882.
Date:
1838
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medicine and surgery one inductive science, being an attempt to improve its study and practice, on a plan in closer alliance with inductive philosophy, and offering, as first fruits, the law of inflammation ... the whole being the introduction and first part of a system of surgery / By George Macilwain. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    their principles unexamined, and thus narrowing the mode and extent of their application. | 7 As to the facts, I have endeavoured to select those which are either most common, most trite, or most indisputable. The con- clusions the reader must examine. I would advise the student and the general reader not to attempt more than one Discourse, at most, at one time; and to peruse first the general observations on the body (imperfect though they be), contained in the Appendix. I shall conclude this Preface with the following story :— It is said, that, in the family of the Sciences, MEDICINE was once afflicted with a certain “ halt or lameness,” which, whilst her sisters were yet young, did not deprive her of their society. As they grew up, however, she could scarcely ever accompany them in their various rambles into the fields of Nature; and, when she did, she seldom brought home any of the {fruits or flowers which they so abundantly gathered; so that she saw little society, and this too of an inferior description, being wholly confined to a neighbouring family, the ARTS. Various remedies had been tried for her relief; all sorts of specifics from the animal, vegetable, and mineral king- doms of Nature. I know not how many thousand animals had been slaughtered in every variety of mode, and by every con- ceivable process of torture, in the hope of finding something that might throw light on the complaint under which MEDICINE | laboured ; but allin vain; until at length it was generally thought that her malady was incurable. At last, EXPERIENCE suggested to REFLECTION, that at one period the whole family had been in a very delicate state, but that their health and strength had been established by the employment of a remedy recommended by one “ Bacon.’ They decided, therefore, that this remedy should be tried, and the treatment conducted, as it had been in the other cases, by COMMON SENSE. At first, COMMON SENSE met with great difficulty from va- rious members of her acquaintance:—MEDICINE had little faith in her skill, and AVARICE, INDOLENCE, and PREJUDICE were constantly interfering with her plans; they would. also often lead INDUSTRY away, when COMMON SENSE most required her help ; whilst HDUCATION, whose assistance COMMON SENSE highly valued, would frequently be absent. Notwithstanding all these diffi- culties, COMMON SENSE proceeded, and it was evident that MEDI- CINE improved ; and as the improvement became marked, the sister