The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-11

King. The doctor never had a large
practice, and found plenty of time for
literary occupation. In 1890 he pub
lished Lives of British Physicians"
writing himself the articles on Lin
acre. Caius. Harvey, Sir Thomas
Browne, %Sydenham and Radcliffe. DIR.
Packard indorses the work gener-
ously: THE lives are we'll written,
accurate. n contain information
much of which is derived from sources
inaccessible to the general reader"
Macmichael died in 1889. Sir Thomas
Watson wrote of him:
DR.. Mncmichaei was fond OF sdciety.
and qualified alike to enjoy and embel-
llsh It. Having travelled long and seen
many cities and the manners OF many
mon. he possessed a large stock Of gen
eral Information. was fertile in various
and amusing anecdotes. and was wont to
mlN. With certain natural ease and grace.
in lively and interesting discourse, with
out making his own share In It unduly
prominent. His cheerfulncss and eduanim-
ity Of temper. and kindness Of heart, en-
deared him TO n large circle Of devoted
friends.
The doctors autobiography" Of the
Gold Headed Cane. Of which II is the
second and enlarged edition, 1928.
that is now reprinted, is an essay in
rare old Addisonian prose which we
did not suppose could have been
carried on in all its sthteliness to
quite so near a date. Modern physi-
clans may read II with increasing de-
light in the calm assurance with
which the honor and dignity Of their
noble profession are taken for granted
rather than aggressively asserted in
the name Of some medical men Of
this day who praise themselves and
their healing art with n fervor not
only unnecessary but actually sugges-
tive, no doubt enormously. Of defence
against a nibbling conscience. The
fees and medicines OF the doctors Of
old London are recorded. as are the
fashionable diseases and theories Of
the time. and the distinguished pa
tents and healers are presented in de-
lightfully intimate view. The pleas
ant fiction Of the cane as narrator
gives the estimable Macmichael con-
siderable latitude for the Indulgence
Of personal within in lively i%nterpola-
ton. when" say the Gold Headed
Cane. II was deposited In a corner
closet Of the Library. on the twenty
fourth of June. 1925. the day before
the opening OF the New College Of
Physicians. with the observation that
/ was no longer to be carried about,
but to he kept among the reliques OF
hat learned body, II was impossible
to avoid secretly lamenting the OBJ
security which was henceforth to be
my OF. had been closely
connected with medicine for a century
and a half; and might consequently.
without vanity. look upon myself as
the depositary OF many important Sc
crets. in which the dignity OF the pro-
fession was nearly concerned. .
These Memoirs are the fruit OF my
retirement: and should the reader feel
any disposition I o authenticate my
narrative by reference to the records
Of the different periods It embraces. I
feel no fear for the result Of his in
vestigation; since IL the written docu-
ments be correct. they must agree
with my story" II Is thus that auto
biographers should speak.
His Majesty William III. is the first
patient: "A person OF a grave and
solemn aspect. apparently about forty
wars Of age. Of a thin and weak body,
brown hair. and Of middle nature,
sitting In an arm chair. and breathing
with great difficulty" The King had
had smallpox, which left him with
asthma, rendering more melancholy
his naturally serious character" His
eyes were we'll lighted. his forehead
both broad and high. his nose aqui-
line: a front Of dignity which. though
usually grave and phlegmatic. was in
moments Of stress susceptible Of the
most animated expression" The doc
tors, after conference. succeeded SO
we'll in their treatment OF the royal
patient that "a few months afterward
he fought the battle OF the Boyne."
When, five years later. the Queen died
of smallpox my master was blamed
by his enemies as having caused her
death. either by his negligence or I'M
skilfulness," but he in defence al
ways maintained that he was called
too late. and that no remedies that
could then be tried had the least
chance Of doing her good"
DIR. Radcliffe almost got married,
but:
one evening ne returned TO his
home, obviously much discomposed. He
was no sooner alone In his chamber
than ne gave vent 30 his chagr!n. Good
God" said he. as ne paced up and down
the room. what a discovery, Well!
ha nging and marrying certainly go by
destiny; and II l had been guilty OF the
last ! should scarcely have escaped the
first. What would my acquaintance have
said? And my neighbor. Sir Godfrey.
how would he have ~triumphed! He was
sarcastic enough the other day about that
COMPOUNDED garden door-here there
would nave been no bounds to his mirth
! should have been the laughing stock OF
all who know me.
Mistress Mary Is a very deserving
must pardon me. II l think her by no
means At TO he my wife. since she I. or
ought to be another mans already"
This somewhat delicate Cor indeli-
cate) narration is recited here for the
sake OF a good story told in a foot
note, from the Life Of Radcliffe. about
my neighbor. Sir Godfrey and
that COMPOUNDED garden door, Sir
Godfrey Kneller. the Kings chief
painter" lived in Bow street, Covent
Garden, in a house directly behind the
doctors, and their gardens were con-
tiguous. The doctor proposed the cut
ting OF a door in the wall. 80 tha the
gardens might be used in common, but
lin such a manne as should not be
i~nconvenient to either family" The
door was made, but the Doctors SER
wants made such n havock among
Sir Godfrey's hortulanary curiosities''
that at last the painter sent word that
llf his rnmn1Alnts continued 10 ,rAxa