Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1875-03-11
ANECDOTES OF DOCTORS.

must stand out that blunt, clever, iras-
chile Yorkshireman, DIR. Radcliffe, whose
memory the great library at Oxford (for
which he bequeathed forty thousand
pounds) viii never allow to perish
Though there was perhaps a certain
pride about his honest bluntness, we
must respect the man who could tell
the truth even to royal patients.
Two years after his arrival in London,
Radcliffe was appointed physician to
the Princess Anne Of Denmark; and
soon after the accession of King Will
liam, was rewarded for the cure Of two
of Williams favorites, bv a present of
five hundred grineas from the Privy-
purse. Though refusing the post of
court physician, Radcliffe is said to have
received from the king in six years near.
ly eight thousand guineas. His gains,
indeed, seem to have been enormous,
for, in 1851, he received ole thousand
guineas from Queen Mary for success
fully prescribing for the young Duke of
Gloucester, the son of the Princess
Anne; and we cannot disbelieve the
story that DIR. Gibson made thousand
a year by receiving patients who were
unable to obtain admission to DIR. Rad
cliffe.
In 1894 he attended the good Queen
Mary for the smallpox, and on merely
reading the prescriptions of the other
at once pronounced her ga
dead woman" prediction very soon
verified. Queens and princesses might
shrug their pretty shoulders at his
name, but they could not dispense with
services, and we find hin
telling messenger of the Princess
Anne, that she had nothing but the
vapors, and was as well as any other
in the world, could she but
think So" He was dismissed the court
for this hit. Even royal pride, howev-
cr, had to bow before the great doctor,
and he was, in 1899, again sent for to
see the Duke of Gloucester, whom he
at once, abusing soundly the court phys
icians, pronounced as beyond the reach
Of medicine.
In 1895, King William gave Radcliffe
twelve hundred pounds, and made him
the offer of baronetcv, which he de-
cl;ned, for having gone abroad to at
tend the Earl of Albemarle, who, on his
recovery, had sent him four hundred
yuireas and diamond ring. Even the
king Radcliffe did little to conciliate,
and told him frankly that all promises
10 cure him were futile. He might, he
said, if he gave up drinking long toasts
with the Earl Of Bradford (who drank
hard,) live three or four years; but no
lrt would carry him further When
the king was finally seized with dropsy,
and asked the doctor what he Thought
Of his legs" Radcliffe replied: "Why,
truly. sir, would not have your Mai jes-
tvs two legs for your three kingdoms"
Can we wonder that William ever af-
terwards refused to see the blunt doc
tor, in spite of the intercessions of the
Earl Of Albermarle and other mobiles !?
For many years, Queen Anne remem-
bered the message about the vapors,
and never sent for him to the palace;
but when her own husband, Prince
George of Denmark, was diving. she
had again to bate her pride. But Rad
rliffe was both blunt and rough, and
told her plainly that no medicine could
preserve him more than SIX days; and
the Prince died of dropsy within that
time
Fond as Radcliffe was Of money, he
could bear losses philosophically, if the
story be true, that, losing five thousand
pounds in a foolish commercial adven-
ture, he coolly remarked in his city tav-
ern, that, after all, it amounted to GO
lns up five thousand more pairs of
stairs. He was equally calm when he
lost fifteen thousand pounds down and
a city bride. With that strange incon-
sistcncy common to human nature. Rad
rliffe, though he hated breakinga gum
ea for small payments, was charitable
in large way. He secretly sent FIVE
hundred pounds to the Nonjuring cler~
" of Norwich, and OF mother occasion
three bundled pounds to the poor Epis-
copal clergy of Scotland.
To those whom he respected the doc
tor WIS rough; to those whom he des-
pissed. he was terrible indeed. TYSON
of Hackney, notorious 'usurer and mi
Ser. once came to him disguised as a
poor man, in order 10 save the fee
Radcliffe recognized him, and at once
shook deaths dart in his face.
Go home, sir. and repent ~ be roar
ed. 1.-The grave is ready for the man
who has raised an immense estate out
Of the spoils of orphans and Widows
You will be a dead nan in ten days
Tyson died within the time, having
the wretched satisfaction of leaving
behind him three hundred thousand
pounds.
Radcliffe. who died in l7l4, was sue.
ceeded by his protege. DR.. Mead. tn,
son of n dissenting minister at Stepnev
who first practised incubation in Eng
land. Though an ardent Wing. Mead
was friend of Pope, Garth. and Ar
buthnot. Edu Gated at Utrecht, Ley
den, and Fadua, Mead became famou.
at an early age, and soon acquired 4
European reputa tion. Though a mild
forbearing man, he once drew his swort
on his sourrilous rival, DIR. Woodward
and forced him to beg his pardon
His grand house in Great Ormont
Street contained library of ten thous.
and volumes, and curiosities innumera
bic, which he could well afford to pur
chase out of his six thousand pounds
year. A liberal patron of arts an
L. kal II