Notes suggested by the Franklin-Heberden pamphlet of 1759 / by Henry K. Cushing.

  • Cushing, Henry K. (Henry Kirke), 1827-1910
Date:
[1904]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notes suggested by the Franklin-Heberden pamphlet of 1759 / by Henry K. Cushing. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library at Yale University.

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    business and personal friend of Benjamin Franklin of long [276] duration.' William Heberden was the best classical scholar of his day, one of the group of great London doctors, friends and inti- mates of their American Associate F. E. S. for Franklin as you know was a Fellow. Heberden was one of the medical friends of Dr. Johnson, who once characterized him as Ultimum Eomanorum, the last of the learned physicians. I do not find this philanthropic waif mentioned in Henry Stevens' abounding Bibliotheca Americana, or in Sparks', Bigelow's, Parton's or other biographies of Franklin at my command. A note but recently received from the Librarian at the British Museum reports that there is no copy in its library, neither is there one in the Congressional Library, or in that of the noted Boston Medical Library Association. The Boston Public Library has a copy, as I learn from its catalogue of 1883, of books relating to Franklin in its pos- session. A note in this catalogue relates that in the Mass. Hist. Soc. Collections, a reproduction of this pamphlet was published in 1816, through the instigation of Dr. John Farmer. This is his note to the editor. [-'77] Amherst, N. H., Oct., 181G. Rev. Sir.—At this time I send you an account of the Success of Inoculation in Boston, written by Dr. Franklin to Dr. Heber- den, in London. I have transcribed it from a pamphlet printed in London in 1759. With much respect Your obedient servant John Farmer. Rev. Dr. Holmes. 1 Franklin's letter to Strahan from Philadelphia in 1746. He was made F. R. S. April 29, 1756. As an additional mark of honor, by vote of the Council, he was relieved from the pay- ment of all fees; and it was ordered that he was to receive the Transactions without cost.—Franklin Cronology. Three years before, 1753, the R. S. had awarded him the Copley Gold Medal for his electrical discoveries. •Vol. ii, p. 7. 18)