Introductory lecture delivered at the commencement of the fourth session of the Medical College of South Carolina, November 1827 / by Samuel Henry Dickson.

  • Dickson, Samuel Henry, 1798-1872.
Date:
1828
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Introductory lecture delivered at the commencement of the fourth session of the Medical College of South Carolina, November 1827 / by Samuel Henry Dickson. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    jnen are with rare exceptions invalids. You are to prolong the life of the statesman, to whom millions look up with awe and submission ; to heal the wounds of the leader, upon whom armies are dependant for guidance and victory.— The softer sex too, whose faces our customs of refined life do not suffer the winds of heaven to visit too roughly, depend habitually upon professional prudence and judgment for the acquisition of that strength of constitution which will enable them to bear the harsh storms of fate, and fit them to be the mothers of a useful and healthy offspring.— To you are the rising and populous cities of our country to be indebted for a proper and successful system of medical police, by which they may avoid the evils almost essentially consequent upon the crowding within small spaces numerous human habitations, or by means of which they may counter- balance these evils by an equal amount of good. To you are to be entrusted at different times, and under infinitely various circumstances, the lives and healths of individuals. You will be expected to unravel the most intricate compli- cation of symptoms ; to detect the lurking cause of evil, and to expel it from the house of life. It is to be your lot to alleviate suffering ; to avert impending danger, and to rescue for a time the trembling mortal from the grave—that gulf which sooner or later must swallow up all the joys and sor- rows, all the hopes and fears, and anxieties which agitate and annoy the race of man. I cannot for a moment imagine you, on your parts, insen- sible to the force of such reflections. The profession upon which you are entering is deservedly of high character and standing; and a. moderate degree of success in its pursuits will ensure you, thanks to the republican nature of our insti- tutions and habits, the respectful consideration and regard of 4he community of which you may form a part. Yet you must not expect to partake of this standing, and to support this character, without assiduous and persevering exertion. The acquisition of medical knowledge can only be made to the extent that is proper, and indeed necessary for your future