ay be taken as a type of what we have
come to know about the Middle Ages, when we know them as we should, in
the lives of the men who counted for most in them, and do not accept
merely the broad generalizations which are always likely to be deceptive
and which in the past have led men into the most absurd and ridiculous
notions with regard to a wonderful period in human history.

That Guy de Chauliac was no narrow specialist is abundantly evident from
his book, for while the "Great Surgery" treats of the science and art of
surgery as its principal subject, there are remarks about nearly
everything else relating to medicine, and most of them show a deep
interest, a thorough familiarity, and an excellent judgment. Besides we
have certain expressions with regard to intellectual matters generally
which serve to show Guy as a profound thinker, who thoroughly
appreciated just how accumulations of knowledge came to men and how far
each generation or member of a generation should go and yet how limited
must, after all, be the knowledge obtained by any one person. With
regard to books, for instance, he said, "for everyone cannot have all
the books, and even if he did have them it would be too tiresome to read
them all and completely, and it would require a godlike memory to
retain them all." He realized, however, that each generation, provided
it took the opportunities offered it, was able to see a little bit
farther than its predecessor, and the figure that he employs to express
this is rather striking. "Sciences," he said, "are made by additions. It
is quite impossible that the man who begins a science should finish it.
We are like infants, clinging to the neck of a giant; for we can see all
the giant sees and a little more."

One of the most interesting features of the history of Guy de Chauliac
is the bibliography of his works which has been written by Nicaise. This
is admirably complete, labored over with the devotion that characterized
Nicaise's attitude of unstinted admiration for the subject. Altogether
he has some sixty pages of a quarto volume with regard to the various
editions of Guy's works.

The first manuscript edition of Guy de Chauliac was issued in 1363, the
first printed edition in 1478. Even in the fourteenth century Guy's
great work was translated into all the languages generally used in
Europe. Nicaise succeeded in placing 34 complete manuscripts of the
"Great Surgery": 22 of these are in Latin, 4 are in