An Account of the Life and Writings of Herman Boerhaave

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1743 edition. Excerpt: ... S E C T. ii. Of all Dr Boerhaave'j Writings beside Ms Orations and Thesis. an Y account of the larger works of so justly celebrated a physician may be thought needless on the presumption, that scarce one of the faculty is unacquainted with them. But, as it has been found, that some among us have been pleased to censure our author, who either have not perused his genuine writings, or not with sufficient attention, it may injustice be expected, that we endeavour to point out the peculiar excellencies of his several works, and so distinguish the supposititious which disgrace his name, that they may no longer be obtruded for genuine. From The stile of bis Institutes and Aphorisms is so laconic, that nearly a like attention is necessary for the thorough understanding of those books, as is usually given to treatises of mixt mathematics, and a panegyric, instead of a vindication, will be deemed most meet after due consideration. f Of which he highly complains in the preface to his Chemistry. From the preceeding section, and account of his life, it partly appears how well he was qualified for teaching no less than practising physic; possest of the endowments and advantages above mentioned, he soon converted them to the service of the public. Whilst patients experienced the benefit of his surprizing sagacity, his incomparable collection of the most certain doctrines in medicine was communicated not only to his pupils, but to the world. For the first edition of his Institutions Medica appeared in 1707, two years before he was created a professor, about six years after he began to officiate as lecturer, p. 31. This A Science notwithstanding the representation lately made fp. 93,&V.) of its facility, to be ranked deservedly among the most...