Exposition of the conduct and character of Dr. John Augustine Smith : president of the Coll. of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New-York, and professor of physiology : as exhibited in the session of 1839-40 / by James R. Manley.

  • James R. Manley
Date:
1841
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Exposition of the conduct and character of Dr. John Augustine Smith : president of the Coll. of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New-York, and professor of physiology : as exhibited in the session of 1839-40 / by James R. Manley. 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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    Those two resolutions of the Regents had an effect, material]}' to change the character of the opposition with which I had to contend. At the commencement, Dr. Smith was alone ; in the progress of it, Drs. Parker and Watts become associated, Dr. Smith purchasing their co-operation by the abandonmeut of his friend Dr. Gilman, and the promise of his support for their friend Dr. Bartlett ;* and the action of the Regents seemed now to foreshadow the defeat of both. In this emergency it became necessary to double their diligence ; make a new treaty ; forget all past discrepancies of action, interest or opinion, and unite as one man to control the action of the board of Regents, although the trustees of the college, had emphatically put their veto on the proposition. Accordingly a meeting is had at the house of Dr. Dela field, and a paper drawn up to be presented to the Regents, deprecating any appointment of Professor of Midwifery at their en- suing meeting. This paper is signed by Dr. Smith, President, Dr. Torrey and Dr. Joseph M. Smith, avowing at the same time, that they had the proxies of Drs. Watts and Parker, who were absent from the city; Dr. Beck had no invitation, for the reason (then as- signed) that his opinions were known, and it was unnecessary. Two papers in the form of petitions or memorials were also circulated among the profession, praying that the Regents would defer action on the subject and thereby permit Dr. Gilman to lecture, not doubt- ing that he would do credit to the station. Dr. Smith himself repairs to Albany in company with Washington Irving ; Dr. Delafield writes to his friend Luther Bradish ; others write to their friends in the board ; the Governor himself is enlisted, and more persons are con- vened to do apparently nothing, as the record shows, but in reality to a Lecturer in that department for the ensuing collegiate year; also, that five of the existing Professors would consider an appointment of Professor of Midwifery, &c. an injudicious measure on the part of the Regents at this time. Under these cir- cumstances, the Board adopted the resolution to which I deferred. Very respectfully, Your's, &c. &c, JAMKS KING. * There is one peculiarly amiable feature in the character of Dr. Watts which will go far to palliate or excuse his zeal; he loves his friends, and in this his con- duct contrasts very favorably with that of Dr. John Augustine Smith. The Drs, Parker and Bartlett were the friends of Dr. Watts and formerly close associates * they had, it is said, been colleagues in the same medical schools, and he volunteered to serve them without making any preliminary professions, and did serve them to the utmost of his ability ; not so Dr. Smith, he perhaps loves his friend too '■ but he hates his enemy, and having permitted hate to predominate, he abandoned him without ceremony and quoted Dr. Paley in justification of his conduct!