Boerhaave-Herdenkingsrede / D. Schoute.

  • Schoute, D. (Dirk), 1873-1953.
Date:
[1938]
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Boerhaave-Herdenkingsrede / D. Schoute. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Of what consequence the united efforts of men learned in their profession are, the medical colleges of Edinburgh afford a remarkable instance. Within the space of little more than forty years, the present professorships in Medicine were first formed. A few gentlemen from Scotland, then prosecuting their medical studies at Leyden, concerted a plan, and undertook, themselves, the important charge of instituting schools for teaching the various branches of Medicine. They met witli countenance and support from the patrons of the university, and by the great abilities, assiduity, and experience of those gentlemen, and some few of their successors, the reputation of that place is raised to such a height, that, to their immortal honour, it already rivals, if not surpasses that of every other school of Physic in Europe. The names of drummond, dick, clerk, rutherford, SINCLAIR, ALSTON, PLUMMER, MONROE, WHYTT, CULLEN, HOPE, BLACK and SOme others, are now known wherever the knowledge of Physic is cultivated; and they are revered at home as parents and guardians of the healing arts. There is a great resort of medical students at the university of Edinburgh, as well from Great Britain, Ireland and the West-Indies, as from the Continents of Europe and America. These bring to the university and city considerable advantages, and, in return, carry the fame of their learning and their professors to every quarter of the globe. Were it necessary I could easily enumerate many similar instances of the improvement of Science; but these, I imagine, will suffice for the present. Why should we be deterred from establishing like institutions of Medicine in this seminary, especially as so many circumstances conspire to invite and eilcourage so important an undertaking. Morgan stressed the necessity of theoretical studies for the practitioner and referred to boerhaave as an example: The great boerhaave, whose example is worthy of imitation, laid it down | to himself, as an inviolable law, to divide his time between study and practice 1). Morgan succeeded with his plans without difficulties, because the idea was in the air. The need for a medical school was generally feit in America, and Philadelphia was an exellent place for such a foundation. It had a flourishing college that was soon to become the University of Pennsylvania, and it had a very good hospital, the Pennsylvania Hospital, that had been founded in 1751. The new medical school had an excellent faculty consisting largely of graduates of Edinburgh. Morgen himself was appointed professor of the theory and practice of medicine. William Shippen, : another Edinburgh graduate, was made professor of anatomy and surgery (1761). Thomas Bond gave clinical lectures at the hospital. 1 2 He was a brother of phineas bond, who had graduated at Leiden, and was himself a great admirer of boerhaave, whom he quoted in a clinical lecture held in 1766 2): jr The great boerhaave was not only present at human post-mortems, but attended Leiden Slaughter Houses. When asked, how he knew so much about diagnosis and prognosis of disease he replied, i) examining dead bodies, 2) studying sydenham’s Observationes and bonetus' Sepulchretum Anatomicum, both of which he had read 10 times 1) l.c. p. 43. 2) Published by francis r. packard, History of Medicine in the United States, New York, 1931, vol. II, p. 1201.