Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-07-10
An Interesting Leaf of History Can
celed.
To the Standard /.

A communication under the above
heading appeared in the STANDARD
during my absence from home. 1t is
a reply to former article from my
pen giving resume of what / had
read many years ago of Nostradamus
and his predictions. The "reply" is
well written, and the avowed spirit
which prompted it too elevated for it
to pass unnoticed.
The author says: "In conclusion,
/ have written this reply not as an ar
gument, but to demonstrate facts and
unveil errors that might disfgure his
tory" Surely no motive could be
more admirable, and we might rea-
sonably expect to find nothing in the
'reply" but demonstrated facts"
and that "errors that might disfgure
history" had been scrupulously ex-
Guided. 1t is proposed to see how far
its author has been successful in these
high claims.
The reply asserts most positively
that Nostradamus was born in 1903
and not in 1888, as if there could be
no sort of doubt about it. / adopted
the latter as the true date, though well
aware that in a certain edition of the
Encyclopedia Britannica 1903 was given
as the date of his birth, and that this
had been followed somewhat.
believe it to have been originally a
mere typographical error, and that
the later authorities, written in an
age of more critical accuracy and
care to correct previous errors, are
right in giving 1888 as the year of his
birth. One reason for my so doing
is that in all accounts which / had
read indicating his age when Nostra-
damus toured the plague" at Lyons
and elsewhere, heis uniformity spoken
of as young" This he was not if
born in 1903, but was, if born in 1888.
The reply further says: "Having
given some attention to medicine,
which at that time possessed little
CLAIM as an art, none as a science"
&c. Now the facts are Nostradamus
was a graduate of the medical college
of Montpelier, one of the oldest and
most eminent in Europe, and that
for centuries before he was born col
leges and schools of medicine, and a
brilliant array of learned and scien.
tific physicians had shed over that
period the luster of an imperishable
renown. OF both, France could boast
some of the brightest and best. Take
the colleges of Aries, of Narbonne, Of
Paris, of Montpelier. Look elsewhere
at those of Tarentum, of Salerno o.
Bari, DC. To them and the long list
of distinguished physicians connected
or cotemporaneous with them are we
indebted for planting the intellectual
seed which, eliminating in the Refor
nation, has secured to us our boosted
free thought! No science indeed
A cursory glance at that long line o
distinguished Jewish physicians
whoseprofessional ability and medica
works illustrated thoseagesisall thati
needed to vindicate medicine from
this slur and "history from this error.
/ quote: "After the foundation o
medical colleges the progress of medi
cine among the Jews was rapid.
A long list of eminent names nigh
he extracted from the 10th and It'll
centuries. In it we should find tn
names of Haroun of Cordova, Jehud
of Fee, Amram of Toledo. X
Henceforth the Jewish physician i
recognized as combining with hi
professional skill profound knowl
edge of theology mathematics, astron
omy, philosophy, law. Ofthose VIII
thus adorned the 18th century wa
Rabbi Solomon Ben Isaac. He wa
equally at home in writing CONNER
taries on the Talmud and in givin
instructions for great surgical operf
lions, as the Cesarian section. II
was the greatest French physician
his age. \ 1t might be tedious
I,should record the names of learne
European Jews of the 10Th and 19t
centuries, period more prolific I
these great men than the precedin
ages" History of Intellectual d
velopment of Europe, Vol. 2, oh.
Take a few of the names of "thes
great men" who preceded Nostrad
mus, and of some of the medic
works they wrote. Take "Ben Err
physician, philosopher, mathemat
clan, astronomer, critic, who lie
among his writings treatise on the
retical and practical medicine call'
n r.. Tx,hIn