The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-06-27

TIE patronage Vi nluulGOui( OOiCSc-
When the fact became known that he
thought of leaving marlborough, he was
solicited by the inhabitants of some OF
the towns near there, TO establish him>
self among them, and they pledged to him
Liberal patronage II he would doso 1t
appears from letters of solicitation found
among his papers, that DR.. Allen at this
early period in hisprofessional career, had
taken high position in the rank Of ply
sicians.
After removing his family to Middle
bury in 1922, he commenced the practice
of his profession in that place. He cons
tinued to lecture in the College till 1926
and attended to the duties of his profess
orshlp in the Academy of Medicine till
1929 His professional practice contin-
ued till his death, which occurred at Mid
dlebury, on the I'd, of February, lS49, at
the age of sixty years.
To form Just opinion Of the charact-
er of Dr. Allen, it will be necessary to
view him in the various relations which
he sustained in life. He seems to have
deUctcd himself, early in the course of his
study, 10 the acquisition of knowledge,
and particularly to knowledge of Natu>
raj History, especially those branches most
intimately connected with his profession.
1t was during the few years Of his resi-
dence in marlborough and Brattlebo-
rough that he made quite an extensive
collection of minerals. This was ALTERS
wards purchased by Middlebury College,
and for some time, formed large portion
of the mineralogical cabinet Of that instI-
tuition. A few years since, when the min
erals were all handled over by the writer
of this sketch, it was found that large
number of the labels were in his hand
writing, showing that they were analysed
and their names appropriated 10 them by
himself Several scientific articles which
appeared about this time in !Sillim0n'S
Journal ofScience, also show his interest
in this branch of Natural History.
AT somewhat later period he collects
ed two extensive herbarlums, one of which
he arranged according to the artificial
method of the Swedish botanist Linnaeus,
and the other according to the more scien>
tifc and Just method of the distinguished
French botanist Jussieu, called the Nat
ural System.
He was also peculiarly interested in
comparative anatomy, and made himself
more or less acquainted with the .taunae
OF this and adjoining States. If any new
or strange animal was caught or killed in
this region, he was made the Judge Of its
character, and was called upon 10 give 1t
a hab;ation and name. This was es>
pecialy the case when our state paid ID
bounty for the obstruction of wild beasts.
1t is said, indeed, that he was led TO the
choice Of the medical profession by his
great interest in the study of the lower an
imals, great numbers Of whom had fallen
victims to his curiosity of knowing their
structure.
To the science Of chemistry, DR.. Allen
had given the closest and the most exact
attention. He made himself familiar
with the incest principles of combination
found in the various Medical formulate.
While at marlborough and Brattlebo-
rough he was accustomed 10 lecture on
chemistry in the towns adjoining. His
success in these lectures brought him
to the favorable notice Of the Trustees OF
Middlebury College and secured his ap-
pointment as lecturer On chemistry in
that institution. The skill and the re-
markable power OF adaptation which he
exhibited in the getting up Of his chemi>
cal and philosophical apparatus was truly
Franklini9n, and would have done honor to
the distinguished American philosopher
His bottle, gun-barrel, tobacco>pipe and
wash-tub in the district school>room would
make sorry appearance beside the SPLEEN
did retorts, furnaces, test-tubes and pneu-
matte cisterns in the laboratories of oul
Colleges. The enthusiasm of the philos
opher, however, was there ImpartIng life
and power to them all, without which the
most splendid apparatus is but dead mat
ter-simply glass and metal. AT later
period DR.. Allen was accustomed toprepart
many Of the choicest articles Ofthe Mate
/ ria Medica, so that to 4 very great extent
he had rendered himself independent o
the apothecary.
He ever had a restless anxiety to be
come familiar with the laws of nature
1t was his usual practice to study then
in all the various phenomena resulting
from their action, with zeal and zes
known only to those who become Gdfpt!
in the process. 1t was not, however
merely as naturalist that he devoted him
self to the acquisition of a knowledge o
nature, but as physician, in the trues
sense of the term. He believed disease
to be Natural phenomenon and regula
ted in its rise, progress and termination
bv laws as fixed and as capable of being
determined as are other natural laws. Hi
views Of the Modus Operandi ofmedicine
are so Just and, at the same time, so wei
show his manner of phllosophlsing
that we are unwilling to resist the tempta
ton of quoting few extracts from hi
"iSystcm of PharmacOlOgy," the first mum
Der of which, alone was ever published
every active substance in nature, wheI