He also dissected animals.
Then he ascertained that the heart was a pump and that the valves
in the veins prevented backflow and he followed the course of the
circulation. The language of medicine became that of physics and
mechanics, e.g. wheels and pulleys, wedges, levers, screws, cords,
canals, cisterns, sieves and strainers. This diminished the
religious concept that the heart was the seat of the soul and that
blood had a spiritual significance and was sacred.
A visit by a physician cost 13s.4d. Melancholia, which made one
always fearful and full of dread, and mania, which made one think
he could do supernatural things, were considered to be types of
madness different from infirmities of the body. Despite a belief
held by some that anatomical investigation of the human body was a
sin against the holy ghost, physicians were allowed to dissect
corpses. So there were anatomy textbooks and anatomy was related
to surgery. Barber-surgeons extracted teeth and performed surgery.
The physicians turned surgery over to the surgeons, who received a
charter in 1605 by which barbers were excluded from all surgical
work except blood-letting and the drawing of teeth. Surgeons dealt
with skin disease, ulcers, hernia, bladder stones, and broken
bones, which they had some skill in setting. They performed
amputations, which were without antiseptics or anesthesia.
Internal operations usually resulted in death.
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