The speculum : its moral tendencies / by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.

  • Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons.
Date:
1857
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The speculum : its moral tendencies / by a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    possessing that of the most highly organized, they could not be more unvarying; they might be stereotyped, like the regulations of our navy, that are alike applicable to the armaments of the new gun-boats, the trim frigate, and the crazy old seventy-four. But besides those whom I have mentioned as abusing the speculum there are others, who, more honest, yet not the less dangerous, are uncon- sciously perhaps, contributing their share to this work of demoralisation; I mean that portion of the profession who, unable to form opinions for themselves, are ready at all times jurare in verba magistri adopting any practice provided the ex- ample be set in high places. The simplicity of such men is more dangerous perhaps than the astuteness of those they imitate, and this is not the first time that society has been likely to suffer from it. We were exposed to a similar danger from the disciples of the Malthusian school, who, referring every social evil to surplus population, were prepared to check it by such practises as must have radically demoralised all that remained. Carried away by their newly accepted theories, they are impatient of reflection, and common sense toils after them in vain; like the will-o’-the-wisp, their borrowed light shines only to mislead, and
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