XVIII-CENTURY MEDICINE
personality. He was intolerant of criticism, blunt in manner, and
appears to have deserved the criticism of Boerhaave, who called
him " the sour metaphysician." Nevertheless he served his
generation well by provoking some degree of reaction against
materialism, and by suggesting that the psychical aspect of disease
should not be neglected. Had he lived to-day, he would probably
have become a distinguished psychiatrist.
JOSEPH BARTHEZ of Montpellier (1734-1806), who was born
in the year of Stahl's death, recognizing the difficulty of champion-
ing the claim of " soul" or of " body," introduced a dominant
force which he alleged was neither the one nor the other. This
he called the " vital principle." The idea made little progress,
as it was obvious that this was merely another name for the life
force which had eluded so many inquirers. " Vitalism " pre-
sented no advantage over animism.
Often associated with the name of Stahl in medical history is
that of his fellow-professor at Halle, FRIEDRIGH HOFFMANN (1660-
1742). Nevertheless Stahl and Hoffmann had little in common.
A man of kindly and urbane temperament, Hoffmann had all the
qualities of the successful physician. Not only did he conduct a
large practice, but he also gained a great reputation as a teacher.
His system of medicine was based upon the belief that the universe
was pervaded by a vital substance, " finer than all other matter,
but not exactly spirit, soul, or mind," and that this subtle some-
thing maintained the body in a state of tonic equilibrium. In
Hoffinann's view, disease resulted from excess or deficiency of
" tonus." Excess of tonus, or spasm, caused acute disease,
while lack of it, or atony, caused chronic disease. Treatment,
therefore, consisted for the most part in the administration
of sedatives for the former condition, and tonics for the
latter. Even the modern patient still demands " a tonic " from
his doctor.
The fact that Hoffmann employed and sold certain secret
remedies need not detract from his good name, as this was a
universal practice at the time. One of his preparations, Hoff-
mann's anodyne (Spiritus Aetheris Go)1 still survives, although
his extensive work, Medicina rationalis systematic^ in nine volumes,
1718-40, has long since been forgotten.
1 A. C. Wootton, Chronicles ofPharmaey, 2 volsv 1910
217