2g2 Biogi'aphkal Account of 



hinilclf, but allbrding matter of refic61iOri relative to the con- 

 duct of public bodies, ought not to be paffed over in filence. 

 The univerfity of Edinburgh had now for a coniiderable time 

 been riling in reputation as a fchool of medicine, and its de- 

 grees in that faculty became of courfc more and more refpeft- 

 able. It is well known that the nniverfilies of Scotland, mo- 

 delled upon thofe of the continent^ave adopted the pra6lice 

 ot conferring degrees upon exam^ption, without requiring 

 in the candidates a previous relidencc in their own feminary, 

 or, indeed, in any other, In fome of them the exauiination 

 itlelf has been dil'penfcd with, and the requeded didindion 

 has been bctlowed upon perfons at a di fiance, in confequcnce 

 of mere recommendation. It is no wonder that fuch a laxity 

 fhould have thrown occaiional difcrcdit upon academical ho- 

 nours; nor that the public fhould have been prone to con- 

 found the degrees conferred at imiveilities fiuiilarly conRi- 

 tuted, in one general note of difeflecm. The Edinburgh me- 

 dical ftudents juliiy confulered ihomfclves entitled to be re- 

 garded among ihoi'e of the profeilion who had received the 

 greateft advantages of education, and were the moft defervliig 

 of thofe tcltimonials of competency which titular diltinCtions 

 imply. They had therefore begun to remonltrate againft a 

 mode of conferring degrees which might confound them with 

 perfons altogether unworthy of the honour; and their dif- 

 contcnt had been aggravated by fome late inftances of noto- 

 rious incapacity in Edinburgh do6lors by favour. Thinking 

 their complaints not fufHciently attended to, fome of the 

 Iludents of the longelt (landing had entered into a mutual 

 engagement publicly to oppofe every future attempt at deco- 

 rating with the degree of do6lor of phytic at Edinburgh any 

 perfon who lliould not have liudied there, and to take their 

 o\\ n degrees elfewhere in cafe their oppolition fnould prove 

 unfucceisful. 



It happened that Mr. Pulteney was the fird candidate under 

 thefe circumllanccs, after this refolution was adopted. The 

 fubfcribers handfomely expreflcd to him their concern that 

 a perfon of his acknowledged merit {liould be the obje6t 

 of their oppofition; but they adhered to their determina- 

 tion. His reputation and interell carried him through the. 

 conteft ; but he was (I believe) the lafl: in favour of whom 

 the condition of ftudying at thai individual feminary has 

 been violated. And fo I'enfible have the Edinburgh pro- 

 feflbrs fince become, that augmenting the credit of their uni- 

 verfity's degrees, and the difficulty of obtaining them, was 

 conducive to their own perfonal emolument, that they have 

 extended the period of recjuifite ftudy there from two to three 

 9 vcars. 



