An introductory lecture delivered before the medical class in Harvard University : on the 16th of October 1833 / by John Ware.

  • Ware, John, 1795-1864.
Date:
1833
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An introductory lecture delivered before the medical class in Harvard University : on the 16th of October 1833 / by John Ware. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    success is not uniformly in proportion to medical de- sert, and that various other circumstances contribute to the progress made by an individual in medicine, considered, as an art, or profession. It might now perhaps be asked, if these circumstances contribute so much to success, why should we devote so much toil and time to the acquisition of medical knowl- edge, which, after all, is of so little avail. I answer, in the first place, that we have ourselves to satisfy as well as the public; and this we cannot do with- out understanding thoroughly the science which we profess. But, in the next place, I would repeat another remark, that, although many men fail who are, professionally speaking, well qualified, and many acquire practice and notoriety who are but indifferent- ly qualified, yet none arrive at a truly desirable and permanent reputation, who are not well versed in the knowledge of their profession. The reason of this is, that such a reputation must be conferred on a man by the voice of the members of the profession, who alone are competent judges of the merit of a medical practitioner. It is a fact that the public are no judges of this merit. They know nothing of medicine. It is truly astonishing to find how strangely ignorant of the first principles of medi- cal science, and especially of medical evidence, are a