stead of "cutting men to pieces," he
taught that surgeons would gain more by devoting their time to searching
for the universal panacea which would cure all diseases, surgical as
well as medical. In this we detect a taint of the popular belief in the
philosopher's stone and the magic elixir of life, his belief in which
have been stoutly denied by some of his followers. He did admit,
however, that one operation alone was perhaps permissible--lithotomy, or
the "cutting for stone."

His influence upon medicine rests undoubtedly upon his revolutionary
attitude, rather than on any great or new discoveries made by him. It is
claimed by many that he brought prominently into use opium and mercury,
and if this were indisputably proven his services to medicine could
hardly be overestimated. Unfortunately, however, there are good grounds
for doubting that he was particularly influential in reintroducing these
medicines. His chief influence may perhaps be summed up in a single
phrase--he overthrew old traditions.

To Paracelsus's endeavors, however, if not to the actual products of his
work, is due the credit of setting in motion the chain of thought that
developed finally into scientific chemistry. Nor can the ultimate aim
of the modern chemist seek a higher object than that of this
sixteenth-century alchemist, who taught that "true alchemy has but one
aim and object, to extract the quintessence of things, and to prepare
arcana, tinctures, and elixirs which may restore to man the health and
soundness he has lost."

THE GREAT ANATOMISTS

About the beginning of the sixteenth century, while Paracelsus was
scoffing at the study of anatomy as useless, and using his influence
against it, there had already come upon the scene the first of the great
anatomists whose work was to make the century conspicuous in that branch
of medicine.

The young anatomist Charles etienne (1503-1564) made one of the first
noteworthy discoveries, pointing out for the first time that the spinal
cord contains a canal, continuous throughout its length. He also made
other minor discoveries of some importance, but his researches were
completely overshadowed and obscured by the work of a young Fleming
who came upon the scene a few years later, and who shone with such
brilliancy in the medical world that he obscured completely the work of
his contemporary until many years later. This young physician, who was
destined to lead such an eventful career and meet