CHAPTER IV.
RISE OF THE UNIVERSITIES.
School of Montpellier.—Divorce of Medicine from Surgery.
An important era in the history of medicine in Europe was the rise of the universities. It is not possible to fix precisely the date of the foundation of these great centres of learning, but we may sufficiently for our purpose fix the twelfth century as approximately the period in which Bologna, Montpellier, Oxford, Cambridge, and Paris were regularly established.
Cambridge University took its rise in all probability somewhere in the twelfth century, “originating in an effort on the part of the monks of Ely to render a position of some military importance also a place of education.”[727]
The most ancient universities in Europe are said to be those of Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, Paris, and Salamanca. The following dates are approximate: Bologna, 1116; Oxford, 879; Cambridge, twelfth century; Cordova, 968; Paris, 792, renovated 1200; Palenza, 1209, removed to Salamanca, 1249. Salamanca was founded 1239; Naples, 1224; Montpellier, 1289; Rome, 1243; Salerno, 1233.[728]
The University of Bologna was famous as a school of law and letters so early as the twelfth century. In the next it became distinguished for its medical teaching. It was in such perfection that its professors were classed as physicians, surgeons, barber surgeons, and oculists. But still, anatomy, except in so far as it assisted the surgeon, was neglected. Roger, Roland, Jamerio, Bruno, and Lanfranc, seemed alone to have paid much attention to it, and then only to borrow from Galen.[729] The medical faculty became celebrated after 1280, when Thaddeus Florentinus was a teacher in it.
The University of Padua was founded 1179.
In 1268 it possessed three teachers of medicine and the same number of teachers of natural science.
Montpellier was the first great rival of Salerno as a school of medicine. Its charter dates from 1229.
Medicine was not taught at Paris during the twelfth century. John of Salisbury, writing in the year 1160, says that those who desired to study medicine had to go either to Salerno or Montpellier. But, says Laurie,[730] physicians of eminence are recorded as having taught at Paris after this date, and the subject was formally lectured upon not later than 1200. Degrees or licences in physic were granted in 1231.