Notice of the professional life of the late John Walker, F.R.C.S.E : with an account of his method of treating stricture of the urethra by means of fused caustic potass / by William Brown, F.R.C.S.

  • Brown, William, F.R.C.S.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Notice of the professional life of the late John Walker, F.R.C.S.E : with an account of his method of treating stricture of the urethra by means of fused caustic potass / by William Brown, F.R.C.S. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    that even to liis sister he writes : I shall have a fine set of pre- parations when I come down, as they are all so obliging to serve ine; I mean at John Hunter's. I am in the dissecting-room from nine to three. On 19th A]iri), he notices the weather being so warm as to interrupt the labours of the dissecting-room : 1 believe I shall treat myself to the play to-night, I feel so jaded and worn out. John Hunter has been complaining these some days; it seems something resembling a putrid sore throat. He takes two quarts of bark decoction in ^4 hours. It cannot be doubted that in such a situation, and under such a teacher, his acquaintance with the structure of the human body would become familiar and accurate. This was truly the case; and during his professional life, the benefits of this dissecting room education were very conspicuous. It would not alone pro- duce an accomplished surgeon, but it forms the best preparation for the study of disease ; and no one who neglects it has a right to expect full success. There are indeed men who are ever thinking of the mere animal structure, and overlook the fact that the patient before them is a living man, who possesses feelings, and has ac- quired habits, which modify the functions of his body. These men arc truly in error. The patient's bedside is the right place for learning disease, but it is learned best by those who have pre- viously studied the structure in the dead body. At the close of the winter session, he paid a visit to his uncle Dr James Walker at Falmouth, and spent several weeks in that part of the country. He thus writes of the vicarage of Linken- liouse: It is, next to Lasswade, the most delightful place I ever saw, just Scotland over again. We are quite surrounded with liills and vales ; wood and water giving the most pleasing variety. What a contrast with the dead level of the London country ! My cousin makes all the butter herself, which is done every morning, but is made by a quite different process from ours. I will let you into the secret: after milking, they put it over the fire in a large ten pint earthen plate, and let it simmer there till, the cream begins to bubble up. They then take it off the fire and let it stand two days to ferment a little ; after which, cousin, with her own fair hands, presses it about half a minute, at the end of which, the butter is produced. The cream is called clotted cream, and is as thick as porridge almost. The buttermilk is quite sweet, and of this they make puddings for the children. You cannot conceive how fond Gornish people are of pies. Every- thing enjoying life, whether animal or vegetable, they clap into a pie. ^ While he was at Falmouth, the surgeon of the Duke mail packet, was taken ill, and the captain induced him to occu'py his