Year: 1866




this lays only the foundation for tn
study Of medical science and art; with
out it one can only be shallow EN-
peric or pretentious quack, a clas
Of people most dangerous to human
society. Medical science divides il
self in general pathology and therap,
or the general laws Of disease ant
the ways of. healing them, specia
pathology and therapy containing tn
accumulated experience Of thousand
of years about the history and des
cription Of diseases, and of healin,
them mate,Ta medica or knowledge o
all the medicaments, requiring agail
the understanding Of chemistry, bot
any, and all the other branches o
natural sciences, and many more sci
ences, well known to my professiona
brethren and tedious to enumerate I,
others.


When it is honorable to- strive {,
do good to his fellow men, how mucl
moie must it it be when the means t,
do it are given only by the most de
voted study and attention during {
life time.


But a physician must not only be {
learned, but he must also be mora
man.


Without arrogating to the member,
of our profession undue praise we car
say in truth and verify, that gross
vices at least are seldom found among
them. Among large acquaintance
of mine, never found gambler yet
not one in a thousand an intemperate
man, and very few to whom the re-
proach of Righteousness could be
made, although the temptation foI
the two last mentioned vices is SO very
great. But certainly it is small praise,
to say that physicians in general are
FREQ from gross immoralities, hope
we can say better things for them.
A physician ought to be, and the large
majority are unselfsh, neither loss of
nor ambition, nor Of ease and
luxury ought to swerve him from the
direct path of duty. There is no
doubt that the large amount Of capi-
tai expended during studies, the long
time used in them and in gaining the
least remunerative practice, the in
tense thought and study during life
time, the exertions in day, as well as
in night, in well as well as in sick
days, would in any other branch of
business lead by far sooner to com
potency even to riches.


We see such members of our pro-
lession who desert the standard of
our art End turn their attention to
and trade get opulent,
when we toll On and on and very sell
dom get more than ust competency.
The young man who becomes ply
sician,. in the hope to get wealth in
ease will find himself wofully de-
ceived, although we must live by our
profession, very few make mere than
lust a living.


The same must be said about am
bition, no high rank, no glittering
fame awaits even the most successful
he will be known only to a
comparatively small circle, multitudes
will not applaud him, as they do the
wise statesman, the brilliant orator,
the eminent lawyer or more than all
the successful soldier. A physician
must be content with the approval Of
his conscience, as is lucky enough, if
instead of praise and gratitude he
does not meet detraction or SANDER.
He gets so well cured from ambition,
that you will seldom find him in
places of honor and dignity, the places
Of Senator, Governor, Ambassador,
have no charm for him, he is content
TO do his duty in his humble sphere,
where he knows he can do some good,
not all the good he wishes
to. Allow me to allude TO show of
disinterestedness, exhibited not by a
single or n dozen physicians but of all
the large number through the length
and breadth of our country.


Cholera is threatening our shores,
or is even now within our borders,
promising agonies and death to many
but golden harvest to the practitioner,
but don't we see the physicians every
where rising up like one man, con-
sulting about the best means to pre-
vent the spread of this fearful disease,
entreating, yea begging the civil au-
thorities to take such steps as expert
ence and science have shown needful,
often and often fippant an
swers, or ncfever polite rebuff, serv-
ing without recompense, and mostly
thanks, as officers of health,
and this oil not to foster their own
selfish end, but entirely to the contra
ny. And such services were not
grudgin2ly but voluntarily, unasked
for, often unoared for anywhere and
everywhere. The history of epidemics
will show such things in oil times, the
don't consider it any thing
only their bounden duty
yes the world at large considers it So,
showing that from the medical world
nothing but the highest tone Of NOR
atty and disinterestedness is expect
cd. A physician must further be able
to sacrifice his case, his comfort, haz-
ard even his life, at all times. Has
old age thinned and silyered his locks,
has disease broken down his constitu-
ton, he must answer all calls, day
and night. be lie ever SO tired and OK
hausted, in the glaring midday, sun
of July, in the pclting storm of De-
cember, over the toughest roads,
through pestilential swamps, he is
called and must go. When epidemics
appear in the most dangerous form,
in the most loathsome aspect in
smallpox, in yellow fever, in plague,
in cholera, he must 90, and willingly
goes, not giving a thought to his per-
sonal risk, hardly even to the danger