103 



MEDICAL MEN. 



still on the floor," replied Sir Bich- 

 ard, " for I have but three." The 

 hint was taken as he meant. 



SIR HANS SLOANE'S LIBERALITY. 



Sir Hans Sloane was a governor 

 in almost every hospital about 

 London ; to each he gave a hundred 

 pounds in his life-time ; and, at his 

 death, a sum more considerable. 

 He formed the plan of a dispensa- 

 tory, where the poor might be fur- 

 nished with proper medicines at 

 prime cost ; which, with the assist- 

 ance of the College of Physicians, 

 was afterwards carried into execu- 

 tion. He gave the company of 

 apothecaries the entire freehold of 

 their botanical garden at Chelsea ; 

 in the centre of which a marble 

 statue of him is erected, admirably 

 executed, by Eysback, and the 

 likeness striking. He did all he 

 could to forward the colony in 

 Georgia, in 1732 ; of the Foundling 

 Hospital, in 1739, and formed the 

 plan for bringing up the children. 

 He was the first in England who 

 introduced, into general practice, 

 the use of bark, not only in fevers, 

 but in a variety of other cases ; 

 particularly in nervous disorders, 

 in mortifications, and in violent 

 haemorrhages. His cabinet of cu- 

 riosities, which he had taken so 

 much pains to collect, he bequeath- 

 ed to the public ; on condition, that 

 the sum of 20,000 should be paid 

 to his family ; which sum, though 

 large, was not the original cost, 

 and scarce more than the intrinsic 

 value of the gold and silver medals, 

 the ores and precious stones, that 

 were found in it. Besides these, 

 there was his library, consisting of 

 more than 50,000. volumes, 347 of 

 which were illustrated with cuts, 

 finely engraven, and coloured from 

 nature ; 3566 manuscripts ; and an 

 infinite number of rare and curious 

 books. The Parliament accepted 

 his bequest ; and that magnificent 

 structure, called Montague House, 



in great Eussell Street, Blooms- 

 bury, was purchased for the recep- 

 tion of this collection, as well as 

 for that of the Cottonian Library, 

 and the Harleian manuscripts ; and 

 thus, Sir Hans Sloane became the 

 founder of the British Museum, 

 one of the noblest collections in the 

 world. But the wits, who never 

 spare a character, however emi- 

 nently great and useful, more than 

 once took occasion to ridicule this 

 good man for a taste, the utility of 

 which they did not comprehend, 

 but which was honoured with the 

 unanimous approbation of the Bri- 

 tish legislature. Thus Young, in 

 his Love of fame : 



"But what address can bo more sublime 



Than Sloane the foremost toyman of 

 his time ? 



Ilis nice ambition lies in curious fancies, 



His daughter's portion a rich shell en- 

 hances, 



And Ashmolc'd baby-house is, in his 

 view, 



Britannia's golden mine a rich Peru ! 



How his eyes languish ! how his 

 thoughts adore, 



That painted coat which Joseph never 

 wore ! 



He shows, on holiday?, a sacred pin, 



That touch'd the ruff, that touch'd 

 Queen Bess's chin." 



SAT. iv. 113-122. 



MRS. SARAH HASTINGS AND SIRS. 

 FKENCPI. 



The memory of female doctors 

 soon vanishes, and seldom reaches 

 beyond their cotemporaries. They 

 sink into the grave, together with 

 their patients, and all remembrance 

 of their deeds is lost. 



A few doctresscs, however, have 

 by accident acquired a more per- 

 manent fame, by their names being 

 mentioned in some standard work, 

 which preserves their memory: 

 this is the case with Mrs. Sarah 

 Hastings and Mrs. French, of Lei- 

 cester, who have had their names 

 immortalized by their cures being 

 recorded iuihe Philosophical Trans- 

 actions. 



