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MEDICAL PROFESSION AND LITERATURE. 283
About the same time the Englishman ROGER BACON and
the Catalonian ARNALDUS DE ViLLANOVA asserted the
claims of freedom in investigation and declared that the
natural sciences and medicine had no assured foundation
except in observation and experience. They opened thus
a more independent and direct path for medical science,
which became manifest in the writings of their disciples,
especially at the schools of Montpellier and Prague and
was shown in the numerous collections of clinical cases,
which were composed in the 14th and 15th centuries.
While holding fast to the prevailing doctrines they yet
brought forward many a valuable observation of their own
which served to enrich the science of medicine. Thus
HUGO BENCIO described cases of periodical insanity, of
spermatorrhoea, and of syphilis. MATTEO FERRARI DE
GRADIBUS treated a student who suffered from writer's
cramp, and observed paralysis of the facial nerve associated
with distortion of the face, hallucinations of the sight and
obstinate salivation. BAVARIUS reported upon a paralysis
of the upper extremities combined with disturbance of
speech and weakness of memory which was said to have
followed a violent inflammation of the throat* HENRI DE
MONDEVILLE and GuiDO DE CAULIACO saw cases of
wounds of the brain with loss of its substance, without
permanent disturbance of the intellectual faculties resulting.t
Corresponding with the revival of an independent
observation of clinical cases, there ensued a more
energetic study of anatomy and more successful enterprise
in surgery, as has been explained on a previous page.
Other branches of medical science also underwent improvement.
A remarkably rich balneological literature
arose, which treated of most of the baths known at that
time. Germany was dealt with among other countries.
HANNS FOLZ, the barber and minstrel of Ntirnberg, in 1400
* CH. DAREMBERG op.cit. i, p. 338 et'seq.
f G. DE CAULIAC. op. cit. tract, iii, doctr. 1, c. 1.