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Article LITERATURE. Page 1 of 1 Article LETTER THE FIRST. Page 1 of 3 →
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Literature.
LITERATURE .
THE poetical beauties of the Greek writers have often afforded scope for critical dissertation , and many ingenious commentaries on these points enrich the literary world ; but it was reserved for the industrious , learned , and enli ghtened mind of Mr . TASK ER to ' illustrate the anatomical knowledge of those waiters . This gentleman , whose poetical talents and whose literary attainments are well
known , was originally intended for chirurgical and medical pursuits , and though drawn aside from these studies by the more attractive charms of the Muses , he has not forgotten his ori g inal designation , but has lately employed himself in an investigation into the anatomical knowledge of Homer , Virgil , and Lucan , and the medical knowledge of the Greek physicians and philosophers . We shall
occasionally present to our readers the observations of this gentleman on the curious subjects alluded to , and doubt not that they will be deemed interesting as well as intelligent and novel .
Letter The First.
LETTER THE FIRST .
I-T has been often asserted , that Homer understood anatomy . — Having lately attended anatomical lectures , as delivered by the clearest demonstrator in the known world , I am now reading the . Iliad with this particular view . You may perhaps be a little surprised at first , to find the words used by Homer , expressive of the different parts of the human body , to be nearly the same as Dr . William Hunter uses in his anatomical
demonftrations ; but this phamomena is easily resolved , when we consider , that the common language of antient Greece is now adopted as the scientific in our medical schools . Homer , however , could not have precisely the same learned ideas annexed to the same words ; since he could not possibly understand the minute of anatomy ; the science itself not then existing . And indeed Hippocrates , at a much
later period , had little knowledge or the component parts of the human body under dissection , further than the bare skeleton , - but the divine poet , in this matter , as in every thing else , copied from nature ; and has in a wonderful manner diversified the wounds and deaths of his heroes ; describing them in such a manner , that he renders his readers almost spectators . And every wound , that in its . own nature is mortal , is generally described as such ; and no chief ever makes a
speech , when expiring , unless his wounds admit of that privilege : there is scarcely a single instance to the contrary in the whole Iliad ; as you will find , if you read the ori g inal Greek ; though I am sorry to observe , that there are many very glaring ones in Pope's ( otherwise most beautiful ) translation ; or as it may with more propriety fos
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Literature.
LITERATURE .
THE poetical beauties of the Greek writers have often afforded scope for critical dissertation , and many ingenious commentaries on these points enrich the literary world ; but it was reserved for the industrious , learned , and enli ghtened mind of Mr . TASK ER to ' illustrate the anatomical knowledge of those waiters . This gentleman , whose poetical talents and whose literary attainments are well
known , was originally intended for chirurgical and medical pursuits , and though drawn aside from these studies by the more attractive charms of the Muses , he has not forgotten his ori g inal designation , but has lately employed himself in an investigation into the anatomical knowledge of Homer , Virgil , and Lucan , and the medical knowledge of the Greek physicians and philosophers . We shall
occasionally present to our readers the observations of this gentleman on the curious subjects alluded to , and doubt not that they will be deemed interesting as well as intelligent and novel .
Letter The First.
LETTER THE FIRST .
I-T has been often asserted , that Homer understood anatomy . — Having lately attended anatomical lectures , as delivered by the clearest demonstrator in the known world , I am now reading the . Iliad with this particular view . You may perhaps be a little surprised at first , to find the words used by Homer , expressive of the different parts of the human body , to be nearly the same as Dr . William Hunter uses in his anatomical
demonftrations ; but this phamomena is easily resolved , when we consider , that the common language of antient Greece is now adopted as the scientific in our medical schools . Homer , however , could not have precisely the same learned ideas annexed to the same words ; since he could not possibly understand the minute of anatomy ; the science itself not then existing . And indeed Hippocrates , at a much
later period , had little knowledge or the component parts of the human body under dissection , further than the bare skeleton , - but the divine poet , in this matter , as in every thing else , copied from nature ; and has in a wonderful manner diversified the wounds and deaths of his heroes ; describing them in such a manner , that he renders his readers almost spectators . And every wound , that in its . own nature is mortal , is generally described as such ; and no chief ever makes a
speech , when expiring , unless his wounds admit of that privilege : there is scarcely a single instance to the contrary in the whole Iliad ; as you will find , if you read the ori g inal Greek ; though I am sorry to observe , that there are many very glaring ones in Pope's ( otherwise most beautiful ) translation ; or as it may with more propriety fos