a　Jesuit　how　to　cure　agues；　from　a　friar　how　to　cut　for　stone；　from　a　soldier　how　to　treat　gout；　from　a　sailor　how　to　keep　off　scurvy；　from　a　postmaster　how　to　sound　the　Eustachian　tube；　from　a　dairy…maid　how　to　prevent　small…pox；　and　from　an　old　market…　woman　how　to　catch　the　itch…insect。　　It　borrowed　acupuncture　and　the　moxa　from　the　Japanese　heathen；　and　was　taught　the　use　of　lobelia　by　the　American　savage。　　It　stands　ready　to…day　to　accept　anything　from　any　theorist；　from　any　empiric　who　can　make　out　a　good　case　for　his　discovery　or　his　remedy。　　〃Science〃　is　one　of　its　benefactors；　but　only　one；　out　of　many。　　Ask　the　wisest　practising　physician　you　know；　what　branches　of　science　help　him　habitually；　and　what　amount　of　knowledge　relating　to　each　branch　he　requires　for　his　professional　duties。　　He　will　tell　you　that　scientific　training　has　a　value　independent　of　all　the　special　knowledge　acquired。　　He　will　tell　you　that　many　facts　are　explained　by　studying　them　in　the　wider　range　of　related　facts　to　which　they　belong。　　He　will　gratefully　recognize　that　the　anatomist　has　furnished　him　with　indispensable　data；　that　the　physiologist　has　sometimes　put　him　on　the　track　of　new　modes　of　treatment；　that　the　chemist　has　isolated　the　active　principles　of　his　medicines；　has　taught　him　how　to　combine　them；　has　from　time　to　time　offered　him　new　remedial　agencies；　and　so　of　others　of　his　allies。　But　he　will　also　tell　you；　if　I　am　not　mistaken；　that　his　own　branch　of　knowledge　is　so　extensive　and　so　perplexing　that　he　must　accept　most　of　his　facts　ready　made　at　their　hands。　　He　will　own　to　you　that　in　the　struggle　for　life　which　goes　on　day　and　night　in　our　thoughts　as　in　the　outside　world　of　nature；　much　that　he　learned　under　the　name　of　science　has　died　out；　and　that　simple　homely　experience　has　largely　taken　the　place　of　that　scholastic　knowledge　to　which　he　and　perhaps　some　of　his　instructors　once　attached　a　paremount　importance。
  This；　then；　is　my　view　of　scientific　training　as　conducted　in　courses　such　as　you　are　entering　on。　　Up　to　a　certain　point　I　believe　in　set　Lectures　as　excellent　adjuncts　to　what　is　far　more　important；　practical　instruction　at　the　bedside；　in　the　operating　room；　and　under　the　eye　of　the　Demonstrator。　　But　I　am　so　far　from　wishing　these　courses　extended；　that　I　think　some　of　themsuppose　I　say　my　ownwould　almost　bear　curtailing。　　Do　you　want　me　to　describe　more　branches　of　the　sciatic　and　crural　nerves？　　I　can　take　Fischer's　plates；　and　lecturing　on　that　scale　fill　up　my　whole　course　and　not　finish　the　nerves　alone。　　We　must　stop　somewhere；　and　for　my　own　part　I　think　the　scholastic　exercises　of　our　colleges　have　already　claimed　their　full　share　of　the　student's　time　without　our　seeking　to　extend　them。
  I　trust　I　have　vindicated　the　apparent　inconsequence　of　teaching　young　students　a　good　deal　that　seems　at　first　sight　profitless；　but　which　helps　them　to　learn　and　retain　what　is　profitable。　　But　this　is　an　inquisitive　age；　and　if　we　insist　on　piling　up　beyond　a　certain　height　knowledge　which　is　in　itself　mere　trash　and　lumber　to　a　man　whose　life　is　to　be　one　long　fight　with　death　and　disease；　there　will　be　some　sharp　questions　asked　by　and　by；　and　our　quick…witted　people　will　perhaps　find　they　can　get　along　as　well　without　the　professor's　cap　as　without　the　bishop's　mitre　and　the　monarch's　crown。
  I　myself　have　nothing　to　do　with　clinical　teaching。　　Yet　I　do　not　hesitate　to　say　it　is　more　essential　than　all　the　rest　put　together；　so　far　as　the　ordinary　practice　of　medicine　is　concerned；　and　this　is　by　far　the　most　important　thing　to　be　learned；　because　it　deals　with　so　many　more　lives　than　any　other　branch　of　the　profession。　　So　of　personal　instruction；　such　as　we　give　and　others　give　in　the　interval　of　lectures；　much　of　it　at　the　bedside；　some　of　it　in　the　laboratory；　some　in　the　microscope…room；　some　in　the　recitation…room；　I　think　it　has　many　advantages　of　its　own　over　the　winter　course；　and　I　do　not　wish　to　see　it　shortened　for　the　sake　of　prolonging　what　seems　to　me　long　enough　already。
  If　I　am　jealous　of　the　tendency　to　expand　the　time　given　to　the　acquisition　of　curious　knowledge；　at　the　expense　of　the　plain　old…　fashioned　bedside　teachings；　I　only　share　the　feeling　which　Sydenham　expressed　two　hundred　years　ago；　using　an　image　I　have　already　borrowed。　　〃He　would　be　no　honest　and　successful　pilot　who　was　to　apply　himself　with　less　industry　to　avoid　rocks　and　sands　and　bring　his　vessel　safely　home；　than　to　search　into　the　causes　of　the　ebbing　and　flowing　of　the　sea；　which；　though　very　well　for　a　philosopher；　is　foreign　to　him　whose　business　it　is　to　secure　the　ship。　　So　neither　will　a　physician；　whose　province　it　is　to　cure　diseases；　be　able　to　do　so；　though　he　be　a　person　of　great　genius；　who　bestows　less　time　on　the　hidden　and　intricate　method　of　nature；　and　adapting　his　means　thereto；　than　on　curious　and　subtle　speculation。〃
  〃Medicine　is　my　wife　and　Science　is　my　mistress；〃　said　Dr。　Rush。　　I　do　not　think　that　the　breach　of　the　seventh　commandment　can　be　shown　to　have　been　of　advantage　to　the　legitimate　owner　of　his　affections。　Read　what　Dr。　Elisha　Bartlett　says　of　him　as　a　practitioner；　or　ask　one　of　our　own　honored　ex…professors；　who　studied　under　him；　whether　Dr。　Rush　had　ever　learned　the　meaning　of　that　saying　of　Lord　Bacon；　that　man　is　the　minister　and　interpreter　of　Nature；　or　whether　he　did　not　speak　habitually　of　Nature　as　an　intruder　in　the　sick　room；　from　which　his　art　was　to　expel　her　as　an　incompetent　and　a　meddler。
  All　a　man's　powers　are　not　too　much　for　such　a　profession　as　Medicine。　　〃He　is　a　learned　man；〃　said　old　Parson　Emmons　of　Franklin；　〃who　understands　one　subject；　and　he　is　a　very　learned　man　who　understands　two　subjects。〃　　Schonbein　says　he　has　been　studying　oxygen　for　thirty　years。　　Mitscherlich　said　it　took　fourteen　years　to　establish　a　new　fact　in　chemistry。　　Aubrey　says　of　Harvey；　the　discoverer　of　the　circulation；　that　〃though　all　his　profession　would　allow　him　to　be　an　excellent　anatomist；　I　have　never　heard　of　any　who　admired　his　therapeutic　way。〃　　My　learned　and　excellent　friend　before　referred　to；　Dr。　Brown　of　Edinburgh；　from　whose　very　lively　and　sensible　Essay；　〃Locke　and　Sydenham；〃　I　have　borrowed　several　of　my　citations；　contrasts　Sir　Charles　Bell；　the　discoverer；　the　man　of　science；　with　Dr。　Abercrombie；　the　master　in　the　diagnosis　and　treatment　of　disease。　　It　is　through　one　of　the　rarest　of　combinations　that　we　have　in　our　Faculty　a　teacher　on　whom　the　scientific　mantle　of　Bell　has　fallen；　and　who　yet　stands　preeminent　in　the　practical　treatment　of　the　class　of　diseases　which　his　inventive　and　ardent　experimental　genius　has　illustrated。　　M。　Brown…　Sequard's　example　is　as；　eloquent　as　his　teaching　in　proof　of　the　advantages　of　well　directed　scientific　investigation。　　But　those　who　emulate　his　success　at　once　as　a　discoverer　and　a　practitioner　must　be　content　like　him　to　limit　their　field　of　practice。　　The　highest　genius　cannot　afford　in　our　time　to　forget　the　ancient　precept；　Divide　et　impera。
  〃I　suppose　I　must　go　and　earn　this　guinea；〃　said　a　medical　man　who　was　sent　for　while　he　was　dissecting　an　animal。　　I　should　not　have　cared　to　be　his　patient。　　His　dissection　would　do　me　no　good；　and　his　thoughts　would　be　too　much　upon　it。　　I　want　a　whole　man　for　my　doctor；　not　a　half　one。　　I　would　have　sent　for　a　humbler　practitioner；　who　would　have　given　himself　entirely　to　me；　and　told　the　otherwho　was　no　less　a　man　than　John　Hunterto　go　on　and　finish　the　dissection　of　his　tiger。
  Sydenham's　〃Read　Don　Quixote〃　should　be　addressed　not　to　the　student；　but　to　the　Professor　of　today。　　Aimed　at　him　it　means；　〃Do　not　be　too　learned。
  Do　not　think　you　are　going　to　lecture　to　picked　young　men　who　are　training　themselves　to　be　scientific　discoverers。　　They　are　of　fair　average　capacity；　and　they　are　going　to　be　working　doctors。
  These　young　men　are　to　have　some　very　serious　vital　facts　to　deal　with。　　I　will　mention　a　few　of　them。
  Every　other　resident　adult　you　meet　in　these　streets　is　or　will　be　more　or　less　tuberculous。　　This　is　not　an　extravagant　estimate；　as　very　nearly　one　third　of　the　deaths　of　adults　in　Boston　last　year　were　from　phthisis。　　If　the　relative　number　is　less　in　our　other　northern　cities；　it　is　probably　in　a　great　measure　because　they　are　more　unhealthy；　that　is；　they　have　as　much；　or　nearly　as　much；　consumption；　but　they　have　more　fevers　or　other　fatal　diseases。
  These　heavy…eyed　men　with　the　alcoholized　brains；　these　pallid　youths　with　the　nicotized　optic　ganglia　and　thinking…marrows　brown　as　their　own　meerschaums；　of　whom　you　meet　too　many；will　ask　all　your　wisdom　to　deal　with　their　poisoned　nerves　and　their　enfeebled　wills。
  Nearly　seventeen　hundred　children　under　five　years　of　age　died　last　year　in　this　city。　　A　poor　human　article；　no　doubt；　in　many　cases；　still；　worth　an　attempt　to　save　them；　especially　when　we　remember　the　effect　of　Dr。　Clarke's　suggestion　at　the　Dublin　Hospital；　by　which　some　twenty…five　or　thirty　thousand　children's　lives　have　probably　been　saved　in　a　single　city。
  Again；　the　complaint　is　often　heard　that　the　native　population　is　not　increasing　so　rapidly　as　in　former　generations。　　The　breeding　and　nursing　period　of　Ame