An introductory discourse on the duties and conduct of medical students and practitioners. Addressed to ... the Medical School of St. George's Hospital / [Sir Benjamin C. Brodie].

  • Brodie, Benjamin, Sir, 1783-1862
Date:
1843
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An introductory discourse on the duties and conduct of medical students and practitioners. Addressed to ... the Medical School of St. George's Hospital / [Sir Benjamin C. Brodie]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    permanent advantage from it. This is the indepen¬ dence which I mean ; and not that proud and misan¬ thropical independence which rejects the feeling of all obligations to others. Whoever gives you his good opinion, whatever his station in life may be, is, in some measure, to be considered as conferring an obligation on you, and deserves to be regarded by you with kindness in return. Mankind are bound to each other by mutually receiving and conferring benefits. You cannot live in the world, and, at the same time, live apart from it, and say, “ I will owe no thanks to others; for whatever advantages I may obtain I will be indebted to myself alone.” All those, who do justice to your real or supposed merits, have a claim on your gratitude. As others will lean upon you, so you must be content to lean upon them. On no other terms can you form a part of the great community of mankind. There are some employments which bring those who are engaged in them in contact more especially with the bad qualities of mankind, their pride, their arrogance, their selfishness, their want of principle. It is not so with your profession. All varieties of character will be thrown open to your view; but, nevertheless, you will see on the whole the better side of human nature; much indeed of its weakness, much of its failings, much of what is wrong; but more of what is good, in it. Communicating, as you will probably do, with persons of all conditions, you will be led to estimate others according to their