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SURGICAL SKILL

the general history of human science, but be-cause, in all early stages of society, it appearsto have a particular connexion with, and oftento depend entirely upon, certain religious cere-monies ; nor is this to be wondered at, for, see-ing that the operations of the animal oeconomyare so far involved in mystery, as frequently toescape the scrutinizing search of the most cul-tivated mind, how can it be otherwise but thata people, among whom the sources of know-ledge are scanty, and the opportunities of expe-riment on tl^e animal oeconomy both rare andhazardous, should look to the gods for relieffrom those miseries which evidently proceedfrom an unseen hand: a considerable portionof the curative means of these people are,therefore, very naturally, invocation and sacri-Jice . Nevertheless, as the animal oeconomy issubject to a variety of accidents, the causes andoperations of which take place, and pursue theirprogress, more or less, under the evidence ofthe external senses, appropriate means of cureare frequently had recourse to, and operativesurgery is therefore not in a contemptible stateof cultivation.

All the remedies practised among them mayvery safely be ranked under these three heads,viz. invocation, sacrifice, and external opera-tions ; as to interna] remedies, they sometimes.