SIR CHARLES BELL. 269 



and construction of the human hand should be em- 

 braced in the dissertation ; and when Sir Charles Bell 

 was made aware that he had been selected as one of 

 the essayists, he, to the surprise of his colleagues in 

 the enterprise, chose that as the subject of his essay. 



The reader of Bell's Hand will say that he has ran- 

 sacked the animal world to find arguments in comport 

 with the desires of the reverend committee. The 

 scales and fins of fishes, the feathers and wings of birds, 

 and the belongings of quadrupeds, are arraigned as if 

 the peculiarities of each were specialized by the Cre- 

 ator for the definite purposes manifested in the habits 

 of the creature. By birth and education, Charles Bell 

 was loyal to the prevailing theology of his day; hence 

 he did not do injustice to his sentiments when he saw 

 the wisdom and goodness of the Creator in every 

 thorn that grew in every poisonous tooth and claw 

 in even the deadly cobra's fang ! 



While Charles Bell lived in London, Napoleonic 

 wars were disturbing the country, and making it neces- 

 sary for him to study military surgery. After the san- 

 guinary battle of Corunna, thousands of wounded were 

 landed on the southern coast of England. To these 

 at once Mr. Bell repaired, and devoted his time and 

 ability in making the sufferers comfortable, gaining 

 experience in the management of gun-shot wounds. 

 After a few months of active service in camp, he pre- 

 pared for publication an Essay on Gun-shot Wounds, 

 and made it an Appendix to his System of Operative 

 Surgery. The " Essay " was also published by itself, 

 and became "authority" among army surgeons. 



As soon as the battle of Waterloo was known in 

 London, Mr. Bell started for Brussels, with the pur- 

 pose of tendering assistance to the wounded, and th:it 



