Sir James Paget, Bart. 137 



served an apprenticeship of nearly five years, under favourable 

 conditions, in the same town, at the age of 21 he came to London, 

 and was entered as a pupil at St. Bartholomew's Hospital. Before 

 leaving Yarmouth be had taught himself French, and had read largely 

 both in medicine and natural history. He was a trained botanist, and 

 in conjunction with a brother had already published a Natural 

 History of Great Yarmouth, devoted, we believe, chiefly to its flora. 

 His elder brother, Gfeorge, afterwards Sir George, had been at St. 

 Bartholomew's before him. During his first year he was fortunate 

 enough to discover in the dissecting-room subject the Trichina 

 spiralis, concerning which he wrote a very complete account. He 

 obtained his diploma at the College of Surgeons in 1836, having pre- 

 viously distinguished himself as a prize winner in the Hospital Classes. 

 Then followed several years of laborious work in London, during 

 which Paget supported himself by medico-literary work, by coaching 

 students, and by a very small stipend as Curator of the Museum of 

 St. Bartholomew's. In 1839 he narrowly escaped death from typhus 

 fever. Soon after this his career as a teacher began bj 7 his appoint- 

 ment as Demonstrator of Morbid Anatomy, and in 1843 he was ap- 

 pointed Warden of the newly established College for resident students 

 at his hospital. This office enabled him to crown a long engagement 

 by marriage to one who proved a most devoted helpmate almost to 

 the conclusion of their long united life. Lady Paget predeceased her 

 husband by only a few years. 



Paget 's demonstrations were from the first exceedingly popular with 

 the hospital students and he early secured the good opinion of some 

 of the senior members of the staff, more especially of Mr. Lawrence 

 and Mr. Stanley. The latter was his enthusiastic admirer and friend. 

 With him, in 1842, Paget undertook the preparation of a catalogue of 

 the specimens in the Museum of the Eoyal College of Surgeons. 

 This was a work involving enormous labour, and it was completed in 

 a way which constituted the resulting volumes a model for all similar 

 undertakings. It was not till 1847, when he was 33 years old, that 

 Paget secured his first step on the surgical staff of St. Bartholomew's. 

 Four years later he resigned his Wardenship on account of the in- 

 creasing claims of private practice, and from this time onward his 

 success was rapid. He resigned the appointment of full Surgeon to 

 St. Bartholomew's in 1871, having held it ten years. As early as 1858 

 he had been appointed Surgeon-Extraordinary to the Queen, and in 

 1871 he was made a baronet. In 1874 he became President of the 

 College of Surgeons, having been for long a member of its Council, 

 although he had never accepted the office of Examiner. In 1876 he 

 was elected representative of the College on the General Medical 

 Council, being at the time President of the Royal Medical and 



