Text.BP032.A2r/Translation

Prologue to the Reader

The reason, most beloved Reader, that has prompted me to write on the noble art of surgery is the great and disgraceful errors and abuses I see occurring in this most necessary art—an art ordained by God only for the support of those in need and for serving one’s neighbor. One should attend to it very diligently, with persistent contemplation and mature understanding, so as not to misuse it or do harm to the poor, but rather to provide every aid and assistance the art allows.

Because I wish for this divine will or ordinance regarding the art to be fulfilled, I have resolved, as far as God grants me the time, to write this book as comfort and support for every surgeon who wishes to turn away from the mistakes or errors committed daily. It is also meant for anyone who loves this art, whether learned or unlearned. For those who are thoroughly trained, this book may provide assistance in ordering prescriptions for illnesses or wounds, as they will find these perfected and free of defect, better than anything compiled by many others—something they will notice if they do not read without understanding or out of envy. And for the unlearned who desire to learn so that they can help their patients or provide help in times of need to themselves, their household, or their children, this book contains all that might be necessary for surgery, including both an understanding of various ailments and the remedies and advice to address them.

And therefore, do not judge them before you have tried them, for they have been tested many times and have done much good in various places and at various times, and never has anyone been poorly healed by them. Yet nowadays, we see harm happen all too often (God grant improvement) at the hands of those who nevertheless believe they know a great deal, boast proudly of being great masters, and claim to have read every book.

Likewise, there is a certain Peeter Volc, who claims to have accomplished many great feats, as he brags in the first book of Paracelsus, which he supposedly translated out of some foreign tongue (so he says), having been born a Dane in Denmark or that region. I can hardly believe he managed all of this alone, without anyone’s help. Nevertheless, in the prologue to that same book, he slanders and despises all learned men, which is dishonorable, for he himself is uneducated and deceitful. If those worthy men were still alive, I doubt he would have dared to write so freely and maliciously, and not without consequence. He also boasts of having practiced surgery for a very long time and of having followed the army, seemingly wanting people to think that this noble art can only be learned in wartime. Yet that is not true. There are other surgeons far more virtuous than he, who have never followed the army, and who are nevertheless so skilled that he is unworthy to loosen the straps of their shoes. Even so, it is praiseworthy for a surgeon to accompany the army, to witness unusual cases that sometimes occur there. But for him to claim that he followed the army is more likely an indication that he wandered around the country, standing in marketplaces with his oils and salves, as do those vagabonds who scorn all learned men. It is a pity these types are not driven out of the land, as is done in many cities and places, for they cause many people to die through their falsehoods or, at the very least, to remain crippled or lame. I would very much like to know what kind of certification he has from the city of Antwerp or Brussels, where he also passed himself off as a great master, as well as in many other places, leaving numerous poor patients in despair—something sufficiently corroborated by various surgeons who later tended them. Although he writes so boastfully, I well know he did not cure all those who came under his care. Indeed, for such reasons, he secretly left certain places, whereupon his landlord sold what little property he had left behind, and it is evident he aimed to deceive everyone with his grand lies merely to obtain money. He alone best knows how troubled and burdened his conscience is. Still, one must not judge the dead, especially when one has seen in them nothing but virtue and honor, nor should one despise anything unless one knows how to improve it—something not found in him. It is notable that he has misbehaved in certain places, for had he followed the proper schools of the rationalists, I doubt he would know how to treat even a minor wound as the art demands, since he has yet to demonstrate any such skill, despite claiming twenty-eight years of surgical practice. But we have heard enough about how he has deceived many people with his great lies, of which he is undoubtedly a master. Indeed, I can believe one might easily find others like him, so adept is he at playing with words, much like those wanderers who have no fixed abode, etc.

If these same people wish to unburden their consciences first and then safeguard their honor, they must conduct themselves as this book teaches. In so doing, they will no longer destroy others; instead, they will provide help and comfort to everyone (to the extent the art allows) and thus gain honor and profit for themselves. Otherwise, by persisting with their old, false, and unskilled recipes, they would bring no benefit or relief (but rather harm and ruin) and would disgrace and harm themselves.

With this, I shall conclude the prologue, entrusting everyone with the watch he has been given. For it is to be supposed that almighty God will not let those off so easily who ruin their patients daily yet still demand payment, claiming they have done all that the art allows—even though that is a blatant lie. I know not their capabilities, but here one will find the full and unadulterated possibilities of the art itself, as ordained by the Creator of all creatures. May that same Creator grant you grace and assistance, so that you turn away from your former ways of harming others and conform yourself to what the art requires—since the love you owe your neighbor compels you to help him by every means possible within the bounds of this art. Mere knowledge is not enough; if you lack the necessary skill, do not lay hands on any patients until you have it, for you must give account to the Supreme Judge for all that you do.

To lovers of this art, a great treasure; to those who destroy it, utter ruin.