An inaugural essay on genius and its diseases : submitted to the examination of Samuel Bard ... President, and the Trustees and professors of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the University of the State of New-York : and publicly defended for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, on the sixth day of April, 1819 / by Thomas Middleton Stuart.

  • Stuart, Thomas Middleton.
Date:
1819
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An inaugural essay on genius and its diseases : submitted to the examination of Samuel Bard ... President, and the Trustees and professors of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of the University of the State of New-York : and publicly defended for the degree of Doctor of Medicine, on the sixth day of April, 1819 / by Thomas Middleton Stuart. 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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    thousands. In proportion as these powers are fully possessed and properly combined, so far does Genius exist. Whether superiority of Genius be natural or acquired, we will not stop here to examine, nor pretend positively to determine. The power of education daily shows itself to be so great, that we know not how to limit its effects; while the records of men of Genius exhibit such pecu- liarities of character, as almost persuade, that from heaven descends The flame of Genius to the chosen breast?' One thing must be allowed, that the circum- stances of life, and especially of early life, tend much to determine the characters of men.— but the same circumstances produce different effects on different minds : a peculiar concur- rence of circumstances whilst it elevates one mind, may degrade another. We often see men labouring under circumstances apparently the most adverse, and still exhibiting splendid marks of Genius—but it is probable, that what appear adverse are the very causes of the dis- play of Genius; and that the same persons in situations seemingly much better adapted for the exercise of talent would fall into obscurity. Had Newton been a printer's boy, or Frank-