+2 8 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



he was a man of birth and a well-known politician. He stopped some 

 time at the surgeon's house, who was thus enabled to lay the founda- 

 tion of a large and lucrative connection. 



Dr. Denman, the father of the great Lord Chief Justice, and the 

 grandfather of our new judge, who has so worthily been promoted to 

 the bench, which he will adorn, prefixed an autobiographical narrative 

 to his " Introduction to the Practice of Midwifery." He was educated 

 at the Free School at Bakewell, and, going up to London to study at 

 St. George's Hospital, he boarded and lodged with a hair-dresser at 

 half a guinea a week. In six months his money was gone, and he 

 thought, as a desperate chance, he might get a surgeon's appointment 

 on a king's ship. To his great astonishment, he passed, but he had 

 to pawn his watch before he could join his ship. Once he tried to set 

 up a practice, but he was obliged to betake himself to the royal navy 

 again. However, he tried again. "I had taken a small house in Oxen- 

 don Street ; but I furnished only one parlor, thinking to complete it 

 gradually as I was able, and I hired a maid-servant, who cheated me 

 very much. When I went into this house, excepting my furniture, I 

 had but twenty-four shillings in the world, but I was out of debt." 

 He got on gradually, made a very happy marriage, bought houses, 

 bought land, kept his coach, and, what, as a Bakewell man, pleased 

 him immensely, he was called in to attend the Duchess of Devonshire. 

 " I was made happy," he writes, " by the birth of a son, which was an 

 unexpected blessing, as I had given up all hopes of having any more 

 children." This son was the celebrated Lord Chief Justice. In time, 

 Dr. Denman became the head of his profession. 



Many similar instances might be supplied. Even John Hunter had 

 to make his way amid the greatest difficulties, having to satisfy his 

 brother "William of his genius before he could satisfy the outside world. 

 Sir James Simpson is another instance of a man who might have taken 

 nitor in adversum as his motto. He was one of the poorest of poor 

 students who flock to a Scottish university. There is a pretty little 

 village called Inverkip on the Frith of Clyde, near which is Sir Michael 

 Shaw Stewart's great place. He applied for the office of village sur- 

 geon, but, not having any local influence, the appointment was refused 

 him. Sir James used to say that he felt a deeper amount of chagrin 

 and disappointment from this circumstance than from any other event 

 in his life. Going before a famous pathologist for examination, the 

 examiner was so pleased with him that he asked him to become his 

 assistant. When Simpson became a candidate for the chair of Mid- 

 wifery at Edinburgh, the great local interests were again enlisted 

 against him. It was alleged that his election would be prejudicial to 

 the interests of hotel-keepers and city tradesmen, for it was not likely 

 that many strangers would be induced to visit Edinburgh for the pur- 

 pose of getting professional advice. It was not for the first time that 

 the highest intellectual interests had been imperilled at Edinburgh by 



