They were for the most part
cultivated gentlemen with a triple interest--literature, medicine and
natural history. How important is the part they played may be gathered
from a glance at the "Lives" given by Bayle in his "Biographic Medicale"
(Paris, 1855) between the years 1500 and 1575. More than one half of
them had translated or edited works of Hippocrates or Galen; many of
them had made important contributions to general literature, and a large
proportion of them were naturalists: Leonicenus, Linacre, Champier,
Fernel, Fracastorius, Gonthier, Caius, J. Sylvius, Brasavola, Fuchsius,
Matthiolus, Conrad Gesner, to mention only those I know best, form a
great group. Linacre edited Greek works for Aldus, translated works
of Galen, taught Greek at Oxford, wrote Latin grammars and founded
the Royal College of Physicians.(*) Caius was a keen Greek scholar,
an ardent student of natural history, and his name is enshrined as
co-founder of one of the most important of the Cambridge colleges.
Gonthier, Fernel, Fuchs and Mattioli were great scholars and greater
physicians. Champier, one of the most remarkable of the group, was
the founder of the Hotel Dieu at Lyons, and author of books of a
characteristic Renaissance type and of singular bibliographical
interest.
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