438 INTRODUCTORY LECTURES. 



of it. It is only the acute, the exercised, the extensively 

 and well informed philosopher that can be really a sceptic. 

 If any one, from a thorough acquaintance with the subject, 

 and by arguments drawn from the nature of it, reject dog- 

 matism altogether, I shall allow him to be entitled to do 

 so. But the case is otherwise with the bulk of physicians. 

 Many of them have not had the opportunity of studying ana- 

 tomy, chemistry, mechanics, and the study of nature, to the 

 extent that is necessary to the theory of physic. Many, 

 from laziness and dissipation, have neglected the opportunities 

 they had ; and many more still, with opportunity and applica- 

 tion, are incapable of acquiring or applying the necessary know- 

 ledge. If all these shall lay down a weapon they cannot wield, 

 I shall not be surprised at it ; but if they shall impute to the 

 weapon the blame that is entirely in their own arm, I shall have 

 no regard to their opinion. If such at any time attempt to 

 employ an instrument they have not previously acquired the 

 use of, I shall think the attempt ridiculous, as the execution 

 must be awkward and blundering. 



Upon the whole, I plead for a dogmatic plan as a necessary 

 addition to the empiric, and as, on many occasions, a very use- 

 ful means of rendering the empirical analogy more certain. I 

 plead also for a dogmatic plan, in its utmost extent, because it 

 cannot be studied by parts, and because, without knowing the 

 whole, we cannot select the useful nor guard against the erro- 

 neous. I go still farther and say, that in studying a dogmatic 

 plan we must often try hypotheses. I hold the practice safe 

 and useful ; safe if it is only employed for leading to facts and 

 experiments, and highly useful if it does so. Hypotheses have 

 been much decried, and justly, because they have been abused ; 

 but, at the same time, I am persuaded they are almost una- 

 voidable, and have been more useful than is commonly be- 

 lieved ; for they have often produced facts that would other- 

 wise have passed unheeded, and experiments that would other- 

 wise not have been made. I mentioned before, how little has 

 been done in physic by professed empirics, and I maintain that 

 the great stock of facts we are at present provided with, has 

 been collected chiefly, and almost only by dogmatists. I finish 

 the whole controversy with this : that at present every sensible 



