OF PHYSICIANS.

Euripides wished, that things themselves might speak with men and explain what they are, so that artificial speeches might be cast far away. What does the knowledge of the nomenclature of a plant profit you, unless you also know its power and its nature? But our common physicians boast and display themselves magnificently with the designations of the parts of the body, of plants, and of other remedies, even if they have little understanding of their natures and powers. But that anatomy is dead. Ours, however, which, as I said, is double, is effective and alive, in which the things themselves speak with men and explain what they are. The parts, and the very body of a dead man, are called parts and body homonymos by the same name only, as has been demonstrated in philosophy. "The bone of a corpse," says Scaliger, On Subtlety, to Cardan, Exercise 6.12. "lacks the form by which it was living. It also lacks its end. For it has no function, as it did before. Therefore it is not the same." Furthermore, it is doubted in the seventh book of the Metaphysics whether the matter is the same. For it is not as it is in things made by art, such as a breastplate and a plowshare being of the same matter, with the form changed. For if the matter of Caesar is not the matter of this horse, because they are under different forms, the matter of a corpse will not be the same in number as that which was of the living. For they are much further apart than the matter of Caesar and of this horse. For these are under a closer genus, namely under "animal." That is under a more remote one, namely under "body." So says Scaliger. We shall add that one cannot say a disease exists in a corpse. Therefore, anatomy must be observed in a living animal that is struggling with disease. The beginnings must be considered, the progressions must be considered: that is, the signs must be observed and noted. Then, similar signs must be sought in external remedies. For that external remedy which carries similar signs will be the proper remedy. But our common physicians will say they have a perfect understanding of the nature of a remedy. For they know that a remedy is either hot, or cold, or moist, or dry: and likewise in what degree. Also they have a clear understanding of the secondary faculties, namely the faculties of incising, thickening, irritating, smoothing, opening, closing, rarefying, condensing, and so on.