UTILITY OF ANATOMY.
Astronomy and anatomy, as Fontenelle observes, are the studies which present us with the most striking view of the two greatest attribute,s of the Supreme Being. The first of these fills the mind with the idea of his immensity, in the largeness, distances, and number of the heavenly hodies ; the last astonishes, with his intel ligence and art in the variety and delicacy of animal mechanism.
The human body- has been commonly enough known by the name of microcos mus ; as if it did not differ so much from the universal system of nature, in the sym metry and number of its parts, as in their size.
Galen's excellent treatise on the use of the parts was composed as a prose hymn to the Creator, and abounds with as irre sistible proofs of a Supreme Cause, and gorerning Providence, as we find in mo dern phisico-theology. And Cicero dwells more on the structure and economy of animals, than on all the productions of na ture besides, when he wants to prove the existence of the Gods, from the order and beauty- of the universe. He there takes 3. survey of the body of man, in a most ele gant synopsis cf anatomy, and concludes thus; " Quibus rebus expositis, satis do cuisse videor,hominis nat quantoomnes anteiret animates. Ex quo dtbet intelligi, nee figuram situmque membrorum, nec ingen:i entisque,vini talem eflici potuisse fortuna." The satisfaction of mind which arises from the study of anatomy, and the influence which it must naturally have on our minds as philosophers, cannot be bet ter conveyed than by the following pas sage from the same author ; " Qii C011t11. ens animus, aceepit ab his cognitionem deorum, ex qua oritur pietas : cui con juncta justitia est, reliquxque virtutes; ex quibus vita beata exsistit, par et similis deorum, nulla alia re- nisi immortalitate, qux niltil ad bene vivendum pertinet, ccdens codestibus." It would be endless to quote the ani mated passages of this sort; which are to be found in the phy-sicians, philosophers, and theologists, who have considered the structure and functions of anitnals, with a view towards the Creator. It is a siew that must strike us with thc most awful conviction. Who san know end eoresider the thousand evident proofs of the aston ishing art of the Creator, in forming and sustaining an animal body such as ours, without feeling the most pleasing enthu siasm? Can we seriously reflect upon this awful subject, without being almost lost in adoration ! Without longing for another life after this, in which we may be grati fied with the highest enjoyment which our faculties and nature seem capable of, the seeing and comprehendingthe wholelplan of the Creator, in forming the universe, and directing its operations.
In the excellent work of Archdeacon Paley, on natural theology, this view of the subject is most ably explained and illustrated; and the subject is pursued through all its details. We strongly re commend this work, as exhibiting, in a popular form, a very interesting view of the structure and functions of animal bo dies; and we subjoin the following ex tract, as a very successful ,'application of the argument.
" It has been said, that a man cannot lift his hand to his head, without finding enough to him of the existence of a God. And it is well said ; for he has only to reflect, familiar as this action is, and simple as it seems to be, how many things are requisite for the performing of it : how many things which we understand, to say nothing of many more, probably, which we do not ; viz. first, a long, hard, strong cylinder, to give to the arm its firm ness and tension ; but which, being rigid, and, in its substance, inflexible, can only turn upon joints: secondly, therefore, joints for this purpose, one at the shoulder to raise the arm, another at the elbow to bend it ; these joints continually fed with a soft mucilage, to make the parts slide easily upon one another, and holden to gether by strong braces, to keep them in their position : then, thirdly, strings and wires, i. e. muscles and tendons, artificially inserted, for the purpose of drawing the bones in the directions in which the joints allow them to move. Hitherto, we seem to understand the mechanism pretty well ; and,understandingthis,we possess enough for our conclusion : nevertheless, we have hitherto only a machine standing still ; a dead organization—an apparatus. To put the system in a state of activity ; to set it at work ; a further provision is necessary, viz. a communication with the brain by means of nerves. We know the existence of this communication, because we can see the communicating threads, and can trace them to the brain; its necessity we also know, because, if the thread be cut, if the communication be intercepted,the muscle becomes paralytic : but beyond this know little ; the organization being too minute and subtle for our inspection.