Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology (1870) - Volume 2.djvu/226

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page needs to be proofread.
loc cit.
loc cit.

212 GALEN US. folio, are said to have come into the possession of Dr. Askew ; they do not, however, appear in the catalogue of his sale, nor has the writer been able to discover whether they are still in existence ; for while the continental physicians universally believe them to be still somewhere in England, no one in this country to whom he has applied knows any thing about them. Galen's extant works have been classified in various ways. In the old edition of his BiUioiheca Graeca, Fabricius enumerated them in alphabetical order, which perhaps for convenience of reference is as useful a mode as any. Ackermann in the new edition of Fabricius has mentioned them, as far as possible, in chronological order ; which is much less practically useful than the alphabetical arrange- ment (inasmuch as the difficulty of finding the account of any particular treatise is very much in- creased), but which, if it could be ascertained com- pletely and certainly, would be a far more natural and interesting one. In most of the editions of his works, the treatises are arranged in classes ac- cording to the subject-matter, which, upon the whole, seems to be the mode most suitable for the pre- sent work. The number and contents of the diffe- rent classes vary (as might be expected) according to the judgment of different editors, and the classi- fication which the writer has adopted does not ex- actly agree with any of the preceding ones. The treatises in each class will, as far as possible, be arranged chronologically, thus combining, in some degree, the advantage of Ackermann's arrange- ment ; while the number of works contained in each class will not generally be so great as to occa- sion much inconvenience from their not being enumerated alphabetically. As Kuhn's edition of Galen (which is likely to be the one most in use for many years to come) extends to twenty-one volumes, it has been thought useful to mention in which of these each treatise is to be found. III. Works on Anatomv and Physiology. 1. riepl Kpoo-ewi', De Temperainentis^ in three books (vol. i. ed. KUhn). For the editions of each separate treatise, and the commentaries that have been published, see Choulant's Handhuch der Bucherkunde fur die Aeltere Median^ Haller's Bibtiotliecae, and Ackermann's Historia Lileraria, prefixed to Kiihn's edition. The best account of the Arabic, Syriac, Armenian, and Persian trans- lations, will be found in J. G. Wenrich's treatise De Aiwtorum Graecorum Versionibus et Commen- tariis Syriacis, Arabicis, &c. Lips. 1842. 8vo. 2. Ilepl MeAaiVTjs XoXrjs, De Aira Bile (vol. v.). 3. Ilepl Avvdfieuv ^vaiKwu, De Facultatibus Naturalibus^ in three books (vol. ii.). 4. TlepX AvaTOfiiKoov 'E7xe'P'70'««<'i', De Anatomicis Ad- ministrationibus (vol. ii.). This is Galen's prin- cipal anatomical work, and consisted originally of fifteen books, the subject of each of which is mentioned by himself. {De Libr. Propr. c. 3, vol. xix. p. 24, 25.) The six last books, and about two-thirds of the ninth, which are not extant either in the original Greek or in any Latin trans- lation (as far as the writer is aware), are preserved in an Arabic version, of which there are two copies in the Bodleian library at Oxford (Uri, Catal. MSS. Orient. Bibl. Bodl. p. 135, codd. 567, 570), and apparently in no other European library. GALEN US. The latter of these MSS. seems to have been copied from the former by Jac.Golius, and contains only the six last books; the other contains the whole work. (See London Medical Gazette for 1844, 1845, p. 329.) There were more than one edition of this treatise ; the first was written during Galen's first visit to Rome, soon after the beginning of the reign of M. Aurelius, about A. D. 164 ; the last some time before the same emperor's death, A. D. 180. (Galen, De Administr. Anat. i. 1, vol. ii. p. 215, &c.) 5. riepl 'Oa-TWJ/ rois Elcrayoixevois^ De Ossibus ad Tirones (vol. ii.). The work con- tains a tolerably accurate account of the bones, though in some parts it appears clearly that he was describing the skeleton of the ape. 6. ITepi ^e§a)u Kot 'AprrjpiMu 'Avaroimrjs, De Venarum et Arteriarum Disseciione (vol. ii.). 7. Uepl Nevpuv 'AvaTOfxris, De Nervorum Disseciione (vol. ii.). 8. Uepl Mvwu 'AvaTo/j.rjs, De Alusculorum Dis- seciione (vol. xviii. pt. 2.). 9. Tlcpl Mirpas 'Ava- Toiiirjs, De Uteri Disseciione (vol. ii.). 10. Et /carti ^i(Tiv iu "'Aprrjpiais Af/ua ircpiex^Tai, An in Ar- teriis secundum Naturam Sanguis conlineaiur (vol. iv.). 11. riepi Mv£u Kiv-qcxews^ De Musculorum Motu (vol. iv.). 12. rie/ji STrep^uaros, De Semine (vol. iv.). 13. riepi Xpiias tc5:/ iu 'AuOpcinov 2«w/xoTi Mopitau, De Usu Partium Coi-poris Hu' mani, in seventeen books (vols, iii. and iv.). This is Galen's principal physiological work, and was probably begun about A. D. 165 (Gal. De Libr Propr. c. 2. vol. xix. p. 15, 16), and finished aftei the year 170. {Ibid. p. 20.) It is no less admirable for the deep religious feeling with which it is written, than for the scientific knowledge and acuteness displayed in it ; and is altogether a noble work. Theophilus Protospatharius published a sort of abridgment of the work under the title Ilepi ttJs TOM 'AvQpuTTov KaTaaKevrjs, De Corporis IIu- maniFabrica. [Theophilus Protospatharius.] 14. Hepl '0(T(pp'qaews 'Opydvov, ' De Odoratus Instrumento (vol. ii.). 15. Ilepi Xpeias 'AvatTvo-qs^ De Usu Respirationis (vol. iv.). 16. Ilepi Xpeias 'Scpvy/jLciu, De Usu Pulsuum (vol. v.). His other works on the pulse, which treat rather of its use in diagnosis, are mentioned in Class VI. 17. "Ori rd TTJs "Vvxv^ "Udr] rais rod ^cLiiaros Kpdaeaiu €7r€Tot, Quod Animi Mores Corporis Temjtera- menta sequantur (vol. iv.). 18. Ilepi Kvovfxhtav AiaTrda€ws, De Foetuum Formatione (vol. iv.). 19. Et Zcooj/ TO Kara FaarpSs, An Animal sit., quod est in Utero (vol. xix.) ; generally considered to be spurious. 20. De Anatomia Vivorum (vol. iv. ed. Chart.) ; spurious. 21. De Compagine Mem- broru7n^ sive De Nattira Humana (vol. v. ed. Chart.) ; spurious. 22. De Natura et Ordine cujuslibet Corporis (vol. v. ed. Chart.) ; spurious. 23. De Motibus Manifestis et Obscuris (vol. v. ed. Chart.), not written by Galen, but compiled from his writings. 24. Ilepi Xvixwv, Dc Humo- ribus (vol. xix. ) ; spurious. Though Galen's celebrity is by no means found- ed entirely on his anatomical and physiological works, yet it was to these branches of medical science that he did most real service, and it is this class of his writings that is most truly valuable. A very interesting and accurate " Cursory Analysis of the Works of Galen, so far as they relate to Anatomy and Physiology," by Dr. Kidd, is in- serted in the sixth volume of the " Transactions of the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association " (Lond. 1 838), to which we must refer our readers