The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1891-08-26
Continued from Isl page.)

member of the Royal College of Sur
geons in 1886. For many years he
labored hard, but unostentatiously,
in the practise of his profession, to
which he devoted himself with
singleness of purpose and an untiring
energy which seldom fail to lead to
success in any walk of life. From
his resolve never to belong to club
he did not depart until his life was
far advanced, and although much
beset by invitations to dinner, it was
difficult to induce him to accept any.
1t was his steadfast belief that sur
geon cannot secure and retain the
precision of eye and hand and the
unrufiled nerve which are so indis-
pensable in dangerous and difficult
operations unless he leads life Of
the greatest regularity and temper
ance. Before long Sir Prescott
Hewett became, perhaps, the most
skilful operator in London, with the
exception of the late Sir William
Ferguson There have been London
surgeons like the late Sir Benjamin
Brodie, or the still living Sir James
Paget, whose diagnosis was more
valuable; but finer operators than
Sir William Ferguson and Sir Pres
colt Hewett it would be difficult to
imagine. 1t was the latter's great
distinction that he was pune
tual to q moment at the hour in
variably named by himself, and
the amount of work done by him
between eight in the morning and
dinner-time would be impossible
in the case of a less methodical
man. Nor should it be omitted that
never yet was there surgeon In
whom courage and tirmness were
more closely blended with sympathy
and generosity. Although Sir Pres
colt Hewett's practise for more than
fifty years was lnordinately great,
and though his hand and eye were as
true at seventy as they had been at
thirty years of age, he retired from
his profession without having amass-
ed more than moderate fortune,
owing to his generous alacrity in
performing operations for poor pa
tients and refusing to take any fee
when he knew that it would be bur.
densome to pay it.
In 1876 he succeeded Sir James
Paget as President of the Royal Col
lege of Surgeons, and was created
balo in 1888. In addition he was
Fellow of the Royal Society, Pre-
sident of the Pathological and Clint
cal Societies, and contributor of some
valuable papers to their published
Transactions. AS one of her
Majesty's Sergeant-Surgeons, and as
Surgeon-in- Ordinary to the Prince of
Wales, Sir Prescott Hewett was re-
garded with no ordinary esteem at
Windsor Castle, and it is not too
much to say with affectionate inter-
est and regard by the Prince and
llHCCoo VI w alSo. IL lCCdplt uldtC
the names of some of the distin-
guished patients whom Sir Prescott
had attended during his fifty years
and more of professional life would
far exceed the limits of space now
at our command. Suffice it to say
that there were none of whom he
spoke with more affection than of
Harriet Duchess of Sutherland and
of the late Lord Herbert of Lea,
father to the present Earl of Penn
broke. 1t was by Sir Prescott's adj
vice that, two days before Lord Her
bert's death, on Aug. 2, 1861, he
was moved from his house near Bel
gravesquare to Wilton Abbey, near
Salisbury, where it was his lordship's
earnest desire to draw his last breath.
Sir Prescott accompanied his noble
patient to the station, and from the
house opposite, at the corner of
BeIgrave- square, Mr.. and Mrs Glad
stone looked for the last time on the
dear and lifelong friend whom they
knew they should never see again.
Turning to far less distinguished
patient, it is well known that Mr..
Frederick Swindell, one of the most
successful racing men of the present
century, was indebted to Sir Pres
colts skill and courage for a con-
siderable prolongation of his life.
Mr.. Swindell was suffering from a
mysterious pain which had long de-
fed medical treatment. Accepting
the full responsibility attaching to
his advice, Sir Prescott predicted
that a body of matter had formed at
a spot which could easily be reached
by the knife. The operation was
performed by Sir Prescott Hewett,
at Mr.. Swindell's earnest solicita-
ton, with the happiest results.
In 1849 Sir Prescott was married
to the eldest daughter of the Rev. j.
Cowell, of Todmorden, by whom
(she d ed many years before him) he
leaves two daughters and a son. 1t
may be SAID, without fear of contra
diction, that inside and outside of his
own profaScion Cir DroSoott uauott