Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-29
PHYSICIANS FORTUNES.
Large Estates Left by Them-Fa-
NOUS Doctors Last Words.

From the British Medical Journal.
Nothnagel, who died alone in his room,
noted his own symp toms to the last. A
letter to his assistant is said to have
ended as follows: written late on the
evening of July 6. just after experiencing
these severe attacks died of calci-
fcation of the arteries Traube also made
observations on himself to the very end
Locock expressed a wish to be present at
the post-mortem animation on himself;
and among Cuvier's last recorded words
Is a remark, as his fingers twitched invoI-
UNFAIRLY. Charles Bell is right: &c sont
les nerfs de Ia volonte qui sont maladifs.'
Dyce Davidson, professor at Aberdeen,
died Immediately after saying to his
class, speaking of the next meeting, which
was never to take place. -Four o'clock
on Monday. gentlemen; o'clock"
Several doctors have taken their leave
with a blessing to those around them
Ashley Cooper's last recorded words are,
He had previously said to his physicians.
Bright and Chambers. Gods will be
done; God bless you both!' adding, you
must excuse me, but shall take no more
medicine" Benjamin Brodie was heard
to mutter, After all, God is very good"
The saddest Of all recorded last words
are probably those of Oliver Goldsmith,
who, when asked by his physician If his
mind was at ease said. mo. 1t Is notw
On the other hand. William Hunters mind
seems to have been full of bright thoughts
at the moment Of death, for he said, eff
l could hold a pen, what book I could
write!"
Pasteur and Darwin. though not be-
longing to the medical profession are
venerated by it as teachers. Darwins
10 nrIc
afraid to die" Pasteur was offered a
cup Of milk, and. being unable to swal-
low 1t, murmured,. "I cannot" He passed
away with one hand in his wlfe's. the
other grasping a crucifx. Lastly are
mentioned the last words of Mirabeau,
which are said to have been addressed to
a doctor He wrote on slip of paper,
which he gave to his physician, the phil
osopher Cabanis, the single word, Dor
mir" Another account which may be an
begging for an anodyne. he said, re-
proachfully, to the doctor, Were you
not my physician and my friend? Did
you not promise to spare me the suffering
of such death? Must I go away carry
Ing with me the regret of having confided
In your" This is rather a long and rhet-
orical speech for dying man.
1t is given to few men of any profession
to accumulate such large fortunes as the
late Lord Brampton and Mr.. Murphy. X.
c., have left behind them-fortunes
amounting to 9141,OO0 and E234.0O0. re-
spectively; but to say, as stated by con-
temporary. that such an achievement is
only possible in the law is scarcely in &C
cordance with the facts. Three medical
men at least have left estates still larger
than the greater of these. Thirty years
ago DR.. Blundell died worth more than a
third of million pounds-more exactly,
1850 900; during his fifty-three years Of
strenuous professional life Sir William
Jenifer accumulated the enormous sum of
s375OO0. though it is doubtful if he ever
made more than e12,OOo in any year; and
Sir William Gull left personally valued
at e34O,00O. DR.. T. B. Armitage died, at
sixty.six, worth 1000; Sir Erasmus
Wilson left G264 900 behind him and Sir
Andrew Clark's savings reached s204000.