National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-10-09

persisted beneath It's walls"
But when this depression took place | wa,
speaking of the nigh esteem in which ply
sicians and surgeons were anciently held by
the llindoOs. One OF the causes Of that
esteem was the character Of the curriculum
aud the moral sublimity Of the teachings OF
the liindOo sages, and the rigid discipline
| enforced.
Wise has given us the ancient formula
Review of the History Of Medicine, BY
Thomas A. Wise. London: 1861 "a
fortunate day is to be selected for the pupil
to commence reading the Shastres. On that
| occasion he is to be clean In his person, and
the place In which he is TO study should be
/ purified. A raised part Of the room, OF
| place OF study, cubit square. Ia to be
/ cleaned with cows dung and strewn with
kusa grass, after which fire is to be placed
upon 1t with several kinds OF sacred wood
upon whicl.ghee is poured while prayers
lmantrasl NE repeated. The pupil while
| being initiated should stand near the fire with
his face toward the east II he seeks long
lite If exalted fame, to the south; II pros,
perity, to the west; II truth aud its reward,
to the north.
"The guru and other Brahmins are then To
pray over some dried rice, and the former
should sprinkle water over the assembly
lie is then to place Brahmln on his right
hand, over which he prays as he throws a
mixture OF curdled milk, honey, aud ghee
over the sacred fire. The scholar does the
same aud his lesson begins. The guru de.
clares that he must henceforth discard lust,
anger, covetousness, ignorance, laziness,
vanity, pride, envy, revenge, cruelty, lying,
aud evil actions. He must always he en-.
| gagged In the search after truth and in the
performance Of good actions; he must be
| clean In his person, wear an humble and
| peculiar kind of clothes, aud his beard and
| nails should not be cut during the period of
his religious study. Before and after meals,
AS wei rs on many other occasions the stu.
dent must carefully perform his additions;
after bathing and being purified, he Ia to
offer fresh water to the gods, sages, and
NUNS, and to convey wood for the oblation
TO the fire. He must always respect his
teacher and parents, put the dust OF their
feet upon his head, aud obey them IN every
thing, or he will be unfortunate In this
world and will be born IN degraded DO.
sitiOn In another life"
The guru thus addressed the pupi
when say you may eat, drink. sleep, or
arise from bed, you must Immediately obey.
III the scholar does not perform all this he
sins, his understanding will diminish, and
aud his glory will be quenched, Whatever
say you must believe, and follow my in
structions. You must he careful to act so
as to please me, and II do not acknowl.
edge your good actions | shall sin, and NV
knowledge will be barren.
"ln the treatment of the diseases OF Brah-
minis, gurus aud the poor aud helpless, or
persons who come from a distance, YOU
must be as careful as you would OF your
own relations, by which you will make more
friends anu acquire virtue, health, and "a
good name. You must not be dspleased at
my treating you as son, a servant, or
beggar: you must harbur no bad thoughts;
you must be moderate IN the indulgence of
your appetites, aud Contented with small
recompense. By night aud by day your
anxious desire should always be to consider
now you are to relieve and cure the
sick under your care. You will
avoid bad company, aud neither give medi-
zines to a culprit who has been condemned
by raJah, to woman whose husband and
guardians are absent, nor receive ANYTHING
but food from wife without the consent of
her husband. You must avoid entering a
house rs medical man without an invita-.
tion; you must walk slowly without gazing,
and observe deliberately, but you must only
observe the patient and the symptoms OF
us disease; and YOU must not predict the
period of fatal disease. You must not
yaunt your own knowledge, for, although
the learned may be pleased, the ignorant
VIII be angry at the exhibition of leai ming
In such situation. After visiting tlStsick,
should the disease he complicated YOU
must detail the symptoms and consul ,;her
ment.n
"The student" says the guru, "must
know the theoretical as well AS the practi-
cal part OF medicine, for he who knows the
power, and is unskilled In the performance
OF operations, on approaching a patient ia
like timid soldier Coing to battle; and the
persons well versed IN operations who pre-.
sumptuously neglects the theory does not
deserve the esteem OF good men. Each is
only half instructed, and are equally in |
capable OF exercising the profession prop |
cry IS inefficient, and resembles bird |
with Gus wing.
LAS the Shastres contain the precepts OF |
numerous prophets and great p ysicians,
with their descriptions OF diseases reduced TO
q proper order, you must study them with
iare, by which the stupid and illiterate
pupil Will he instructed In his duties, and
The intelligent aud industrious, In the man
ler In which his knowledge is to be i'm
proved and extended
such, young gentlemen, were the instruc-
lions given by the ancient ITindus, whom
We term heather, and Invested OF some OF
'helrlmystic mummery,w we see the doctrines
u truth and the origin OF modern ethics
might say the ancient expression OF
ointment that has pervaded the mind OF
medical men for countless centuries.
PROBABLY subsequent to the early medical
ecords OF the l1indus we find those of the
egyptians and the Semitic races, but some
medical historians claim for the Egyptians
he origin of medical raining, hut all agree
hat India alone may dispute claim to pre-
edence with Egypt. The Greeks, az we
hall presently see, derive the origin OF
Medicine from the gods, but the idea was
Violently borrowed from the Egyptians,
mo traced the art TO the goddess isis, to
Vhose anger they attributed all diseases,
nd who alone could give power to medi-
ines to act. The Greeks also borrowed
MS conceit from the Egyptians In the as
llgnlng OF certain diseases to the anger OF
'iosesplne, the goddess OF the Internal re-
Mons. Osiris, the husband of Isis, was the
lther OF Orus, whom the later Greeks prob.
3ly identified with their Apollo, the child
I the sun.
VI edicine In Egypt was taught in the TEN.
les OF Isis at Memphis and Busiris. Egypt
$50 had Its [ksCulapius In the person Of
ne OF the kings Of Memphis, who was
AIMED Tosorthros, from the words Tuse-
no, signifying physician of the world"
ne early Egyptian teachings being secret,
ne student forbidden TO impart any OF his
ew acquired knowledge except In the
anner in VIII tch he received II, IL Is not as
'nishing that few of their opinions have
irVived as theirown. tits only the fading
amour OF their mysteries, taught In
lpher, that remain. Tangible indications
their knowledge Of chemistry aud surgi-
nj handlcraft may be seen in the mummies,
l0usands Of years old, in the Smithsonian
Institution.
NO modern surgeon can even initiate |
indaging as practlCed by the Egyptian /
nbllmers There is no doubt, how {
yer, OF the great medical knowledge OF
re ancient Egyptians, for 1t was manifested
their longevity, the direct result OF the !
,lthtul application OF hygenic principles a
ne ancient dreek historians mention the |
healthfu appearances of the \
gyptians. Isocrates wrote OF the old age q
which they attained, which Herodotus a
tnhuted to the equability OF their h
innate. We may ourselves see some eyi. a
,nCe OF their healthfulness I'm the raritv y