Address of George Johnson, M.D., F.R.S., President of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, at the annual meeting, March 2nd, 1885.

  • Johnson, George, 1818-1896.
Date:
1885
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Address of George Johnson, M.D., F.R.S., President of the Royal Medical and Chirurgical Society of London, at the annual meeting, March 2nd, 1885. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    and his genuine kindness of hearty his sincerity, and his trustworthiness endeared him to a large circle of friends. Two of Mr. Caesar Hawkins's elder brothers were the Eev. Edward Hawkins, D.D., well known as the Provost of Oriel from 1828 to 1882, and the late Dr. Francis Hawkins, Physician to the Middlesex Hospital, and Eegis- trar in succession of the Eoyal College of Physicians and of the General Medical Council. It is not without interest to observe that of the famous Provost, and his apparent coldness and reserve, his biographer, in a recent number of the 'Quarterly Eeview' (October, 1883), speaks in terms almost identical with those which I have just now quoted as applied to the great Surgeon. The writer says of the Provost, A constitutional dread of overstepping by ahair's-breadth the strict line of truth (so at least it seemed) not only guarded him effectually from anything approaching to sentimental outburst, but even kept in check ordinary expressions of warmth, restrained him—even unpleasantly if the truth must be told—while in converse with those whom he did love and trust, as if through fear of possibly overstating his feelings. Then follow statements to show that beneath an exterior apparently cold and reserved he had the warmest as well as the most feeling heart. It will be evident from these extracts that between the mental and moral characteristics of the eminent Surgeon and the famous Oxford Provost there was a close fraternal resemblance. The brothers, who were deeply attached to each other, were not long separated by death. The Pro- vost died on November 18th, 1882, havmg ueai-ly com- pleted his ninety-fourth year, and the Surgeon followed on July 20th, 1884, at the age of eighty-six. His death appears to have been an indirect result of an accidental bruise o£ his left leg consequent on a stumble in walking downstairs in December, 1883. This was attended with much effusion of blood, and subsequently there was evi- dence of thrombosis in some of the large veins of the same leg, with constitutional disturbance and loss of strength