While the physicists were making their discoveries, medical men were studying anatomy, biology, and materia medica. Medical science in the time of Diophantus had a status, with a theory and practice, closely resembling those of to-day.
Hippocrates of Cos (460 B. C.), was the greatest leader of Greek medical science. He cast superstition aside and based his researches and practice upon the same principles of inductive philosophy that had proved so valuable in other sciences. He established hospitals for the nursing of the sick, and had attendants note the symptoms and the histories of the cases. In this way a number of casebooks were made. He wrote a work on Public Health. His operations in trepanning were more heroic than would be undertaken by good surgeons to-day. These are described in his book on Injuries of the Head. Many of his works are extant and furnish very interesting and valuable pictures of the state of medical science in Greece.
During the several centuries in which the Greeks placed science and all the leading departments of knowledge upon firm bases, stripped of the sentimental and traditional trappings which had come down from remote times, changes of a political nature were causing the immigration of foreign peoples to Greece. The importance of preserving racial purity was not recognized. The result was that the original Greeks, who were of the long-headed type, were forced to give way to the hordes of inferior peoples coming in from Asia. These new, round-headed people were not original thinkers, and were unable to advance science and the arts as the Greeks had done. They were, to a large extent, even unable to appreciate the wonderful treasures of knowledge bestowed upon them by the cultured people they had displaced.
The Egyptians and Babylonians advanced knowledge for practical purposes and when these were served they showed no desire to explore further. But the analytical mind of the Greek called for knowledge of basic laws and first principles.
CHAPTER VII
THE ROMAN AND MIDDLE AGES
The Romans succeeded to Greek culture; but they were a business people. They exhibited smaller intellectual capacity than the Greeks for analytical thinking. This precluded them from advancing the sciences. The Romans attained great eminence in oratory, history, art, and literature. They probably equaled the Greeks in music. They never produced any great thinkers like Aristarchus, Hipparchus, Euclid, Ptolemy, Archimedes, Democritus, Hippocrates, Plato, Aristotle, and others referred to in the preceding chapters.
What the Romans lacked in intellect they made up in energy. They became good soldiers and sailors, good politicians, able architects, engineers, and farmers. This explains how they became so powerful politically. They were the most practical people in a practical world. Instead of bequeathing us great scientific masterpieces like the Greeks, they have left us miles of useful roads, waterways, walls, fortresses, bridges, buildings, and statuary. Remains of these objects occur throughout Europe and northern Africa, showing that Roman engineering practice has been as universally useful as Roman law and political practices. The great scientific discoveries of the world have been made by only a few peoples. Those nations which have possessed the scientific temperament have not always been productive. Great inventions and discoveries appear to be made in response to national needs and are preceded by long periods during which the preparatory work is being done. The great men of science being active generalizes, need the cooperation of many lesser scientists to collect data and observations upon which general theories may be built. This appears to be the explanation of the irregular periods of great scientific activity.
Julius Cæsar, great in many departments of human endeavor, carried through two important scientific reforms. He caused the rectification of the calendar. In the year 47 B. C. there was an accumulated error of nearly 85 days in the calendar. This was corrected and the year was made to consist of 365 days, with an additional day every four years. Cæsar's calendar is still in use.