rohibit chemistry, but also it will have to be made
clear that it was not misinterpreted so as to hamper chemical
investigation. This is indeed a very {130} curious state of affairs in
history. First, it is solemnly declared, that certain bulls and Papal
documents were directed deliberately against the sciences of anatomy
and chemistry by the Head of the Church, who wished to prevent the
development of these sciences lest they should lessen his power over
his people. Then, when it is shown that the documents in question have
no such tenor, but are simple Papal regulations for the prevention of
abuses which had arisen, and that they actually did accomplish much
good for generations for which they were issued, the reply is not an
acknowledgement of error, but an insistence on the previous
declaration, somewhat in this form: "Well, the Popes may not have
intended it, but these sciences, as a consequence of their decrees,
did not develop, and the Popes must be considered as to blame for
that." Then, instead of showing that these sciences did not develop,
this part is assumed and the whole case is supposed to be proved.
Could anything well be more preposterous. And this is history! Nay, it
is even the history of science.

When I called attention to the fact that this decretal contained none
of the things it was said to, and published the text of it, Dr. White
very calmly replied: "Dr. Walsh has indeed correctly printed it, and I
notice no flaw in his translation." Instead of conceding, however,
that he had been mistaken, he seemed to consider it quite sufficient
to add, "I have followed what I found to be the unanimous opinion of
the standard historians of chemistry." He did not mention any of the
historians, however. I asked him by letter to name some of the
standard historians of chemistry who made this declaration, but though
I received a courteous reply, it contained no names, and, indeed,
avoided the question {131} of chemistry entirely. It is not too much
to expect that an historian shall quote his authorities. Dr. White
seems to be above this. Some documents that he quotes are distorted,
and prove on examination, as we have seen, to have quite a different
meaning to that which he gives them. As might be expected, his
supposed facts prove to have as little foundation. It will be
remembered that he completely ignored or was ignorant of the history
of anatomy. He seems to have been just as ignorant of the history of
che