A supplement to the first part of Medical commentaries / by Dr. Hunter.

  • William Hunter
Date:
1764
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A supplement to the first part of Medical commentaries / by Dr. Hunter. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    18/34 page 18
    twice, but him not once. Surely there muft have been fome good rea- fon for this conduct; becaufe, when he was about writing his book on Ruptures, he took fome pains to get a meeting with Dr. Hunter, and was defirous of hearing him explain his ideas on a dead body, procured on purpofe. Perhaps he may fay, that from the very little fatisfadtion received at this meeting, he was afterwards lefs folicitous about having his opinion of any doctrine or obfervation in anatomy. But, as he tells us, lie always was pleafed to entertain a high opinion of Dr. Hunter s anatomical abilities, it feems ftrange he fhould never confult htm once, when he confulted his other friends twice. Is not this condu£t a de- monftration of aukwardnefs, perplexity, and diftrefs of mind ? Accord¬ ingly, being fenfible of the fufpicious appearance, he labours to remove any impreftion of that kind from the minds of his readers, thus ; “ Hav- “ ing always,” fays he, cc entertained a high opinion of Dr. Hunter’s (S anatomical abilities, I called at his houfe, defigning to have told him “ what I had done, and to have had fome converfation with him on the “ fubjedt: The Dodtor was not at home, but his brother, Mr. Hunter,. “ was, and with him I had fome talk.” Here again is the pitiful pre¬ tence of a Profeffor. Both of them would make the world believe, that they had meant to fee me; but the Profeffor called at my houfe in Jermyn-ftreet, when he knew I was at my ledture-rooms in Covent- Garden ; and Mr. Pott called at thofe rooms in the morning, becaufe he knew I was there only in the evening. He does not pretend that he had made an appointment with me at that time, or defired a meeting with me afterwards, or ever called at my houfe in Jermyn-ftreet. All this demonftrates that he had no particular defire of feeing me, what¬ ever he may wifh to make his reader imagine. What palled between him and my brother, has been related in the preceding fedtion ; and he does not pretend that he talked of his papers, or dropped any hint of his intention to publifh: Yet he fays, in the next page, that his papers were then corredted for the prefs, and he did not afterwards alter a fin- gle fyllable in them. Surely, he exprefled his owncondudt and feelings, when he faid of my brother, that he fpake with the mojl cautious, appre- henfive refervednefs. That he did alter fome fyllables, however, in con- fequence of that vifit to my brother, is clear becaufe, in the pamphlet, he gave up, or corredted, his error of refpiration being the caufe of the defcent of the Tdefiis from the Abdomen into the Scrotum. The reader muft now be perfedtly fenfible, that this part of Mr. P’s condudt with regard to me, upon one fuppofition, is very confident indeed 5 but, upon any
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image
    No text description is available for this image