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A Collection of Chirurgical Tracts. Beckett William
Читать онлайн.Название A Collection of Chirurgical Tracts
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Автор произведения Beckett William
Жанр Зарубежная классика
Издательство Public Domain
When in the Year 1722, it was feared that we should be visited with the Plague in England, after it had raged so violently at Marseilles in France; Dr Mead published his Preservative against Pestilential Distempers. And, among several other New Pieces written, and Old ones revived upon this Occasion, Mr Beckett voluntarily lent his helping Hand for the good of his Country, by giving his Judgment, and Publishing (Anonymously) A Collection of Pieces Written during the Plagues, which happened in the two last Centuries.
Mr Beckett’s Chirurgical Observations, made at St Thomas’s Hospital Southwark; Published last Summer, were prepared for the Press by Himself, and Inscribed to Sir Hans Sloane and the Royal Society.
Honoured Sir,
THE last Paper Mr Beckett ever wrote, was an Address to you for a private Favour; in which he says, he likewise had reason to believe that Dr Mead would be his Friend. He therein acquainted you that he had, “contracted such a Cold by sitting to write, with his Neck against a North-Window, as he feared would be his Death; and if so, adds he, it may be said I dye a Martyr to the Improvement of the History of Physic and Surgery.” Thus concluded his Paper which he did not live to sign; it was found among his Collections relating to the Lives of the British Physicians, Surgeons, &c. He had copied fair, for the Press, the greatest part of his Papers; and tho’ it was an unfinished Work, yet from his Character, and the great Pains he had taken, I knew it would be very acceptable to the Public. Accordingly I put it to the Press, and intended to have published it in two Volumes in Octavo. Young Dr B * * * *, was recommended to me as a proper Editor: I sent for him and shewed him the Papers; but soon found, that he was much too young both in Character and Ability for such an Undertaking. I printed one Sheet, in Octavo, (of which there were but two Copies taken off) upon this, Dr Milward informed me, that he had been for some Years compiling An Universal History of Physic. He expressed his Desire of purchasing Mr Beckett’s Papers, and being fully convinced, from his Learning and Candour, that he would do Justice to the Author’s Memory, I readily let him have them. And Sir, that you, might in some measure be apprized of Mr Beckett’s Plan, I have to this Volume prefixed his Introduction to the Work.
BRITAIN has been very happy in furnishing the World, in very early Times, with a great Number of famous and learned Men. Of the first Sort were the Druydæ, who, it is said, had their Original and Name from Druys Sarronius the fourth King of the Celts, who died Anno Mundi 2069. Next the Bardi, who celebrated the illustrious Deeds of famous Men, who had their Name from Bardus Druydus the fifth King of the Celts. Cæsar assures us, (and a noble Testimony it is) that the Learning of the Druydi, was first invented in Britain, and from thence transferred to France; and that, in his Time, those of France came over hither to be instructed. A celebrated German Writer, as quoted by Mr Ashmole in the Prolegomena to his Theat. Chem. says, that when the World was troubled with Pannonic Invasions, England flourished in the Knowledge of all good Arts, and was able to send her learned Men into other Countries to propagate Learning: And instances in Boniface, a Devonshire Man, and Willeboard, a Northern Man, which were sent into Germany for those Purposes. Mr John Leland, a famous Antiquary, in the Reign of King Henry VII, who was excellently well acquainted with our British Authors, assures us, upon his own Knowledge, that we have had a great Number of excellent Wits and learned Writers, who, besides their great Proficiency in Languages, were well acquainted with the Liberal Sciences. And Bishop Nicholson, in his Historical Library says, I think we may without Vanity affirm, that hardly any Kingdom in the World has out-done England, either in the Number or Goodness of her Authors; and that even in the darkest Ages our Lamps shone always as bright as any of our Neighbourhood. When School-Divinity was in Fashion, we had our Doctores Subtiles, Irrefragabiles, &c. But as the History of the Learning of this Nation in general is not my present Design, I shall confine myself more particularly to what relates to Physic and Surgery. An Historical Account of the Antiquity and Progress of which Faculties, with the successive Improvements they have received, has not hitherto been attempted by any Hand. And indeed the Difficulty which must attend an Undertaking of this Nature, must be very great, by reason of the little Knowledge we are able to get, in this Kind, from those Manuscripts which yet remain among us. The ancient Britains, who went without Cloaths, may be very well presumed to live without Physic; but external Accidents they must be liable to, as well in their Wars as from other Causes; and History informs us, they had Methods of Cure for such Misfortunes. The Saxons, while they possessed England, had their Leeches, a sort of Surgeons, but very little skilled in Methodical Practice. But under the Normans that Science began to be much more improved. About this Time the Monks and Fryars, and others in Religious Orders, out of a pretended Charity to their suffering Fellow-Creatures, intruded themselves into the Practice of Physic and Surgery, and continued it many Years, notwithstanding the Decree of the Council of Tours in 1163, where Pope Alexander III. presided; which forbids any Religious Persons going out of their Cloisters, to hear the Lectures in Law or Physic; and that it is absolutely forbidden, that any Sub-Deacon, Deacon, or Priest, exercise any Part of Surgery in which actual Cauteries or Incisions are required. Most of the Physicians who practised in England about this Time, were likewise well skilled in the Mathematics and other Parts of Philosophy; but the Surgeons of those Times were so much addicted to Astrology, as make some Parts of their Writings very obscure. After this both Physic and Surgery began to flourish much more, by the public Encouragement given very early by many of our Kings to several of the Practitioners in both Faculties, as will appear by the List of our Kings Physicians and Surgeons, to be inserted in it’s proper Place. Hector Boëtius informs us, that Josina, King of Scotland, who lived above a hundred Years before our Saviour, well understood the Nature of Scotch Plants, and their Use in Physic and Chirurgery; and John Bale, afterwards Bishop of Ossory in Ireland, assures us, he wrote a Book, de Herbarum Viribus. Buchanan relates, the Scotch Nobility were anciently very expert in Chirurgery, and it is particularly remarked of James IV, King of Scotland, Quod vulnera scientissime tractaret. It is said, that when Scribonius Largus attended the Emperor Claudius in his Expedition to Britany, he wrote a British Herbal, or Description of divers Plants in this Island. And our most learned and famous King Alfred, is said to have written a Book upon Aristotle de Plantis. Cinfrid, a famous Physician, is mentioned by that early Writer Venerable Bede, in his Histor. Ecclesiasticar. page 307, 308. And Ernulphus, another eminent Physician, in the Time of Nigellus, the second Bishop of Ely, is likewise recorded in the Anglia Sacra, Vol. I. p. 625. Many more Particulars might, in all Probability, have been met with relating to my present Design, had not one very great Misfortune attended the Suppression of the Abbies, which was the Destruction of a prodigious Number of Manuscripts. John Bale, before-mentioned, though an utter Enemy to Popery and Monastic Institution, remonstrates against this Piece of Barbarity, in pretty strong Terms, to King Edward VI. Covetousness, says he, was at that Time so busy about private Commodity, that public Wealth was not any where regarded. A Number of them, which purchased those superstitious Mansions, reserved of those Library-Books, some to serve their Jacks, some to scour their Candlestics, and some to rub their Boots, and some they sold to the Grocers and Soap-sellers,