Some years after the founding of the University of Paris, a great scientific movement occurred in the Occident. The Faculty of Montpellier had already acquired much celebrity. The College of Surgeons of Paris was established in 1271. Medical circles counted a brilliant galaxy of remarkable men, _i.e._ Richard de Wendmere, Jean de Saint Amand, Guillaume Saliceto, the great Albert, Bernard Gordon, Arnauld de Villeneuve, Lanfranc, and Roger Bacon. The school of Paris now wished to direct its own affairs, and accordingly, in 1280 A.D., separated from the University and assumed the title _Physicorum Facultas_, and its members became physicians. Sustained by Royal edict, they obtained rich grants from the church and from public taxes, but these marks of favor aroused bitter jealousies; criticism rained down on the healing art on every hand, and medicine was lampooned; these physicians of the thirteenth century were ridiculed so bitterly as to make the age historical, and thus inspire the comedy writers of future generations. This is more than evidenced in the wicked satires of Guyot de Provins (_Bible Guiot_), who cruelly assails the doctors; it was he who wrote the poem that said: “Young doctors just come from Salern(o) Sell blown-up bladders for lantern.” As we see, from perusing these numerous lampoons, physicians were not held in high esteem, notwithstanding the sacerdotal character in which the profession was invested. Meantime, in the _Roman du Noveau Renard_, we find a passage[4] that permits the supposition that physicians already possessed a certain amount of medical erudition; that they were acquainted with the works of Galen, and had full knowledge of all writers of the Arabian school, as well as that of the school of Salerno. “Je faisoie le physicien Et allegoie Galien, Et montrois oeuvre ancienne Et de Rasis et d’Avicenne, Et a tous les faisoie entendre In’estoie drois physiciens Et maistre des practiciens.” In revenge, the author of the “Romance of Renard” accords but little confidence to medical art, for he adds very maliciously: “All belief in medicine is folly, Trust it and you lose your life; For it is a fact most melancholy— Where one is cured two perish in the strife.” Why the poet of the _Roman du Renard_ was so full of rancor against the doctors of his time is a problem too difficult to solve; yet, while he considered them no better than criminals and dangerous men to society, he did not fail to call a doctor before dying. Physicians, for some strange and unknown reason, have always been criticised by French literary men in modern as well as ancient times. Our French authors have never, as did the masters of Greek poesy, recognized us as brothers in Apollo. Permit me here to call their attention to one of the writers of Greek anthology, who said of physicians: