80 MEMOIR OF GEORGE WILSON. ('IIAP. II. 



besides attendance in the Hospital wards. The first, but espe- 

 cially the last named of these classes, would go far to make the 

 rest palatable. In his Life of Dr. Keid, Mr. Kemp is gratefully 

 mentioned. " I cannot name Mr. Kemp without a passing 

 tribute to the memory of that highly-gifted chemist, who, like 

 his friend, to whom this volume is specially devoted, was too 

 soon cut off by a lingering and painful illness. Mr. Kemp, who 

 was almost entirely self-taught, united, in a rare degree, origi- 

 nality, ingenuity, and inventiveness, with constructive skill and 

 manipulative dexterity. Had his erudition been equal to his 

 qualifications in these respects, or had he prosecuted to a close 

 the many novel trains of research which he opened up, or had 

 he only published the many remarkable discoveries which he 

 made, he would have occupied the highest place among our 

 electricians and chemists. He could scarcely, however, be per- 

 suaded to use the pen, so that not a tithe of what he observed 

 was put on permanent record, and his name in consequence ( is 

 writ in water.' He did much, however much more, indeed, 

 than I believe is generally suspected to foster the study of 

 chemistry in Edinburgh ; and many of his pupils retain, like 

 myself, a very grateful remembrance of their obligations to him 

 as a teacher." 1 



Among the many societies connected with the University of 

 which George Wilson was a member, was the Diagnostic, 

 though in its proceedings he never took an active share. 

 Allusion to it is made by him in the account of academic stu- 

 dent life in the Memoir of Edward Forbes. " It fell to my own 

 lot about this time, as the solitary medical student in the Uni- 

 versity Diagnostic Society, to defend the Anatomy Bill at one 

 of its meetings ; but I cannot remember whether the Ayes or 

 Noes had it. Nor was it matter of half so much concern to the 

 combatants which side was victorious by number, as which was 

 most skilful in fence. He would have been counted a very 

 unworthy member who could not, on due notice, take either side 

 on this or any other topic ; and it must not be held as implying 

 indifference to truth, that to make a good speech was considered 

 much more important than to win a verdict. The debates were 



1 ' Life of Dr. John Reid,' p. 47. 



