The Project Gutenberg EBook of Fathers of Biology, by Charles McRae

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Title: Fathers of Biology

Author: Charles McRae

Release Date: January 29, 2008 [EBook #24456]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

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FATHERS OF BIOLOGY

BY
CHARLES McRAE, M.A., F.L.S.
FORMERLY SCHOLAR OF EXETER COLLEGE, OXFORD

PERCIVAL & CO.
_KING STREET, COVENT GARDEN_
LONDON
1890

Transcriber's Note:

Minor typographical errors have been corrected without note. Archaic
and variant spellings remain as originally printed. Greek text has
been transliterated and is shown between {braces}. The oe ligature
is shown as [oe].

PREFACE.

It is hoped that the account given, in the following pages, of the lives
of five great naturalists may not be found devoid of interest. The work
of each one of them marked a definite advance in the science of Biology.

There is often among students of anatomy and physiology a tendency to
imagine that the facts with which they are now being made familiar have
all been established by recent observation and experiment. But even the
slight knowledge of the history of Biology, which may be obtained from a
perusal of this little book, will show that, so far from such being the
case, this branch of science is of venerable antiquity. And, further, if
in the place of this misconception a desire is aroused in the reader for
a fuller acquaintance with the writings of the early anatomists the
chief aim of the author will have been fulfilled.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

HIPPOCRATES 1

ARISTOTLE 19

GALEN 45

VESALIUS 63

HARVEY 83

HIPPOCRATES.

_HIPPOCRATES._

Owing to the lapse of centuries,