Life of Dr. John Reid / by George Wilson.

  • George Wilson
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Life of Dr. John Reid / by George Wilson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    40/262 page 28
    should devote himself to attending patients, rather than to teaching anatomy. The following earnest remonstrance, addressed to his father, will show how decided his preference for the position of a teacher was :— “ Edinburgh, February 14, 1833. “My pear Fatner,—I have this moment received Mr Taylor’s letter intimating Dr Serymgeour’s death, and your desire that I should think of settling in Polmount.t I am sorry that our notions on that subject should differ so much. Since you have, with your usual kindness and good sense, left it, however, in a great measure to my own choice, I will take advantage of this, and state to you as plainly and clearly as I can the reasons that have induced me to persevere in my present views, and which render me so averse to settle myself in the manner which, I know, you so ardently wish. I regret exceedingly that I should be forced to the painful necessity of doing this; but I do it the more boldly on this account, that I know our object is the same, and that we only differ about the means. We are both equally anxious about my future prospects in life; but you think that these would be best secured by settling in Polmount, or some such like place, while I, on the other hand, believe not. Our education, our habits of thinking and acting, have been and are so different, that it is not at all wonderful that our notions of happiness should be at variance. I have been brought up, have been constantly taught to believe, that a man’s (I mean a pro- fessional man’s) happiness, respectability, and worth, depend upon the extent of his knowledge of his profession. Enter- taining these notions, you can easily perceive that I should continue to give a decided preference to remaining in Edinburgh. I know from experience that if I was to settle in the country, I [would] make little or no improvement ; while if I remain in town I am sure, from the constant 1 Polmount is a small village, some three miles from Falkirk, and twelve from Bathgate.
    digitised image 1
    digitised image 2
    digitised image 3