[COYNE] RICHARD MAURICE BUCKE— A SKETCH 171 



for enlightenment on the basic problems. Leaving college, he con- 

 tinned his search with the same ardonr. Taught himself French, that 

 he might read iiuguste Comte, Hugo and Eenan, and German, that he 

 might read Goethe, especially " Faust." 



13. 



From McGill he proceeded to Europe for post-graduate work. 

 The season of 1862-3 was spent in London. Dr. W. C. Vanbuskirk 

 of St. Thomas was his fellow student with him in Paris, and from 

 him some particulars relating to Bucke's student life, both there and 

 in London, have been gleaned. He attended lectures in the operative 

 theatre of University College, London. Fox, Jenner, Ringer, Erichsen, 

 Quain, Harley, Hillier and Hare were among the lecturers. IMost of 

 the residue of 1863 was spent in Paris at the Hotel Dieu and the 

 Hospital of the College des Médecins, where they attended clinics 

 given by such men as Trousseau, Nelaton and Bouvier. 



In Paris he was laid up for a time with a mild type of typhoid 

 fever. He was able to continue hi? reading notwithstanding the illness, 

 and Dr. Vanbuskirk remembers seeing him engaged in earnest perusal 

 of Comte's works, whilst incapacitated by fever from attending the 

 hospitals. 



In London, a warm friendship sprang up between Dr. (afterwards 

 Sir) Benjamin Ward Eichardson and Bucke, growing out of mutual 

 admiration and kept alive by intermittent correspondence. Bucke 

 regarded Eichardson as " the ablest man in the profession in England, 

 and that is as much as to say, in the world." The results of their 

 association would seem to be reflected in some of their publications, 

 especially in those dealing with the therapeutic uses of alcohol. 

 * On the return voyage by the St. Lawrence route he had an experi- 

 ence, which might have been attended with disastrous consequences. 

 He occupied the post of ship surgeon, and in performance of his official 

 duties was obliged to report at Grosse Isle some cases of contagious 

 disease. This necessitated the quarantining of the steerage passengers, 

 some of whom became infuriated at the doctor as the cause of their 

 inconvenience and delay. An organized gang attempted to throw him 

 into the river. With some difficulty Dr. Bucke was hurriedly lowered 

 into one of the ship's boats and carried to a place of safety. He 

 used to speak of this as one of the most exciting episodes in a life 

 that was by no means devoid of thrilling incidents.^ 



^ This incident was communicated by Dr Hugh A McCallum of London. 



