o speak of the heroes in battle? How differently
and variously he makes them give and receive wounds. One he thinks
worthy of mention, because he thinks those wounded in front are the more
honorable because they prove steadfastness and a desire to abide the
shock. Those who are struck in the back or neck were less honorable,
since these blows they received in flight. Both of these are mentioned
in Homer (I. xii. 288):--

Not in the neck behind, nor in thy back
Should fall the blow, but in thy breast in front,
Thy courage none might call in doubt
Shouldst thou from spear or sword receive a wound.

And again (I. xxii. 213):--

Not in my back will I receive thy spear,
But through my heart.

In putting enemies to flight he gives useful advice, not to be busied
with the spoil, nor give time for flight, but to press on and pursue (I.
vi. 68):--

Loiter not now behind, to throw yourselves
Upon the prey, and bear it to the ships;
Let all your aim be now to kill, then
Ye may at leisure spoil your slaughtered foe.

There are in his poetry successful deeds achieved by every age, by which
every one, no matter who he may be, can be encouraged: the man in the
flower of his strength by Achilles, Ajax, and Diomed; by younger ones
Antilochus and Meriones; the mature by Idomeneus and Odysseus; the old
men by Nestor; and every king by all of these named and by Agamemnon.
Such are in Homer the examples of the discourse and action of civilized
life.

Let us see now whether Homer had any familiarity with medicine. That he
held the art in high regard is clear from the following (I. xi. 514):--

Worth many a life is his, the skilful leech.

Medical science appears to be the science of disease and health. That it
is a science any one can learn from this (O. iv. 23):--

There each one is a leech skilled beyond all men.

That it deals with disease and health (O. iv. 230):--

Many that are healing in the cup, and many baneful,--

he indicates with these things.

Medicine has, too, a theoretical side which reaches the knowledge of
particulars by universal reasoning and by inductive method. The parts
of this are the study of symptoms and the knowledge of the courses of
disease. The active part treating of action and effect; the parts of
it diatetic, surgical, medicinal. How did Homer appraise each of these?
That he knew the theoretical side is evident from this (O. iv. 2