John Lizars, Esq, Surgeon, against James Syme, Esq., Surgeon, Monday, 26th July 1852 : (before the Lord Justice-General and a Jury).

  • John Lizars
Date:
[1852]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: John Lizars, Esq, Surgeon, against James Syme, Esq., Surgeon, Monday, 26th July 1852 : (before the Lord Justice-General and a Jury). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    4 to respect in the medical profession, to the loss and damage of 4 the pursuer?’ It is all the worse, that the libel is a condemnation of Mr. Lizars in general terms. If it had stated the reason why Mr. Syme con¬ sidered Mr. Lizars as entitled to no respect, as being placed 4 beyond 4 the pale of professional respect and courtesy,’ then the readers of such a statement would have been able to judge for themselves. But the statement might cover any act, the most aggravated and culpable. It is impossible for any man reading it, not to know, but that Mr. Lizars had been guilty of something most atrocious in his professional conduct. It is published to the world in an exten¬ sively circulated periodical, which I daresay most of the medical profession in this country, and beyond this country, take an oppor¬ tunity of looking into, and must have seen and read this letter; and what would they, or any other portion of the public, whether professional or not, think of it? Can it be doubted, that it would suggest to every reader, that there was something very bad under it. I will not, however, indulge in any more observa¬ tions, as you will be addressed afterwards on the subject. I ask you, can you doubt that such a libel as this was calculated to do Mr. Lizars great injury and damage ? I say it is impossible to tell what injury it may have already done him, and it is impossible to foresee what injury it may do him to the end of his professional career. Think you, that a party who might otherwise be disposed to call on Mr. Lizars to have his professional aid, if he had heard of it or had seen it, without knowing that it had been cleared away, and the character of Mr. Lizars vindicated, would carry his intention into effect, and call Mr. Lizars into his family, or to any member of his family, in his professional capacity? Would any medical man, who knew little of Mr. Lizars, and reading the statement, that he had been 4 long placed beyond the pale of professional respect and 4 courtesy,’ call him to his aid ? Who is this Mr. Syme ? He is the professor of Clinical Surgery in Edinburgh, and as he says, lectures to 4 the largest class of surgical clinical students in her 4 Majesty’s dominions.’ This fact aggravates materially the inju¬ rious effects of such a libel as this. I daresay, that every student under Mr. Syme’s tuition, looks with interest to every publication of his; and his students in this country, and it may be throughout the world, have in consequence of the publication of the libel in
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