Address to the British Medical Association: Delivered in the Hall of Christ Church, August 4, 1868 (Classic Reprint)

Portada
1kg Limited, 2019 M02 18 - 56 páginas
Excerpt from Address to the British Medical Association: Delivered in the Hall of Christ Church, August 4, 1868

It has been said that one chief art in a President's Address is to advance no serious Opinions, and to provoke no criticism. A speaker cannot, however, speak with advantage unless he express thoughts which awaken a response in the head and the heart of his hearers. The test of the success or failure of his attempt must be their approval or condemnation.

Pleasant and bright as I hope our meeting will be, full as it should be of the double objects of such a gathering, - the advance of our common pursuits and the calling forth the kindly feelings of a common profession, - I much mistake your wishes if you do not desire that something more, than an agreeable retrospect, more also than words of hearty welcome, should occupy us for a brief space to-night.

We are living in a critical period of our country's history; in a new era in the history of Man. Every part of our social fabric is now undergoing scrutiny, revision, and reform.

Government, trade, institutions, laws, the artificial usages of society, the character to be given to our children by the method of their early training, are not only being criticised, but are most. Of them being changed - changed with unexampled rapidity and the change is, some think, a ten deney to absolute perfection, or, according to one philosopher, a last plunge down the Falls of Niagara. The facility with which ideas are communicated through the whole human family, distinguishes our age from all that precede it. Our own profession is not exempt from these influences: even if it were, we are part of the body politic, and as wise men we 'might do well to look forth from the fretted shelter of this ancient Hall, itself a memorial of the ferment of the Reformation, and, scanning the clouds as they drift along, take the bearing of our own course in the stream of time.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

Otras ediciones - Ver todas

Información bibliográfica