THE GREAT MUSEUMS OF BRITAIN. 85 



of the disease, he nevertheless from this time onward 

 carried his life in his hands. Any exertion, excitement, 

 or irritation sufficed to bring on a seizure; and as the 

 paroxysms of his malady became more frequent and more 

 severe, even his restless spirit began to recognise the 

 necessity for repose. His brother-in-law now became his 

 assistant in his practice, and later on undertook to deliver 

 his surgical lectures for him. Hunter, however, still 

 continued to publish his researches in various departments 

 of surgery, physiology, or natural history, and still laboured 

 on at his museum. In fact, his practice continued to 

 increase, and his professional duties became more onerous 

 in consequence of his having been appointed, in 1786, 

 Deputy Surgeon-general to the Army, and Inspector- 

 general of Hospitals. 



Hunter had long been aware that, to use his own 

 expression, ' his life was in the hands of any rascal who 

 chose to tease and annoy him.' The immediate cause of 

 his death was the excitement consequent on a difference 

 with some of his colleagues at St George's Hospital. At 

 a meeting of the hospital board, one of his colleagues 

 gave a contradiction to some statement which Hunter was 

 at the moment making to the meeting. This excited his 

 passion, and fearing that he might not be able to control 

 his temper, he ceased speaking, and hurried into the 

 adjoining room, where he instantly fell lifeless into the 

 arms of one of the hospital physicians, who happened to 

 be present All attempts to recall life proved fruitless, 

 and in this way died one of the greatest surgeons and 

 anatomists that Britain has ever produced. He died on 

 the 1 6th of October 1793, in the sixty-fifth year of his age. 



