The whole complex structure of the clinic is summarized and fulfilled in the prestigious rapidity of an art: 'Since everything, or nearly everything, in medicine is dependent on a glance or a happy instinct, certainties are to he found in the sensations of the artist himself rather than in the principles of the art'.;' The technical armature of the medical gaze is transformed into advice about prudence, taste, skill: what is required is `great sagacity', 'great attention', 'great precision', 'great skill', 'great patience'.