32 MEMOIR OF JOHN HUNTER. 



he with its value, that, before touching it, he secured 

 Mr Hunter's attendance, and requested him to con- 

 duct the examination. This Mr Hunter accordingly 

 did, in the presence of several individuals, and, with 

 his usual address, succeeded in unravelling a struc- 

 ture, the anatomy of which had not before been un- 

 derstood. He immediately made some preparations 

 illustrative of the facts, returned home in the even- 

 ing, and communicated what he had discovered to 

 Dr Hunter, who at first (says he) " treated it and 

 me with good-humoured raillery ; but on going to 

 Dr Mackenzie's with me, he was soon convinced of 

 the fact." After this, he and Dr Hunter together 

 took opportunities of re-examining the point, which 

 was thus made out to the complete satisfaction of 

 all capable of judging. John's feeling, in his own 

 words, was, that he had a just claim to the disco- 

 very of the structure, together with the further me- 

 rit of showing the purposes of the structure so dis- 

 covered. But, notwithstanding this, Dr Hunter in 

 his lectures never took any notice of his brother's 

 share in the investigation, and some years afterwards 

 published a very splendid and elaborate work, in 

 which he accurately delineated and minutely de- 

 scribed the anatomy and physiology of the parts, 

 without once mentioning the author, or the mode, 

 of the discovery. 



These two instances may suffice to shew the na- 

 ture of that injury which was offered on the one 

 4iue, and the cause of that offence which w&g felt 



