A HISTORY OF MEDICINE
but as they played an important part in the evolution of modern
medicine, some reference must be made to the theories and to
their sponsors, if only to emphasize the far greater importance
of Boerhaave, to whose life and work we shall afterwards direct
the reader's attention.
Animism and Vitalism
The action and reaction between medicine and religion
throughout the ages is one of the most interesting aspects of
medical history. In the age under discussion a wide gulf had
formed between them, and each advanced along a separate path.
Medicine, as we have noted, had become so materialistic that the
functions of the human body in health and disease were simply
questions of physics and chemistry. Nevertheless there were those
who thought otherwise, and at this stage we encounter a medical
prophet who dared to reaffirm the existence and importance
of man's immortal soul. This was GEORG ERNST STAHL (1660-
1734), Professor of Medicine in the newly constituted University
of Halle. Stahl discarded chemistry or physics, and he even
denied that anatomy was essential to the physician. Nor would
he admit, like Descartes, that soul and body each went their
separate ways. In Stahl's opinion soul and body were closely
blended, and the source of all vital movement was the soul or
" anima." 1 The soul he alleged, prevented the putrefaction
which takes place after death in the soulless body* It was
true that the body did eventually die, but that was only
when it no longer provided a suitable habitation for the soul.
Stahl's idea was not new.2 His " anima " had been described
previously as nature, archaeus, or pneuma, and in modern times as
the subconscious or unconscious mind. Stahl strove to reconcile
the views of physicians and theologians, but he satisfied neither
party* To the physicians, animism was simply so much nonsense,
devoid of proof, and it involved a policy of undue simplicity in the
treatment of disease. The theologians, on the other hand, resented
the apparent degradation of the soul into a kind of defender of
the body against death and disease, the defence being often ineffec-
tive* Thus Stahl's views were open to question and were not very
convincing. Moreover, Stahl was not gifted with an engaging
1 E. T. Withington, Medical History jrorn the Earliest Times, 1894, p. 334
8 Richard Koch, " War Georg Ernst Stahl ein selbstandiger Denker ? " Arch. /.
Gesch. Mat., 1936, vol. xviii. p. so