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' L etter to the Editor, dated Dec. a, I 763.
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AFEW years ago it Was reporteis, that the College of Physicians in London had itUnder Consideration to admit persons destrous os praeti sing physic as Licentiates, UPon an eXamiliation in Englisti. . This Was done, as it Was suppose , to introduce into this rank men os litile or no education,
in order to depreciate the characters of many who Were in sonae esteem With the public. An attempt of this nature could not but alarim those who were immediately to be affected by it, and who seli the designed indignity. Severat of these mel together, compared the accounts they had received, and found there Wastoo much truth in the reporis, to suffer them any longer to remalia inattentive to designs so prejudiciat. νIt was resolved to cali the Licentiates in generat together, to acquaint them With their siluation, and to adi in concert for their generalsasely. But this mas not ali; those who embarhed in this affair, had at heari not only the horiour of their profession, but iis public utility; not onlyto emancipate thenaseives frona an authori ty,
whicli appeared to them in the light of usurpa tion, but to establissa the faculty upon a solidand liberal f undation.
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be their fate, Will give proose by the rectitude of their condush, and an exertion of their abilities, that they are not ianworthy of the highest ho- nours in their prosession. Philanthropy is inseparabie Dom good minds :this led them very early to resolve, that honoU- rabie mention mould be made of their colle agues aster their decease. It has fallen to my tot, by appotniment of the Society, to perform this ossice. Is my abilities h ad been equat to my friendiu ipfor the deceased, or to his deseri, the readerwould have received much satisfaction in perusing the solioWing pages.
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inferior to notae, superior to most among Us. Accustomed as we are to ste the ravages os
that ΡΙand, whicli removes the generations osmen, strong and weali, ricli and poor, the igno rant and the wise, like the herbage that fatis 1 Promiscuousty be re the scythe, not one could refrain the unaffected sigii, scarcely the tear, when it was known that our Rusieli Was nomore t The tender remembrance of friendi ipyet lives in every breast; we moUrn Without
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36a An si sis on trie Character of
Inpractis ed in the langu age of eulogy, andu nequat to the char e you have committed tome, alioW me zo bespe ali your ulmost candourand condescension, and thinii him not unworthyos your indulge iace, Who, in obedience to yohar commandS, attempis to place bes ore yoia, though in an imperfect manner, the idea of the companion you deplore. We wim to know the most minute particulars in the lives of those, When they are remoVed, who have become dear to Us, either from a similitude os manners, similar studies, a long and mutuat intercoiarse of friendmip, or any other of those strong Connections that tend to cementindividuals together in society. In infancy, almost in the period of youth and adolescence, many traiis are osten ObserVabie, that stronglymark the future character of the man. The re lation os incidenis, Os no consequence in them-selves, viemed in this light, affords us satis action, when we recollect them as the early pr es ages of
league having commenced at a later period, prevenis any narrative of this Lind. I have learned, hoWeVer, that modesty, dilige iace, and
propriety of conduet, accompanted him frona early infancy ; beloved by his intimates, esteemed by his frientis, set lona malaing an Cnemy, nevertosing a friend, by his own misconduct. He was early devoted to medicine by his sather'; a Person
The conci seness of the author respecting the character os the Doctor's fallier, in ali probability arose hom an appre-
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rhe late Alexander Ruseli, M. D 63
a person os great eminence as a laWyer in the
ci ty of Edilaburgh, and singularly happy iri
liaving se ven os his sons that lived to be men ;not one of Whom, by mis bellaving, ever gavehim cause of a moment's disquietude; but, onthe contrary, by the just reputation they ac qui red, made ali good men rejoice that he hadsucti a fami ly, and so eminently distingui sied by so many good qualities. OUr colle ague, after having gone through his grammatical studies with reputation in the hi glischool at Edilaburgh, and spelat two years after
this in the universi ty, Was placed Vsith his uncte, Who was then One of the most eminent practi tioners in the city, in order to acquire the knowledge of the first rudiments of medicine. In the years IT 32, 3, and 4, he ContinUed his me dicat studies under the prosesors, Who at that
time so ab ly filled the severat chairs of physic
hension of endangering his own credit, or at least os sub tecting himself to the imputation os credulity, had he furtheren larged upon it. For horu feru would belleve, that a most sond indulgent fallier could, in his own house, manage a very numero us family of child ren, ali boys, and bring up seven of them toman s estate, without ever giving a bio , or even using aharsh expression ; and yet preserved a more perseet obediencein them, than can be produced by any bodily pain t Sucheducation is liberal, in the truest sense of the word. This wOrthy man, though he lived to the age of 86, wasto the last attended, whene ver he pleased inhich was almost ali day long) with chearful company of both sexes, and of allaxes; retained his faculties and amiable temper, Was neverangry, and preserved his chearfulnesi and spirita to the last.
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in the Universiity of Edinburgh, and laid thos foundation of that Character whicli ranks it in the public esteem superior to most others in
Though there had long been professors hipssor medicine in that place, and severat attemptShad been made to introduce a generat course of medicat instruction, it was not tili abo ut the year I72O that this university distinguisaed itself Severat gentiemen, Who had studied under Boer-haave, With a view to revive the study of medicine in their native country, where it hau for merly flouris hed, qualifled thenaseives for thepurpose of giving courses of public lectus es onevery branch of their profession. The celebrate lMOnro taUght anatomy, after having studied itfor severat years Under the ablest matters thenin Europe'. The theory of physic Was assigne lto the amiabie, the humane Dr. Sinclair; Drs. Ruthersord and Innes Chose the pranicei chemisowas allotted to Dr. Plum mer ; and the te achin r
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rbe late Alexander Ruseli, M. D. 36s
They had no sooner opened their respective proseorships, than many students of their OWn . nation, sonae frona England, Dom Ireland, and not long after frona the Plantations likewise, Bocked thither. This stimulated the prosessors
to exert their great talents with the ulmost energy; proses r Monro's clasi seon becamenumerotas; and the anatomy of the bones, of the nerves, and his other pieces, Will long re- main as testimontes of his great abilities, whenthe grates ut regard of the multitude of tho who studied under hina, and were Witnestes of his singular attention to instruet and encohirage his pupiis, as weli as to ast the part os a parentio every stranger, fatis of exprestion. With What grace and elegance, With What minutenessand precision, Would the humane, the inimitable Sinclair explain the institutes of the master, whose nervolas simplici ty he studied to exemplisy, though not with servile imitationi Where heesistered in opinion frona that great man, Withwhat dissiden ce would he offer his orunt Everthe student's friend, and their example, in ano ble simplicity of manners, and a conduct be coming the gentieman and the physician.
Doctor Ruthersord stili enjoys his count 'spraise, and the lasting esteem os ali his pupiis.
Plummer is no more t He knew chemistry well. Laborious, attentive, and exact, had not a native dissiden e velled his tilenis as a praelector, hewould have been among the foremost in the
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nature, stach his universal knowledge, that in any disputed potiat of science, the great MaClaurin alWayS appealed to him, as to a livinglibrary ; and yet so great his modesty, that hespolie to young audiences, upon a subject he was perfectly master os, not Without hesitation. Alston, the laborious Alston, will live sor ages. What benefit his pupils had the means os reap- in g, will be best linown when his Lectures, no in the pressi, are publis hed '. What care to separate truth frona falsehoodi how cautious in advancing speculationi how laborious in experiment, and chaste in forming his conclusion si
The numero Us manti script copies, that were taken
by his pupiis, of his lectures, are sussicient proossos their opinion of his abilities. But while I am thus attempting tD pay mytribute os gratitude to the memories of those eminent professors, who laid the foundation os that seminary of physic, whose reputation has since drawn students from every nation in Europe, let me not sorget the learned, the able, the laborious Innes. Though Ι was not solial py as to be of the number of his pupils, yet I can weli remember the deep regret expressed by many of the studenis, my ContemporariCS,sor his early and untimely fate. Osten have Ι heard them teli, with What dignity, With what
Clearn ess and precision, in What a nervoUS masculine style, he used to explain the Aphoristas of