To the Right Honourable the Lord Provost, magistrates, and town-council of Edinburgh.

Date:
[1855?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: To the Right Honourable the Lord Provost, magistrates, and town-council of Edinburgh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    been induced to testify in my favour. I humbly venture to hope, however, that I have been more usefully, if not so pleasantly occupied, in the constant visitation and care of the sick, and that I have thus been enabled to accumulate an amount of practical experience, without which the largest theoretical knowledge may serve only to mislead. As I am thus only known on the Continent by what I have written, I attach all the more value to those foreign testimonials which I have received. No man in active practice can spare time to write very much, except on practical subjects, but I humbly venture to hope, that the evidence I have laid before you proves that I have contributed to the literature of medicine works which are not unknown. Another qualification of great im- portance to a public teacher is, the faculty of being able to con- vey the knowledge he possesses in a clear and perspicuous manner to others. I am glad that so many of my testimonials are decided on that point. One other circumstance in regard to testimonials I think it right to note. When a candidate for the Glasgow Chair, I applied for testimonials to Sir James Clarke, Bart., Sir John Forbes, Bart., and Dr Charles J. B Williams, with all of whom I am personally acquainted. They all, however, stated that they had refused to give testi- monials to any of the candidates on grounds somewhat similar to those expressed by Sir Benjamin Brodie,* when applied to * From, Sin Benjamin C. Brodie, Bart., Sergeant Surgeon to the Queen, Surgeon to H.R.H. Prince Albert, Fellow and One of the Council of the Royal College of Surgeons, Foreign Correspondent of the Institute of France, Author of various Works. Bbooiie Park, Surrey, August 21. 1855. My Dear Sir,—I wish you all success, and, I am sure, that if elected, you will be a worthy successor to Dr Alison, and do honour to the University. But I have a difficulty in sending you a special testimonial, as I have of late years declined doing so on other similar occasions, as not wishing to interfere in the elections in the Scotch Universities, and, I am afraid, that if I were to act otherwise on the present occasion, I should give some just cause of complaint to some others of my friends.—Believe me, my dear Sir, yours very truly, * (Signed) B. C. BRODIE.