1824.] 



Halt, the youngest son of tlie late Henry 

 Hall, of Haiigh-head, was boni at that 

 place ill the year 1763, and received the 

 first rudiments of his education from a 

 private tntor under the paternal roof. 

 Afterv^'ards he was placed at the grammar- 

 school of Jedbur-jh, in Koxburgli>hire, of 

 which the Rev. Dr. Panton, and Mr. 

 Jamrs Brewster,* were, at that period, 

 successively rectors. Though evincing 

 much quickness and aptitude in the ac- 

 quirement of his daily tasks, young Hall 

 was then more distinguished among his 

 school-feliows for feats of activity and 

 bold daring, than for that love of study 

 which so eminently distinguished him in 

 future life. After passing the usual series 

 of years, then dedicated in North Britain 

 to the acquirement of classical learning, 

 his aiiention was turned towards some 

 profession, when his choice fell on that of 

 medicine. The usual preliminary instruc- 

 tions he acquired under the tuition of Dr. 

 Buckham, an intelligent physician of 

 AV'ooler, in Northumberland, from whence 

 lie proceeded to Edinburgh, where he 

 pursued his studies with the most indefa- 

 tigable zeal for the next two years, re- 

 turning to Wooler in the interval of the 

 medical classes. At the termination of 

 this period he was placed with Bryan 

 Abbs, esq. an eminent surgeon in New- 

 castle-npon-Tyne, and acted for three 

 years as one of the dressers in the infir- 

 niary of that town, which, we may venture 

 to affirm, is not inferior as a practical 

 •school for surgery to any other in the 

 kingdom, owing to the multifarious acci- 

 dents continually occurring in the col- 

 lieries, and the shipping on the river. 

 The taste for classical learning, which he 

 had imbibed during tiic latter period of 

 his remaining at school in Jedburgh, was 

 now assiduously cultivated by him in the 

 interval of his medical avocations. On 

 leaving Newcastle, our young student 

 proceeded to London, and shortly after 

 entered the medical department of the 

 navy. After serving some time in the 



• Between Mr. Brewster and his pu- 

 pil a sincere and lasting friendship was 

 formed, which only terminated with the 

 death of the former. This gentleman, 

 who was a highly gifted linguist, but 

 whose retired habits, and extreme mo- 

 desty, prevented him from being much 

 known beyond the circle of a provincial 

 town, v\here his merits could not be didy 

 appreciated, was the father of the Kev. 

 James Brewster, and Dr. David Breus- 

 ttr, both so well known in the literary 

 world. The writer of lliis article has 

 frequently heard Dr. Hall predict the 

 fiilnrc eminence of young David, and 

 narrate several circumstances, which 

 clearly evinced that a passion for scienti- 

 fic research was strong even in his infant 

 years. 



Dr. Robert Hall. 



4.69 



channel, he sailed as first mate of a 

 seventy-four (we believe the Kuby) to the 

 West Indies. On the Jamaica station he 

 remained several years ; and, at the con- 

 elusion of the war, returned to Britain, 

 being then an acting surgeon on-board a 

 frigate. On his return to Britain he re- 

 linquished the navy, at the earnest solici- 

 tation of a paternal uncle, and repaired to 

 Edinburgii, still farther to prosecute his 

 medical studies. Having taken the degree 

 of M.D. the following year he settled in 

 Jedburgh, where he continued for a short 

 time to practice medicine with increasing 

 reputation. It was during this period 

 that lie published, in Duncan's Edinburgh 

 Annals, a paper un Pemphigus, in which 

 he endeavours, trom a view of all the evi- 

 dence at tiiat time before the public, to 

 establish tlie sporadic nature of that dis- 

 ease. This was followed, in a subsequent 

 volume of the Annals, by another paper on 

 the same subject, wherein he details the 

 results of an experiment he made on him- 

 self and two other subjects, by means of 

 inoculation with the matter of Pemphi- 

 gus, and enters into farther reasonings in 

 continuation of bis former conclusions. 

 Shortly afterwards, he communicated to 

 the same work, " Cursory Observations 

 on Insanity,'' in which he strenuously 

 recommends the application of cold wa- 

 ter to the head in such cases. We also 

 find, about the same period, a well-written 

 letter from Dr. Hall to the senior Dr. 

 Duncan, on the distemper so generally 

 fatal to cats throughout Scotland. The 

 accuracy of research, and clearness of 

 deduction, which characterize these short 

 productions, are alone sufficient to stamp 

 their author, even at that early period of 

 his professional career, as a dispassionate 

 and philosophical enquirer. Considera- 

 tions of a domestic nature induced him, 

 about this period, to remove to London, 

 where he continued some years chiefly 

 engaged in literary pursuits. A transla- 

 tion of " Spallanzani on the Circulation of 

 the Blood," with a preface and notes, 

 from the pen of Dr. Hall, appeared shortly 

 after his arrival in the metropolis ; and, 

 a few months afterwards, a translation of 

 " Guyton Morvean on the means of Puri- 

 fying Infected Air, and Arresting the 

 Progress of Contagion." This last work 

 was also enriched with several useful and 

 judicious notes, and a preface, in which 

 Dr. Hall canvasses the pretensions of Dr. 

 James Johnstone, of Worcester, to this 

 discovery, which was unjustly claimed 

 both by Guyton Morvean and Dr. Carmi- 

 chael Smyth. Dr. Johnstone's claim to 

 priority of discovery was afterwards can- 

 didly stated by Dr. Hall in the Monthly 

 Magazine for October, l8i)2. It ivould 

 be tedious to enumerate all the different 

 literary engagements which occupied his 

 time at this period. Suffice it to say, 

 that besides writing in two reviews, and 



being 



