The introductory address delivered at St. Bartholomew's Hospital on the opening of the medical session, October 1st, 1856 / by Andrew Melville McWhinnie.

  • McWhinnie, Andrew Melville, 1807 or 1808-1866.
Date:
1856
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The introductory address delivered at St. Bartholomew's Hospital on the opening of the medical session, October 1st, 1856 / by Andrew Melville McWhinnie. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    will be found greatly encouraging even to tbe most sensitive mind. The tender conscience of the purely scientific Practitioner, that is harassed by uncer¬ tainty because the evidence before him is not en¬ tirely conclusive, will derive all the support necessary for the emergency if he have armed himself with the knowledge of the more recondite processes of reasoning. And here it may be worth our while just to glance at one or two of the sources of disap¬ pointment to which we are liable, even in the higher walks of professional life; since, by analyzing the circumstances through which we are discouraged, we may take heart and defend ourselves. We belong, as you are aware, to one of three learned professions. There are other professions, as that of Arms, for in¬ stance ; but Divinity, Law, and Medicine are dis¬ tinguished by the epithet '' learned and one of the usual consequences of associating these three in the same class is the establishing a current belief that they all, as social states, possess many proper¬ ties in common. Whereas, when we come to look more closely into the evidence of such resemblances, we find that our notions on this head have grown out of early-received impressions that have been gathered from the faintest analogy, and that, in reality, the three professions have very little in common except their learning. Yet we every day hear comparisons made between them, which refiect but little credit either on the discrimination or the charity of the observer. For example, how often do we hear unjust and ill-timed remarks on the Lawyer’s proceedings—upon his motives and conduct as con¬ trasted with those of the medical man! How fre-