The breaking strain (annual oration of Medical Society of London, 1896) / by W. H. Allchin.

  • Allchin, William Henry, 1846-1912.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The breaking strain (annual oration of Medical Society of London, 1896) / by W. H. Allchin. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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

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    rmv\ toia, bi Reprinted from the ‘ Transactions of the Medical Society of London-roZ. Ma?/ 18^, 1896. THE ANNUAL ORATION—“ THE BREAKING STRAIN.” By W. H. Allchin, M.D., F.R.C.P. LoncL, Honorary Librarian to the Society. Me. President and Gentlemen,—Among the many and varied phenomena presented to our observation by living beings, there is no one that recurs with such persistent frequency, no one that our experience leads us so inevitably to anticipate, as that such a being will in time, whether long or short, cease to exhibit those manifestations in virtue of which we speak of it as living, or, in other words, will die. It has seemed to me that I might, and I hope without too great presumption, profitably occupy the occasion which the courtesy of the Council of this Society has extended to me in putting before you some considerations which are connected with the investigation of this problem. A funda- mental explanation of it I do not pretend to—that were impossible, as impossible, indeed, as it is to affirm the “ why ” of any other “ of the sense impressions distinguished by our perceptive faculty.” But it at least is as capable of scientific treatment as other pheno- mena, whether they be associated with living or non-living material. And the collection and classification of the facts connected there- with, as well as the recognition of the sequence and relative significance of these facts, are as much called for and as reasonably to be expected as in any other problem of natural science. The immediate practical bearing and importance of so difficult and recondite a question in physiology may perhaps be far to seek, even for a body of medical men actively engaged in the royal college of LIBRARY PHY31CIAN3 1 (9076) A