The Hunterian oration, delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons, February 14, 1853 / by Bransby B. Cooper.

  • Cooper, Bransby Blake, 1792-1853.
Date:
1853
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Hunterian oration, delivered at the Royal College of Surgeons, February 14, 1853 / by Bransby B. Cooper. 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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    actual cautery and many other violent remedies which were then universally employed, and to which so many fell victims, and substituted in their stead means which were gentle in their influence, desiring as little as possible to interrupt nature's processes; although, as I have said before, he had not, like Hunter, watched the phenomena which were deve- loped during the reparative action. The first thought that would naturally occupy the mind of one, upon whom the honour of delivering this Oration had been conferred, would be the choice of the subject best suited to the fulfilment of the onerous duty he had undertaken; and I must confess that the contemplation of the method I should adopt, to do justice to the memory of Hunter, involved me in great perplexity. A retrospective glance showed me that the ground had been already ably occupied. I remembered that previous Orations had embraced almost every topic concerning John Hunter, either in a general or special point of view, as well as in con- nexion with the polemics of our profession. I remem- bered, too, how ably, for the last few years, the late Professor of Surgery had enriched his lectures on Pathology by the illustration of his views through the medium of the preparations of our Museum; and, indeed, in whatever direction I sought, I found the soil had been already broken, and had already rendered up a fruitful harvest. To attempt to offer anything new in elucidation of Hunter's character and labours, I feel conscious, would prove but a vain effort, as far as any advan-