The Indianapolis times., 1933-11-22
-Dietz on Science
WORLD STORY
OF DOCTORS is
BOOK SUBJECT
Johns Hopkins Professor
Writes History of
Healing Art.
BY DAVID DIETZ
Neripps-HsEsrd Science EDITOR

To the Unknown Doctor who in
unselfish and inconspicuous sctivi-
ties fulhIls the teachings Of the
Great Doctors 1 dedicate this book >"
So writes Dr. Henry z. Sigerist. pro-
fessor of the history OF medicine in
Johns Hopkins university. in the
dedication Of MS book, The Great
Doctors"
The few words of this dedication
evoke a mighty picture. the legion
Of unknown doctors attending to
their daily rounds, answering the
telephone at midnight, hurrying TO
the bedside Of sick children and the
aged, going without dinner TO re-
spOnd to emergency calls. They are
the heirs of the great doctors, prsc-
ticing the medicine they developed.
saving lives by the techniques they
perfected. an unbroken fraternity
through the nations and through
the ages
Were 1t not for these unknown
doctors. DR.. Sigerest reminds us. the
great doctors would not be great.
Bach and Mozart would be dead
forever he writes, were it not for
the living artists who are perpetu-
ally reviVing their melodies Pas
teur and Koch would have lived in
vain but for the everyday prscti-
TONERS through whose activities their
teachings are made effective
He reminds lis that 1t is not so
much the great theoreticisns upon
whom the health of the community
depends, as the huge army of fam
lily doctors who succor the ailing
from hour 10 hour
Begins With Egyptian
Fifty-six famous medical men are
discussed in DR.. Sigerest's excellent
book They begin with Imhotep.
priest, astronomer and physician of
ancient Egypt, and end with Sir
William Osler. who died less than
twenty years ago. The book is Law
ishlv illustrated with portraits of
al the doctors discussed and other
pictures besides. w. w Norton &
Co. publish The Great Doctors
at 81.
For the beginning of medicine.
DR.. Sigerest takes us back to the
realm OF myth. Little is known of
Imhotep. except that he lived on in
the minds of men and so men
sought his aid in death as they had
in life. The sick made pilgrimsges
10 his tomb. Thus his fame grew
from century to century and in time
temples were built to him and he
was deified. He became the Egyp-
ton god Of healing.
In Chapter 2, DR.. Sigerist leaves
the mistS of civilizations dawn for
the records of history. The great
name now before us is that of Hip
pocrates. But the historical record
IS not yet entirely clear.
In truth, we know little or moth
ing of Hippocrates," he tells us.
This much, at least. is certain,
that he lived during the fifth CEN
tury p. c.. that he was a famous
practitioner of medicine and a
teacher of the healing art
hJ SACIC II DiSGuSStH
DR.. Sigerest brings us down through
the ages. The Hippocratic tradi-
ton persisted he tells us. The
fourth century before Christ pro-
duCed notable doctors" He singles
out one for special attention, Dio-
cles of Carystus. who preached hy-
giene. He taught that one should
rise before sunrise, wash his face
and hair. clean his teeth and 60
for a short walk before beginning
the days work. He recommended
light meals and exercise at the gym
naSium.
Hurrying through the centuries.
We come 10 the great Galen. who
lived from 10 A. D. to about 1870.
DR.. Sigerest devotes the great bulk
of his book to those who came after
Galen. He gives sixty-eight pages
Of text to Galen's predecessors 1913
pages to Galen and his followers.
A few of the doctors discussed.