Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1855-07-09
NUMBER 200.
From the Boston Daily Advertiser, july 9.
FL Literary Physicians.


esnt Anaiuersdry Of the Massachusetts, Asdieoi
Society. H
The chair proposed the following toast:
The distinguished Professor Of Anatomy in Har-
ward University" He touches nothing he does
not adorn." s-#
In response to which, DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes
said.
have no choice, Mr.. Chairman, in approprin.
ting to myself the sentiment containing the words
of eulogy which you have so kindly msapplied
! remember of whom those words were Justly
spoken, and by whole lips of wisdom they were
uttered a
II is the pride Of the medical profession that It
has held In It's ranks not only those who have been
the succor and solace Of humanity in its hours of
anguish, but many who have helped to fill its mosi
tranquil moments with soothing thoughts and
cheering images. Such was the most charming Of
English story-tellers, the tender, melodious poet
the lively, ingenious dramatist the learned scholar
in the various ranges Of history and science, over
whose dust his ustrious friend, who had loved,
and pitied, and laughed at and counseed, and
aided, and admired him in life wrote the expires
sive line to which have for the first time blushed
in listening. II was not his to pass his life amidst
those scenes of sorrow with which many of us, his
medical brethren, have been familiar--scenes In
the words which the kind-hearted johnson wrote
on the tomb Of another and humber medical
friend:
"Where hopeless anguish'p pours his moan,
And lonely want retres to die"
would not say that Goldsmith did better, even
in consecrating those rare talents of his to inag
native literature and discursive learning. dare
not place any gift however beautiful, or any sue
cess, however brilliant, above the talent or the
skill which can relieve single mortal pang, and
the self-devotion which lays them at the feet of
the humblest fellow-creature
may speak thus freely Of you whose daily prac
tical labors no longer share. And 80, although
reject and repel the personal application Of those
words Of eulogy with which my name was intro
dnced denying their appropriateness, shivering at
their audacious extravagance, repudiating them in
sentiment in substance, and in form, as eserget
cally as ever sovereign State repudiated its bonds
or Legislature cut loose from its committees,
may yet take the hint from them for few remarks
on the relation which has long existed between
the medical profession and that wider culture
which produces what we call national literature
We leave the mingled tables and histories which
brought down even the youthful divinity Of light
and song to participate in our earthly labors and
lifted mortas to the rank Of divntes for their tri-
umphs in the art of healing, and come at once to
later If not recent times. ] was passing a rainy
day in the city of Lyons, when my good fortune
led me to the boof-shop of the Burnham, of that
ancient town, You will find on my shelves black
letter copy of Avicenna from that old store -housc
which reminds us that medicine and philosophy
and literature went hand In hand beneath the
crescent in all the far-spreading ant-crusades cf
the Saracens
But you will find also on topmost shelf another
and choicer prize from the same collection little
quaint sextodecimo, or octodecimo or iniinitesimo
volume; a Tom Thumb In altitude, but Falstaff
in girth; the Apprentices Of Hippocrates, translated
by and with preface from the hands Of Francis
Rabelais, doctor at once Of medicine aad melan-
choly, whose prescriptions the sick and the well
were never tired Of swallowing from his time 10
our own. Who that ever roared over his broad
riotous, audacious satire the fun flashing through
the sooty license as the white teeth Of chimney
sweep through his smutty features and remem-
bers that his portentous, rough-cast humor like
the silyer-stecl wit Of Erasmus, was but the mask
of grayer purpose the chasseurs dash at the
avant-corps, before the heavy dragoons of reform
rode pell mel into the main body who that re-
members the hearty tribute OF Pope, and traces
the mad fancy Of the man alike In the spasms and
antics Of Tristram Shandy and the fierce grotesques
of Guliver, can help feeling proud to remember
that were he now on earth and wandering among
us, he would be, perhaps at this very moment on
his legs, at the side Of the chairman, answering a
sentiment in honor Of the medical school of Mont
peliery Nor let us forget, IN this connexion, his
geon Of princes and prince Of surgeons, whose
book, full Of the science Of its time, IL captivating
70 the meve scholar by the simplicity, frankness
lveliness, unconscious humor, and child-like re-
yercnce that rlin through Il book which Pierre
Rousard, the poet Of his nation, as he was called
in proud pre-eminence, honored with a poem ex-
pressive at once Of his friendship and admiration
for the great king ghonored, man loving, God-serv.
ing chirurgeon.
n r..
august name Of Haller, the most exalted parsonage
think our profession can claim since the new
birth Of arts and letters; at once a physician,
naturalist statesman, aDd-let me not name Il
as the least OF his claims TO be reInembered-a
poet, worthy TO be the precursor OF Goethe and
OF Schiller.
If we pass over to the land to which We owe
our birth and our language, to whose memory shall
we pay homage frst If not TO that of the author
Of the Religio Medici, whose rich II somewhat
stiflly brocaded erudition was the handmad OF 20
much Imagination and philosophy Shall we for
get Smollett, who has made us and our fathers
and grandfathers laugh as no man OF mortal birth
ever made usg Or stately Akensde, or witty
Garth, or learned Good, or thoughtful Delta" Cf
Backwood-our brother Moir--or dashng Leyei,
Of Charles 0'Malley, and dozen other rattling
Irish stories
Nor should we pass wholly over those among
ourselves, who in the fields OF romance aud song
have maintained the old alliance between the be-
nefcsnt and the beautiful arts One name stleast
we must always hold in remembrance while
I" Freedom from her mountain height
Unfilrls her banner on the air."
The hand that wrote that flushed aud almost
overheated lyric had been laid on many throbbirg
pulses, but when t traced those lines Il touched
the beating heart in every breast Of a mighty pee
pie. And In this connexion | cannot forbear BE-
traying half confidence, which involves nothing
that need blush TO meet the light, when refer 70
that delightful, printed but not published volume,
coming from the sick chamber Of our elegant and
clear-minded friend, the author Of the treatise on
Medical Philosophy, and showing that beneath the
rich growth Of wisdom ran living stream Of po-
etry which the leaves and fruits of the tree Of
knowledge bad wellnigh hidden for 30 long time.
We have need, Mr. Chairman and gentlemen, of
every humanizing influence, Of every form of cul-
ture, to lend grace and dignity TO our position.
We are nssniled as we never we're before. Jour
naliss are running their setons through our necks
and keeping every sore spot open and raw with
their daily and weekly epispastics sprinkled with
the biting cantharidcs of their machine-spread
blisteingpasters." Legislatures are debating
vvh. tnh ho.td h,.tk r..