Sir James Young Simpson and chloroform (1811-1870) / by H. Laing Gordon.

  • Gordon, H. Laing (Henry Laing)
Date:
1897
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Sir James Young Simpson and chloroform (1811-1870) / by H. Laing Gordon. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    really valuable. He recognised, however, the value of laying a good foundation of general knowledge ; without straining after any distinction he acquitted himself creditably in all his classes. In the second year of the curriculum he won one of the numerous small bursaries of the value of ^io a year, for which logic was one of the chief subjects of examination ; but as candidates were restricted to those who pos- sessed either the name of the founder, Stewart, or that of his wife, Simpson, the competition was not particularly severe. His individuality and natural straightforwardness attracted the attention of some of his professors. The boldness of his original essays provided them with food for comment in a manner dear to the professorial heart. The Arts curriculum served him usefully in helping to develop a literary style and in teaching him how best to express his vigorous thoughts, as well as in strengthening his knowledge of Latin and Greek. According to the record preserved on his class certifi- cates he worked attentively and diligently ; but the mere fact that he did not excel is sufficient proof that he did not make an attempt. During his Arts course Simpson lodged at No. i, Adam Street, along with the John Reid already men- tioned, who was now a medical student, and with a Mr. Mac Arthur, who had been a junior master at the Bathgate school, but had now also commenced to study medicine. MacArthur was a man of dogged