BLACK. 



549 



Black. Dr Black, deeply impressed with the importance of 

 v ' the station which he filled, devoted himself complete- 

 ly to the improst.nent of his lectures on the elements 

 of chemistry. His great object was to make them 

 intelligible to all his students, however defective their 

 previous education had been. He never ventured to 

 indulge in hypothesis or conjecture, neither did he 

 introduce any refined speculations, or touch upon 

 those topics that would nave required previous read- 

 ing and study. He confined himself entirely to mat- 

 ters of fact, and illustrated his lectures by plain and 

 beautiful experiments, the best adapted for the sub- 

 ject under discussion, and just sufficient for his pur- 

 pose. There was no parade of apparatus, nor bril- 

 liant display of showy but useless experiments ; every 

 thing appeared in its proper place, and exactly suited 

 the ol.jcct in view, the conveying to his pupils an ex- 

 act knowledge of the subjects under discussion. His 

 manner was remarkably pleasing ; his voice was low, 

 but fine and distinct ; his elocution was slow, but 

 graceful ; and his style possessed a simplicity and 

 elegance which has rarely been surpassed. He be- 

 came a favourite professor, and was undoubtedly one 

 of the greatest supporters of the celebrity of the 

 Edinburgh medical school. 



He filled the chemical chair in Edinburgh for 

 nearly thirty-three years ; and in the whole of that 

 period, during which the science had advanced with 

 unexampled rapidity, and had undergone a complete 

 revolution, his reputation as a lecturer had been con- 

 tinually increasing ; and though he added but little 

 to the stock of chemical knowledge by his own dis- 

 coveries, he made his lectures keep pace with the 

 progress of the science, and even embraced and taught 

 the antiphlogistic doctrines. 



Owing partly, perhaps, to indolence, but chiefly to 

 the delicate state of his health, he was obliged to re- 

 main a spectator of the brilliant discoveries in pneu- 

 matic chemistry, while he abstained from attempting 

 to traverse the brilliant career which he himself had 

 thrown open. About the year 1793, his health be- 

 gan to decline. He was unable to continue the gen- 

 tle exercise which had so long prevented the approach 

 of any serious disease. The fatigue C performing 

 the experiments in his class iie found too much for 

 him, and he was obliged to get an assistant to take 

 that labour off his hands. In 1796, he found the la- 

 bour of lecturing beyond his strength, and got a suc- 

 cessor appointed to relieve him of a part of the drud- 

 gery. Next year he hardly attempted to lecture at 

 all, or at least delivered only a part of the course ; 

 and, unless our recollection fail us, 1797 was the last 

 year that he read lectures in the university of Edin- 

 burgh. As he advanced in years, his constitution, 

 which had always been weak, became more delicate 

 and frail, so that every cold he caught occasioned 

 some degree of spitting of blood. Yet he seemed to 

 have this unfortunate disposition of body always un- 

 der command, so that he never allowed it to proceed 

 far, or to occasion any distressing illness ; and he 

 thus spun his thread to the last fibre; and even thi3 

 docs not seem to have broken, but merely to have 

 ended. " He guarded against illness," says his rela- 

 tion Dr Ferguson, " by restricting himself to a mode- 

 rate, or 1 should rather call it an abstemious diet : and 



he met his increasing infirmities with a proportional 

 increase of attention and care, regulating hh food and 

 exercise by the measure of his strength. It is won- 

 derful with what skill and success he thus made the 

 most of a feeble constitution, by thus preventing the 

 access of disease from abroad. He enjoyed a health 

 which was feeble, indeed, but scarcely interrupted, 

 and a mind ever undisturbed, in the calm and cheerful 

 use of all his faculties. A life so prolonged had the 

 advantage of present ease, and the prospect, when the 

 just period should arrive, of a calm dissolution." His 

 only apprehension was, that of a long continued sick- 

 bed ; and this, perhaps, less from any selfish feeling, 

 than from the humane consideration of the trouble 

 and distress occasioned to attending friends ; and ne- 

 ver was this modest and generous wish more complete- 

 ly gratified. 



On the 26th November, 1799, and in the 71st year 

 of his age, he expired, without any convulsion, shock, 

 or stupor, to announce or retard the approach of 

 death. Being at table with his usual fare, some bread, 

 a few prunes, and a measured quantity of milk diluted 

 with water, and having the cup in his hand when the 

 last stroke of his pulse was to be given, he set it 

 down on his knees, which were joined together, and 

 kept it steady with his hand, in the manner of a per- 

 son perfectly at ease ; and in this attitude expired, 

 without spilling a drop, and without a writhe in his 

 countenance ; as if an experiment had been required,, 

 to shew to his friends the facility with which he de- 

 parted. His servant opened the door to tell him that 

 some one had left his name ; but, getting no answer, 

 stepped about half way up to him, and seeing him 

 sitting in that easy posture, supporting his bason ot 

 milk with one hand, he thought that he had dropped 

 asleep, which had sometimes happened after meals. 

 He went back, and shut the door ; but before he got 

 down stairs, some anxiety, which he could not account 

 for, made him return back and look again at his mat- 

 ter. Even then he was satisfied, after coming prefty 

 near him, and turned to go away ; but again return- 

 ing, and coming quite close to him, he found him 

 without life. 



Such was the career of Dr Black, one of the great- 

 est ornaments that the university of Edinburgh ever 

 possessed. His mind was without doubt of the first 

 cast, and endowed with an originality of thinking, 

 and a patience of investigation, that fitted it for the 

 most splendid undertakings. His imagination either 

 was not vigorous, or he had brought it injder the 

 most complete controul ; for no man was ever a greater 

 enemy to wild and extravagant speculations and hy- 

 potheses, and no man ever deserved greater confidence 

 as a sound philosopher, and an accurate reasoner. He 

 carried his modesty rather to too great a length, and 

 appeared too careless of his reputation as a discoverer, 

 and a chemical reformer. Whether this was owing 

 to a timidity of disposition, to indolence, or to want 

 of health, it was equally unfortunate for himself, and 

 for the literary world ; and prevented him from oc- 

 cupying that place in the foremost rank of chemical 

 discoverers, which nature obviously intended him to 

 fill. The late Professor Dr John Robison, who knew 

 him intimately and affectionately, assures us, that want 

 of health alone prevented him from exposing the con- 



BlacV. 



