Memorial and queries respecting the conduct of Dr James Gregory, to Dr Thomas Spens, and some other members of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

Date:
[1806?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memorial and queries respecting the conduct of Dr James Gregory, to Dr Thomas Spens, and some other members of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    On this fubjed, however, the Laws of the College were en- tirely filent. It was therefore fuggefted, that, to prevent fuch difputes in future, a Committee fhould be appointed to revife the Laws, and to fubmit to the confideration of the College a new draught of the whole, with fuch alterations and additions as they might think proper. This Comtmttee confided of Dr Spens, the Prefident; Dr Hope, the Secretary 3 Dr Buchan, the Fifcal3 Dr Duncan junior, the Librarian 3 and Dr Duncan fenior, who had been a Member of the former Committee, for reviling the Laws, in 1788. This new Committee, by Dr Duncan’s advice, refolved to follow the very fame plan that had been adopted by the Com- mittee in 1788. They held, for a confiderable time, regular weekly meetings, at which they confidered the laws, fedion by fedion, and they reconfidered, at every fucceeding Meeting, what had been determined upon as moll: proper, at the former one, often again making alterations. But they thought it prudent to avoid, as much as they eafily could, any converfation with the other Members of the College, refpeding the intended alterations, till they fhould be able, finally, to make up their own minds with refped to thefe alterations, and to prefent the College with a conneded view of the whole. From this Jilence or fecrecy (if it may be fo called) for a fhort time, they imagined that many advantages would refult. The Members of the College would not be fo apt to form erroneous opinions, from partial information, and the Committee would not be diftraded in their procedure, by very oppofite opinions, from different Members, refpeding particular laws. At the fame time, they faw no evil whatever which could arife from their filence, as the whole was, in a fhort time, to be fubjeded to a full and candid examination. This refolution of fecrecy, however, was not fo ftridly ad- hered to, as to prevent certain parts of the intended Report from being the fubjed of converfation, both among fome of the Members of the College, and likewife among fome of the Members of
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