Origin of Discoveries Attributed to the Moderns (1796) - Page 10

For none among us is able both to establish and to perfect an art at once;

original: "Οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἡμῶν ἱκανός ἐστι συνθήσασθαί τε ἅμα καὶ τελειῶσαι τὴν τέχνην..."

rather, it is a thing to be cherished if, over many years, those who come after,

taking up the work of those who went before, might one day bring it to completion.

GALEN. On the Aphorisms, Book I.

original: "in Aphoris. I, L. I." This citation refers to the commentary by Galen (c. 129–216 AD), the most influential physician of antiquity, on the Aphorisms of Hippocrates. The quote highlights the "standing on the shoulders of giants" philosophy central to this book.