下载辰思小说免费APP
“FrereJacques,“whotaughtthelithotomistsofParis,oweshisecclesiasticaltitletocourtesy,ashedidnotbelongtoareligiousorder。
Medicalscience,andespeciallythestudyofmentaldisease,isdestined,Ibelieve,toreacttomuchgreateradvantageonthetheologyofthefuturethantheologyhasactedonmedicineinthepast。Theliberalspiritverygenerallyprevailinginbothprofessions,andthegoodunderstandingbetweentheirmostenlightenedmembers,promisewellforthefutureofbothinacommunitywhichholdseverypointofhumanbelief,everyinstitutioninhumanhands,andeverywordwritteninahumandialect,opentofreediscussiontoday,to-morrow,andtotheendoftime。Whethertheworldatlargewilleverbecuredoftrustingtospecificsasasubstituteforobservingthelawsofhealth,andtomechanicalorintellectualformulaasasubstituteforcharacter,mayadmitofquestion。Quackeryandidolatryareallbutimmortal。
Wecanfindmostoftheoldbeliefsaliveamongstusto-day,onlyhavingchangedtheirdressesandthesocialspheresinwhichtheythrive。WethinkthequarrelsofGalenistsandchemistsbelongtothepast,forgettingthatThomsonismhasitsnumerousapostlesinourcommunity;thatitiscommontoseeremediesvauntedaspurelyvegetable,andthattheprejudiceagainst“mineralpoisons,“
especiallymercury,isasstronginmanyquartersnowasitwasatthebeginningoftheseventeenthcentury。Namesareonlyair,andblowawaywithachangeofwind;butbeliefsarerootedinhumanwantsandweakness,anddiehard。TheoaksofDodonaareprostrate,andtheshrineofDelphiisdesolate;butthePythonessandtheSibylmaybeconsultedinLowellStreetforaverymoderatecompensation。
NostradamusandLillyseemimpossibleinourtime;butwehaveseentheadvertisementsofanastrologerinourBostonpapersyearafteryear,whichseemstoimplythathefoundbelieversandpatrons。YousmiledwhenIrelatedSirKenelmDigby’sprescriptionwiththeliveeelinit;butifeachofyouweretoemptyhisorherpockets,wouldtherenotrollout,frommorethanoneofthem,ahorse-chestnut,carriedaboutasacureforrheumatism?ThebrazenheadofRogerBaconismute;butisnot“Planchette“utteringherresponsesinahundredhousesofthiscity?WethinkofpalmistryorchiromancyasbelongingtothedaysofAlbertusMagnus,or,ifexistinginourtime,asgivenovertothegypsies;butaverydistinguishedpersonhasrecentlyshownmethelineoflife,andthelineoffortune,onthepalmofhishand,withaseemingconfidenceinthesanguinepredictionsofhiscareerwhichhadbeendrawnfromthem。Whatshallwesayoftheplausibleandwell-dressedcharlatansofourowntime,whotradeinfalsepretences,likeNicholasKnappofold,butwithoutanyfearofbeingfinedorwhipped;orofthemanyfolliesandinanities,imposingonthecredulouspartofthecommunity,eachofthemgapingwitheager,openmouthforagratuitousadvertisementbythementionofitsfoolishnameinanyrespectableconnection?
Iturnfromthislesspleasingaspectofthecommonintelligencewhichrenderssuchfolliespossible,toclosethehonorablerecordofthemedicalprofessioninthis,ourancientCommonwealth。
Wehaveseenitinthefirstcenturydividedamongclergymen,magistrates,andregularpractitioners;yet,onthewhole,forthetime,andunderthecircumstances,respectable,exceptwhereitinvokedsupernaturalagenciestoaccountfornaturalphenomena。
Inthesecondcenturyitsimplifieditspractice,educatedmanyintelligentpractitioners,andbegantheworkoforganizingforconcertedaction,andformedicalteaching。
Inthis,ourowncentury,ithasbuilthospitals,perfectedandmultiplieditsassociationsandeducationalinstitutions,enlargedandcreatedmuseums,andchallengedaplaceintheworldofsciencebyitsliterature。
Inreviewingthewholecourseofitshistorywereadalonglistofhonorednames,andapreciousrecordwritteninprivatememories,inpubliccharities,inpermanentcontributionstomedicalscience,ingeneroussacrificesforthecountry。WecanpointtoourcapitalastheportofentryfortheNewWorldofthegreatmedicaldiscoveriesoftwosuccessivecenturies,andwecanclaimforitthetriumphoverthemostdreadedfoethatassailsthehumanbody,——atriumphwhichtheannalsoftheracecanhardlymatchinthreethousandyearsofmedicalhistory。
THEYOUNGPRACTITIONER
[AValedictoryAddressdeliveredtotheGraduatingClassoftheBellevueHospitalCollege,March2,1871。]
Theoccasionwhichcallsustogetherremindsusnotalittleofthatotherceremonywhichunitesamanandwomanforlife。Thebannshavealreadybeenpronouncedwhichhaveweddedouryoungfriendstotheprofessionoftheirchoice。Itremainsonlytoaddresstothemsomefriendlywordsofcheeringcounsel,andtobestowuponthemthepartingbenediction。
Thisisnotthetimeforrhetoricaldisplayorambitiouseloquence。
Wemustforgetourselves,andthinkonlyofthem。Tousitisanoccasion;tothemitisanepoch。Thespectatorsattheweddinglookcuriouslyatthebrideandb
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