The annual address delivered to the graduates of the Atlanta Medical College at the commencement : September 2, 1858 / by Custis B. Nottingham.

  • Nottingham, Custis B. (Custis Bell), -1875.
Date:
1858
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The annual address delivered to the graduates of the Atlanta Medical College at the commencement : September 2, 1858 / by Custis B. Nottingham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    the great truths and treasures of Medical science, you are now invested with the honors of the doctorate. Bidding adieu to the Halls of your Alma Mater, where you have been principally engaged in studying the theory of scienti- fic medicine, you go forth to assume the responsibilities, encounter the perils, perform the duties, suffer the discom- fitures, and reap the rewards of a participation in the active duties of practical life. To the community, as I am assured by this large assem- blage of civic worth and professional distinction, of age, youth, beauty and intelligence, the hour is one of no little in- terest. To you, undoubtedly, occupying for the first time this high stand-point in your lives, it is one of deepest concern —fraught as it is with the recollections of the past, the jo}7s consummated of the present, and the hopes and anxieties of the future. Worthily successful in the attainment of the chartered right to embark upon the voyage which lies before you in a noble profession, all that lies outside the present ceremonials is as the land beyond the mountains, to Raselas in his peaceful and charming valley home. To some of you, I doubt not, the ocean upon which you are about to venture, seems rough and tempestuous—whitened with sur- ging billows, foaming caps, and checkered with rocks and whirlpools, and quicksands, that often make shipwreck of the best appointed and most richly freighted barques; whilst to others, I presume, confident in untried powers, and elated with the illusions of youthful hopes, the sea seems smooth, the sky clea»- and serene, the sun bright and genial, the air stirred only by gentle zephyrs, and every- thing promising a safe, prosperous and happy voyage. A3 in nautical life, the returned mariner may impart informa- tion to those about to set out on voyages of discovery or commerce in seas to them unknown, that will improve their chart, and render their journey more safe and successful, so may T, perchance, having entered upon the same voyage years ago which you now contemplate, be able to offer you some suggestions—the result either of observation or expe- rience—that will enable you the more safely and prosper- ously to pursue your future career. Need I doubt that I address gentlemen who have a high,