TRUTH, PATHOLOGY, AND PUBLIC. 145 



single emotion that has not got a warping power. 1 In 

 your practice you will make blunders, everybody 

 does ; and you will try to conceal them, everybody 

 does ; it will often be well for your patient that you 

 should. You will learn much which your patients 

 will think that they have a right to know, but which 

 it would be wrong to tell them ; and patients' 

 friends will ask distressing questions which it may 

 be your duty not to answer. They will ask you 

 questions, also, especially in the early days of your 

 practice, which you may find eminently inconvenient 

 to yourselves to answer, even when you know full 

 well that you are thoroughly able to do your duty. 

 In all these cases, and in many more which might 

 be mentioned, you will readily see how emotion of 

 one sort or other may interfere with accuracy of 

 statement ; and with regard to them all, I may 

 further say, happy is the man who can bring tact to 

 his rescue or even finesse in aid of truth. 



1 It is indeed true that all emotion has a warping power ; yet I can- 

 not republish this sentence without noting that I have fallen into a 

 specious error in saying that emotion ought not to enter into scientific 

 work. The emotions should all be strictly disciplined, especially those 

 founded on personal pique, which was the emotion most present to my 

 mind. Even pique has warmed men up to work, though not of the 

 best sort. As for the man who brings little enthusiasm into his work, 

 he will take little credit out of it, either in the way of discovery or of 

 influencing other minds. Yet enthusiasm continually warps the judg- 

 ment, and we must curb our enthusiasm for our own views of truth 

 by loyal adhesion to the spirit of candour and caution by which we 

 can alone hope to throw aside the prejudices to which we are liable. 



K 



