21 On the merit of the art of medicine (1548) CR XI, 806–11
21 On the merit of the art of medicine (1548)
CR XI, 806–11
Oration on the merit and usefulness of the art of medicine, held by Doctor Melchior Fend, when the degree of Doctor was awarded to Petrus Sibilenus Torgensis on 7 August 15481
In the beginning, I thank the eternal God, the father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the maker of humankind, together with His son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, for protecting His Church in violent storms, and picking out the pieces of our shipwreck with wonderful goodness, so that the voice of the Gospel may still ring genuine in public assemblies, and in the prayer of all the faithful in their chambers, and in the education of children at an early age, and that the study of true philosophy be cherished not only with some attendance and diligence, but also without perverse beliefs. And I pray to God, the source of wisdom, that He continue to protect you, and that He grant lasting peace to the study of erudition.
Today the attestation of erudition is to be given to a man learned in the art of medicine, and it is the custom in such assemblies to say something on the same art. Although no one's eloquence is a match for the greatness of this art, it is nevertheless necessary to admonish those who are younger by some kind of oration. Therefore I shall not resolve upon a eulogy, since the art's usefulness is clear for everyone to see, and there is such authority in contemplating nature that it cannot be demonstrated sufficiently by any oration. But I shall rebuke, not only the young, but all of us, for our ungratefulness and sloth which are both most disgraceful for many reasons.
The hardness of human hearts is such that it is not surprising that the ancients imagined that men were born from stones. From the hour in which the midwives' hands first draw us out of our mother's belly, through all stages of life, we all make use of the countless benefits of the art of medicine. Although this is so, many do not consider the art the gift of God, and they do not give thanks to God as the maker of remedies and the teacher of the art, nor do they feel respect towards the art or speak respectfully about it. The mothers themselves are subject to countless diseases once the child has been born, and cannot be protected without medical help. And very often experience shows that, in their dangers, the remedies are applied not
1 Melchior Fend (1486–1564), professor of medicine, was the Dean of the medical faculty in 1548, when Petrus Sibilenus of Torgau obtained his doctorate in medicine.
only for the sake of idle show, but they are truly efficacious and beneficial. Often the breasts have to be cured, and often sleep has to be counteracted by the art. The dangers to the womb are almost countless. Furthermore, ulcers are common to all children, which would not soften and would bring on other illnesses, unless the art brought help.
But I pass over this enumeration, which cannot be contained completely even in great tomes. I direct the young to the first beginnings of life so that, if they think that they owe gratitude to their mothers, they consider at the same time that they owe much to the art of medicine, which is needed for women in childbed and for the offspring. And in this consideration they should not only understand the diligence of men or the remedies, but they should also recognise the goodness of God, who both made the remedies and showed their use in order to assuage the miseries of this life in some way.
It is the voice of a Cyclops, and unworthy of man, that says that he fears neither Jupiter's lightning nor rainfalls, nor the infertility of the earth, because the rocks protect his cave and in his cave he has a flock of sheep on which to feed. Similar to this is the utterance of many uneducated and barbarous men who spurn temperance in maintaining their health, and all remedies when in danger. And they do not even think that remedies and the art are the gifts of God, but these Cyclopes wage war against God and nature.
However, worthy minds should know, first, that all of nature bears witness that this world has not emerged by chance, but that it is made and shaped by an eternal creating mind. Furthermore they should know that there are notions implanted in man which show the choice in things as being in accordance with the divine mind; and that, in nature and in morals, our judgements need to accord with the divine mind. God declares that life, good health and the protection of life are good things and are made by Him, and He commands us to enjoy these divine gifts.
Let us therefore recognise these gifts, and love them and give thanks to the maker. So it is written in the maxims of Sirach: ‘Honour the physician, for God has created him for the sake of our need’ [Sirach 38:1]2 This maxim confirms that the use of remedies and of the art is necessary, as examples show every day. And Sirach adds expressly: ‘The Most High created remedies from the earth, and healing is from God’ [Sirach 38:4]. Not only are the remedies distinguished by the maker's counsel in such
2 Sirach is one of the apocryphal books of the Old Testament, also known as The Wisdom of Ben Sira or Ecclesiasticus. In Roman Catholic editioins of the Bible, it is located among the Wisdom Books of the Old Testament. In Protestant editions, it is included among the ‘Apocrypha’, placed between the Old Testament and the New Testament, or at the end of the New Testament.
a way that different ones drive out different diseases, or are helpful for different parts of the body, but the physician's judgement is ruled by divine providence, and his efficiency is supported by God. Since this is the case, let us be moved, by the usefulness for us as well as by the maker's goodness, to honour the remedies and this discipline.
I believe, however, that worthy minds are delighted by the contemplation of nature not only because of its usefulness, but even more by the fact that all this variety of nature is like a theatre, in which the evidence of the creator God can be perceived clearly. To begin with, it is clear that the appearance of His abode, that most beautiful machine in which the constellations move, is made with skill, so that the days, months, years, summers and winters be distinguished in order that the nature of the seasons be dissimilar from each other, and that every year the earth bring forth produce at a fixed time.
Furthermore, how much art is there in the entire nature of man! The distinction between light and dark, and between knowledge and ignorance as well, is the highest part in the brain, closely resembling heaven, in which knowledge shines and is stored and kept. And some light of God is implanted, and many other notions are added, which are the precepts of life showing distinction and order, such as the numbers, the understanding of order and consequence, and the distinction between what is proper and what is vile, distinguishing by an eternal and immovable division between what is to be done and what is to be avoided. It is impossible that these things have emerged by chance, or only out of matter. The nature of things itself cries out that there is a God, and that He is wise, good and kind, the avenger of crimes and the protector of human society.
I shall not speak now about the entire construction of the human body, nor of roots or plants, but I shall only admonish the young to contemplate the variety of use and of virtues in such multitude. Agrimony and endive are beneficial to the liver, hart's-tongue, spleen-wort, tamarisk and treegermander to the spleen. Saffron, dates, rosemary, thistle, corals and gold to the heart; mugwort, balm, feverfew, pennyroyal and centaury for the womb. Liquorice-root, iris and white horehound are good for the lungs, hyssop, elecampane, maidenhair and pine-thistle for the chest. Sage, marjoram, rose and marigold are good for the brain; fennel, swallow-wort and bugloss for the eyes; mallow, clover and pine-thistle for the nerves. Scammony and rhubarb excellently draw forth yellow bile. Agaric, trefoil and aloe draw
forth phlegm. Fern and sallow draw black bile.3 But this is not the occasion for a longer enumeration. It is by no means proper to say that this almost infinite distribution of virtues, which remains continuous in various species, has emerged by chance. And in order that it be evident that a Creator understanding human nature has added these things as a help to man, it is necessary that He be affected by care for humankind.
What is more proper and more appropriate for man than for those who search for traces of the divinity in nature, in order to establish as true the idea of providence, to recognise God as the maker and protector of humankind? Or to understand that God's mind and will are such as He Himself represented in the light which He has poured into us, and to distinguish Him from evil natures, in whom there is confusion of His order, and to guide one's judgements and morals according to that precept that harmonises in the mind with the divine precept?
All who are sound in mind understand that these things are most in accordance with nature, and not those Cyclopic ideas, which the Epicureans defend wildly, namely that all things are brought together fortuitously from atoms, that all things are moved and joined without order and without a guiding mind, and that continually other worlds and other species come into being. It is not only [a sign of] wisdom to oppose such madness, but also outstanding virtue that is pleasing to God, and for which rewards are given by God. The falsehood of the Epicureans can be clearly refuted and their madness, too, by greater steadfastness of the mind. At the same time, the conviction of providence needs to be assiduously strengthened in the mind by observation of the most beautiful order in nature, and the parts of nature are to be contemplated often, as well as the construction of the parts of the body, and experience reflecting the teaching on the use of remedies. Just as men often carelessly attract to themselves deadly danger by a slight mistake, so, on the other hand, the wise physician often disperses deadly dangers by wholly common remedies. I could list many examples, but I believe that most of you have read or heard many yourselves.
There is no doubt that the art is most useful for life, for the preservation of health, and that it has great merit because of the knowledge of the greatest things, that it is praised by divine laudations, that it shows illustrious
3 Classical sources for the medicinal uses of plants were Dioscorides, Materia medica, Galen, Faculties of Simples, and Pliny the Elder, Natural History. Melanchthon's student Valerius Cordus (1515–44) had lectured upon and commentated on Dioscorides' Materia medica at Wittenberg: see his Annotationes doctissimae in Dioscoridis De medica materia libros (Frankfurt 1549).
testimonies for providence, and that it needs to be aspired to, known and revered. Since this is so, honour is also due to the good and learned men who are the guardians and propagators of the most renowned discipline, and often succour the lives of men.
The possession of the eminent parts of philosophy has always been in this rank. And I believe that since the first fathers – Adam, Noah, Abraham and Joseph – the teaching of the movements of the heavens and of remedies has been spread in distinguished families. Then, later, it was upheld by those who were physicians by profession.
It is in itself a great virtue to have knowledge of so many things about the movements of the heavens, the construction of the human body, and the causes of changes in the body, as well as of diseases and remedies. However, it is a much greater virtue to apply this knowledge for the welfare of men. Therefore God has bestowed wisdom upon humankind: first, so that He be known, and, second, that it be beneficial to as many as possible. In those who practise this art honestly, many virtues need to be united: erudition, diligence, honesty, constancy, sagacity and endurance in bearing much that is troublesome. It is most just to recompense such a physician by any kind of favour.
But ingratitude in this aspect is not only great among the masses, but also among the mighty, and there are hardly any who more often than the physicians experience the truth of the familiar saying: ‘After the service, gratitude ages immediately.’ Worthy minds should nevertheless consider first what they owe to God, the creator of life and remedies, then how much they should be in awe of the teaching and finally what is due for the physician's toil, honesty and services. Since wise rulers reflected upon this, they kept physicians in great honour, such as Hezekiah did with Isaiah and Darius with Democedes, whom he sent back to his country on a ship laden with gold and silver.4 Alexander honoured Philippus, Antigonus Diocles, Antiochus Erasistratus, Augustus Antonius Musa, Antoninus Galen and others other physicians.5
4 The prophet Isaiah cured Hezekiah's sickness (Isiah 38. 1–6); Democedes (6th century BC), a physician from Cnidus, was sent to Darius, King of Persia, as a prisoner, cured the king's foot and received a chestful of gold (Herodotus, Histories, III. 129f.).
5 Alexander the Great honoured Philippus, a native of Acarnania and physician, who had cured him of a fever just before the battle of Issus; Erasistratus of Ceos (d. 257 BC), grandson of Aristotle and celebrated physician, was rewarded with too talents for the cure of Antiochus by the latter's father Selecus, King of Syria; Antonius Musa, freedman and physican to Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus Augustus (63 BC-14 AD), cured his master of a dangerous disease by use of cold bath. Galen was physician to the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.
Just as the discipline that we cherish is an eminent part of philosophy, so our inclination, too, should be philosophical. This means that, although many are ungrateful, we should nevertheless, for the sake of God and for virtue, protect the possession of the discipline and be of use to many. If this is our inclination, our toil and our families will be dear to God.
I encourage you who are younger to rouse your minds to the love of the discipline by thinking of the usefulness and merit of our art. And, by observing nature, earnestly contemplate the signs of God (which, as Paul says, show Him to be so close that we can almost touch Him with our hands), so that you may fear Him as an avenger and call to Him with a good conscience.
I want you, too, to join your prayers to mine: ‘We call to you, all powerful God, eternal father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of heaven and Earth, of men and of your Church, of one being with your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and your Holy Spirit. And we pray that, for the sake of your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom you wished to be the victim for us, mediator as well as suppliant (kai mesitēn kai hiketēn), you may guide us by your Holy Spirit, and lead the study of this discipline and instruction, and grant us peaceful reception. Assemble an everlasting Church for yourself among us, now and hereafter.’ I have spoken.