Unwritten studies and duties of the physician : anniversary address before the Worcester North District Medical Society, April 9, 1859 / by Alfred Hitchcock ; published by vote of the Society.

  • Hitchcock, Alfred, 1814-1874.
Date:
1859
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Unwritten studies and duties of the physician : anniversary address before the Worcester North District Medical Society, April 9, 1859 / by Alfred Hitchcock ; published by vote of the Society. 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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    ADDEESS. acquaintance. As a class they suffer from segregation. The tendency of this kind of solitary life is to make them opinionated and exclusive in medical practice, if not to say illiberal and 'jealous in their feelings. Frequent intercourse at the bed side and in the social circle, will tend to modify and perfect practice, as well as to harmonize, refine and elevate the personal relations and feelings of medical men. And I will venture to suggest the opinion that a very large portion of the petty differences and heart burnings among neighboring Physicians would be avoided or easily cured by a frank and thorough acquaintance with each other. The hasty or earless word, the misinterpreted motive would often thus be found powerless for evil. Every Physician in active practice is able to contri- bute something valuable to every other; and all will need to learn so long as they practice the healing art. He should move among his fellows, absorbing as well as radiating knowledge, thus enlarging and perfecting the capabilities of the profession. An important truth in Astronomy or Navigation is only established by the concurrent observation of many persons, made at various times, from different points and opposing circumstances. So, too, in medicine we should associate our varied knowledge in order more certainly to establish standard truths. A more frequent communing together in our search for medical truth will do us good—will do the world and our patients good. It is an old idea, and I wish I could say it belonged