DEDICATION 



TO HIS VERY DEAR FRIEND, 

 DOCTOR ARGENT, THE EXCELLENT AND 



ACCOMPLISHED PRESIDENT OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS, 



AND TO OTHER LEARNED PHYSICIANS, HIS 



MOST ESTEEMED COLLEAGUES. 



I HAVE already and repeatedly presented you, my learned 

 friends, with my new views of the motion and function of the 

 heart, in my anatomical lectures ; but having now for more than 

 nine years confirmed these views by multiplied demonstrations 

 in your presence, illustrated them by arguments, and freed them 

 from the objections of the most learned and skilful anatomists, 

 I at tength yield to the requests, I might say entreaties, of 

 many, and here present them for general consideration in this 

 treatise. 



Were not the work indeed presented through you, my learned 

 friends, I should scarce hope that it could come out scatheless 

 and complete ; for you have in general been the faithful witnesses 

 of almost all the instances from which I have either collected the 

 truth or confuted error. You have seen my dissections, and at 

 my demonstrations of all that I maintain to be objects of sense, 

 you have been accustomed to stand by and bear me out with 

 your testimony. And as this book alone declares the blood 

 to course and revolve by a new route, very different from the 

 ancient and beaten pathway trodden for so many ages, and 

 illustrated by such a host of learned and distinguished men, I was 

 greatly afraid lest I might be charged with presumption did I 

 lay my work before the public at home, or send it beyond seas 

 for impression, unless I had first proposed the subject to you, 

 had confirmed its conclusions by ocular demonstrations in your 

 presence, had replied to your doubts and objections, and secured 

 the assent and support of our distinguished President. For I 

 was most intimately persuaded, that if I could make good my 

 proposition before you and our College, illustrious by its numer- 



65 



(3) HC XXXVIII 



