Henry William Fuller

“ Yes, gentlemen, with Brodie for a living exemplar, and with the memory of those great and good men who have preceded him to stimulate you in the pursuit of knowledge, you have no excuse for apathy or indolence. Go forward, then, manfully, in the path which they have trodden; follow their footsteps honestly, earnestly, hopefully; strive to the utmost to become skilful practitioners and to do justice to your patients, whether rich or poor; but, above all, be true to yourselves, and let it be your chief endeavour to deserve the good opinion of mankind, as men of feeling, integrity, and honour. ”

“ Let me beg of you, then, one and all, to devote yourselves from the very outset to the study of your profession. Begin, as you intend to go on; be regular and constant in your attendance at lectures; be diligent in the dissecting-room, earnest in your private studies, zealous in the pursuit of that practical knowledge which is only to be acquired in the wards of the hospital. ”

“ The public care little for medical titles, or for those artificial distinctions which, for the more convenient subdivision of labour, we have established amongst ourselves; they look for men who will prove useful to them in time of need—men in whom they can place confidence, whom they may admit without fear into the bosom of their families, whose feelings and behaviour are those of gentlemen, who are skilled to relieve their bodily sufferings, and to whom they may open the secrets of their hearts and turn for sympathy and advice in seasons of affliction. ”

“ And when you quit this scene of your early labours to assume the responsibility of medical practitioners, take heed lest you allow the anxieties of life to lead you astray from the path you have chosen. Call to mind the good advice you have received within these walls, and act on it steadily and consistently. Remember that your success depends greatly upon your character, and not merely on attaining a particular grade in the profession. ”

“ If it be true, that a profession which has for its object the saving of human life and the prevention of human suffering; which calls forth the noblest qualities of the mind, enlarges its sympathies, and tends to clear it of prejudice and error; which brings us in direct and intimate relation with our suffering fellow-creatures, and by giving us an insight into human nature under every form and every aspect, enables us to learn wisdom from the dearly bought experience of others,—I say, if such a profession be worthy of your choice, you may be truly thankful for the selection you have made. ”

“ But whether you study literature, or busy yourselves with physical or moral science, I would urge you to select as the companions of your leisure the standard works on the subject you engage in. Books are so numerous in the present day, and the time at your disposal is so short, that you are bound to devote yourselves entirely to works which bear the impress of genius and sterling worth. ”

“ How can you be physicians if you do not examine the functions of the living body, and note how they are affected by emotions of the mind, and by other moral and physical influences; if you do not learn to mark the early inroads of disease, and watch its onward progress; to ascertain the effects of different remedies under varying conditions of human suffering, and to estimate correctly, by personal observation, the extent of the power which the body possesses of repairing functional or structural lesions? ”

“ It is not prudent to devote yourselves too exclusively even to anatomy, physiology, or chemistry, for, as already stated, a man may be sadly wanting as a practitioner who is nevertheless a minute anatomist, a profound physiologist, and an expert chemist. And it would be still more unreasonable to occupy any large portion of your time by aiming at proficiency in other subjects which do not bear so directly on your profession. ”

“ Whereas, if, in a narrow, selfish spirit, unmindful of the privilege committed to your charge, you regard it simply as a means of earning your daily bread or accumulating wealth, you will fail to derive from it those elevating influences which sanctify the inner man and stamp the outward character, and, lacking those qualities which command the respect and confidence of your fellow-men, you will probably fail to attain the pecuniary reward at which you aim, and assuredly will want that peace of mind without which riches are valueless. ”

“ You have much to do during the next three years which cannot be done at any other period of your lives. You have not only to acquire a knowledge of a profession which, in a scientific point of view, has deeper and wider foundations than almost any other; but even now, whilst your natures are plastic and your characters are being moulded, you must learn to regulate your feelings and behaviour, to discipline your mind, and to train yourselves strictly in the path of moral rectitude. ”

“ Yes, gentlemen, the most valuable knowledge we possess is that which we have acquired by long-continued observation and experience. It cannot to any great extent be communicated to others, either orally or by writing, and the utmost that can be said of books and lectures is that they are faithful outlines simplified and adapted for your instruction, and intended to be filled up by your personal observation. The sources whence you must derive the knowledge which will enable you to fill them up, are the dissecting-room, the wards, and the dead-house of the hospital. ”

“ Gentlemen, there can be no mistake more fatal to your success and happiness. Thousands have trodden this dangerous road, and their example has shown, that he whose course is marked at its outset by negligence or irregularity, is gradually led ou to utter idleness and into evil company, and finds himself at the close of his hospital career without the knowledge requisite for the proper exercise of his profession, and without a character calculated to assist him in any effort he may be then induced to make to redeem his mispent hours. ”

“ A life of honorable usefulness lies before you, such as does not fall to the lot of every one. The profession of medicine, if worthily pursued, is a noble and beneficent vocation, softening and humanising those who follow it, leading them to regard with leniency the weaknesses of their fellow-creatures, and prompting them to spare no effort to relieve their mental anguish or assuage their bodily suffering. ”

“ Eminence and high distinction he possibly may not attain, for amid the competition of the present day something more is needed than industry and good conduct to raise a man to the first rank in his profession. He must have a clear, vigorous, and well-trained intellect; he must possess physical powers of no common order, powers which shall enable him to endure a vast amount of anxiety and fatigue without producing exhaustion of his energies; and even then he will need a happy combination of circumstances to place him in positions favorable to the display of his talents and acquirements. ”

“ Your time for study is necessarily so short, that if you wish for success you must turn neither to the right nor to the left, but walk steadily along the path you have chosen. Many persons of great ability and unwearied assiduity have wasted their talents and made shipwreck of their professional reputation by adopting an opposite course and grasping at too much, and it behoves you to be extremely careful not to fall into the same fatal error. ”

“ Where so much depends on personal observation, and the adaptation of our knowledge to special circumstances, the acquirements which are most essential to success are a practical familiarity with the different phases of disease, and a well-grounded confidence in the administration of remedies—acquirements which the greatest talent will not command without steady, persevering industry, and which any man of moderate ability may possess, if, with a determined will, he devote himself to their attainment. ”

“ Be patient in your inquiries, take nothing for granted, slur nothing over, make out everything for yourselves, and test the knowledge you have derived from others by an appeal to the result of your personal observation. How can you be good surgeons if you are not anatomists, familiar with the structure of the body you will have to operate on, practically acquainted by oft-repeated dissections, with the relative position of its several parts, and skilled by long-continued use of the scalpel to employ it cautiously and dexterously? ”

“ Many have gone before you, who, with little talent and against every disadvantage, have won their way to affluence and respect, and he who devotes himself in earnest to his work, and with an honest upright heart walks manfully along the path he has chosen, will seldom, if ever, fail in obtaining a reasonable amount of professional success. ”

“ I know not how to offer you specific advice respecting this important matter, and fortunately I think it is not needed; for all general knowledge expands the mind, clears it of prejudice, and qualifies it for application to any particular subject; and where the field is so wide, and the labour required so vast and diversified, each labourer must select that style of work which he finds most congenial to his taste and best suited to his powers. ”

“ To medical men there need be no difficulty in selecting subjects for mental recreation. The mind is almost as much refreshed by being directed to fresh objects as it is by entire idleness; and there are so many useful and' deeply interesting studies bearing more or less directly on your own profession, and so many branches of knowledge with which you must be acquainted if you would qualify yourselves to mix with educated men and take a proper standing in society, that the question is not so much, "How shall I occupy my time?" ”

“ For, remember, the tribunal by which you will be judged hereafter will not be composed only of us who are now your teachers at the hospital, but of your friends, your contemporaries, your fellow-students, who will have ample opportunities of marking your conduct, and who, whatever their present feelings, will assuredly form their estimate of your character according to the incidents of your student life. Yes, whilst you fancy yourselves unnoticed, your career will be closely watched by those whose observation you cannot escape ”

“ I am addressing you as your teacher—as one who is desirous of seeing you take a proper position in the world as useful and respectable members of an honorable profession, and who feels that he is in some measure answerable for your so doing. Bear with me, then, if I seem to have said more than is absolutely necessary, and believe me when I add, that if you firmly resolve to follow my advice and act up to your resolutions, you will one day thank me for having endeavoured, however prosily, to impress these truths on your minds. ”

“ The mental faculties admit of development to a degree of which, perhaps, you have little conception; and you will soon discover that moderate ability, backed by well-directed mental discipline and steady industry, will place any one of you in a position to compete with the most talented of your neighbours. Barely, indeed, in a profession like ours, does innate talent determine the difference between man and man. ”

“ But, beyond all this, if you would succeed in your career, and occupy an honorable position in the world, you must learn to cherish self-respect and honesty of purpose,—feelings inconsistent with mean or dishonorable actions; you must evince integrity of conduct, generosity of character, and kindliness of feeling towards your professional brethren; you must acquire a habit of self-restraint which shall enable you to bear with the waywardness of your patients, and a gentleness of manner and cheerfulness of disposition which shall render you a welcome visitor to them ”

“ Pemberton, Hope, Chambers, and Mansfield Clarke — these and a host of others who now are numbered with the illustrious dead, passed their early days within these walls, and many of them were medical officers of the hospital. Even now there remains amongst us one who has earned a deservedly world-wide reputation, a man to whom we are largely indebted, and to whom we would all do honour. ”

“ It is a study to engross your whole attention, even if it had no relation to your future career through life. But forming as it does the groundwork of that profession which you have deliberately chosen, you are bound to devote your whole energies to its prosecution. You are bound to do so for the sake of your own reputation and future happiness ”

“ They are precious talents committed to our charge, and if rightly used, may be made to forward our success in this world and our happiness in the world to come. But he who is possessed of many talents may neglect his opportunities, and fall below the level of him who, though possessed of only one, yet turns that one to the best account. Be not dismayed, then, if now at the outset of your career you find yourselves deficient in some of those qualities which would most assist you in your race through life. ”

“ But believe me, the path which you are about to tread is not beset by any obstacles which may not be overcome by steady industry and application. It has its own, its special difficulties, but so has every walk through life, and he who would be useful, happy, and contented, must meet them in a proper spirit, and make the exertion which is necessary to overcome them. ”