EXERCISE. 223 



that I nev^er (particularly after so much ad- 

 ditional pmctice and investigation) can con- 

 descend to change my opinion, and admit 

 its uncertainty, in compliment to the unsup- 

 ported ipse dixit of any pen v/hatev^er ; and 

 that I may stand totally exculpated from the 

 charge of publishing an opinion so contrary 

 to the respectable authority of Mr. Clarke, 

 I must beg to observe, that my opinion had 

 not only the priority of his in pubUcation, 

 but had been in circulation full two years 

 before ]\Ir. Clarke's treatise came into my 

 possession. 



We come now to the judicious declaration 

 of Bracken, respecting the blood that he 

 calls '^ viscid, poor^ and dispirited -J' to cor- 

 rect which unaccountable professional slip, 

 the above quotation will, in a certain degree, 

 contribute ; particularly when I submit it to 

 recollection, that in riiany parts of my for- 

 mer volume, (appropriated entirely^^to medi- 

 cal researches), I have represented ziscid, 

 sizey blood to be the resulting effect of too 

 much plenitude arising from alimentary re- 

 pletion, with a want of proper exercise ; 

 while^ on the contrary, I have described too 



