Severinus, Marcus Aurelius

, a distinguished physician, was born at Tarsia, in Calabria, in 1580, and having, after some intention of studying law, given the preference to medicine, he received the degree of doctor in the university of Naples, where he taught anatomy and surgery with such reputation, as to attract a crowd of students to the university. As a practitioner, however, his method was harsh, and he carried the use of the actual cautery to a great extent. He died at Naples, July 15, 1656, at the age of seventy-six. He was a man of bold and original mind, but somewhat attached to paradox; and was the author of several publications, a list of which may be seen in our authority, and at the time of his death, was preparing for publication some papers, which he meant to illustrate by engravings; they were published together, under the title of “Antiperipatias, hoc est, adversus Aristoteleos de respiratione piscium Diatriba.” “Commentarius in Theophrastum de piscibtis in sicco viventibus.” “Phoca anatomice spectatus,” 1661. A sort of extract or abridgment of his writings on surgery was also published in 1664, with the title of “Synopseos Chtrurgicge Libri vi.” and so late as 1724, a new edition in 4to, of “De AUscessuum recondita natura.” ²