XV 



knowledge ; his reasoning was scientific and practical, his demonstra- 

 tions lucid and convincing, and he must be gratefully remembered by 

 hundreds of medical officers who owe much of their knowledge of 

 disease, its causes and results, to his teaching. 



A friend and colleague of Dr. Aitken writes : "In the post-mortem 

 room he was facile princeps, I never saw any one to compare witli 

 him at work of this kind. It was a lesson none could forget to see 

 him conduct a post-mortem and hear his exposition of what he saw. 

 He had great powers of work, and was a student in his own way all 

 his life. His book held the field for many years as a student's text- 

 book." And, again, " He was scrupulously honest as a writer ; strove 

 always to give every man his due." 



Aitken's services to medicine were not restricted to his work as a 

 teacher and examiner. He made many contributions of importance 

 to the literature of medicine, and to that branch of it which he had 

 made peculiarly his own pathology. Up to the last he continued 

 his labours, and at the time of his last illness was engaged in the 

 publication of a descriptive catalogue of the Museum of Pathology 

 now located at Netley. It is to be hoped that some competent 

 successor will undertake to carry on and complete the work thus 

 unfortunately interrupted. 



It is sufficient to name the chief of his writings to indicate the 

 debt due to this great pathologist, and to show how earnestly he 

 laboured to contribute his share of knowledge to the common stock. 

 The following are the best known : 



" On Inflammatory Effusions into the Substance of the Lungs as 

 modified by Contagious Fevers," 1849. (2) " Contributions to 

 Pathology." (3) " On the Pathology of the Diseases of the Troops in 

 the East during the Russian War, 1855-56," in conjunction with 

 Dr. R. D. Lyons. (4) " On the Diseases of the Troops in the East 

 during the Russian War, and on the Climate of Scutari, on the 

 Bosphorus," 1857. (5) "Medical History of War with Russia," 

 1857. (6) " On the Persistent and Pernicious Influence of the 

 Residence in Bulgaria on the Subsequent Health of the British 

 Troops in the Crimea." (7) " On conducting Post-mortem Examina- 

 tions at Coroners' Inquests," 1857. (8, 9, 10) " On the Pathological 

 Connexions and Relations of Epidemic Diseases in Man and the 

 Lower Animals, with special reference to the relationship between 

 the health of man and the condition of his food," 1857. (11) " Ana- 

 lytical Review of the Transactions of the Medico-Chirurgical Society 

 of London, vol. xii," 1859. (12) " Critical and Analytical Review of 

 Recent Works on the Pathology of Vaccination, and its Protective 

 Influence from Small-pox," 1857. (13) " Analytical and Critical 

 Review of the First Decennium of the Pathological Society of 

 London," 1858. (14) " Handbook of the Science and Practice ot 

 VOL. LV. c 



