300 Biographical Notice of Dr. Bruce, 



disqualified by old age, when he retired from business, and died 

 a few years since in London. For many years he acted as sur- 

 geon to the several ships commanded by Sir Peter Parker, 

 captain, and afterward admiral. 



Doctor William Bruce, before his final separation from his 

 family, on the occasion of his being ordered to the West-India 

 station, had always declared that his son Archibald should ne- 

 ver be educated for the medical profession ; and finally enjoined 

 such instruction upon his wife and friends, to whom the charge 

 of the boy was committed. After his decease, the same in- 

 junction was repeated by the uncle, then in Europe, who was 

 ever averse to his nephew's making choice of this profession : 

 much pains were therefore early exerted to divert him from 

 such inclination. 



The momentous state of political affairs, induced his mother 

 to send him to Halifax, under the care of William Almon, M.D. 

 a particular friend of her husband, with whom, however, re- 

 maining but a short time, he returned to New-York ; and was 

 placed at a boarding-school at Flatbush, Long Island, under the 

 direction of Peter Wilson, LL.D, who was in high standing 

 as a teacher of the languages. 



In 1791, he was admitted a student of the arts in Columbia 

 college. Nicholas Romayne, M.D. was at this time among the 

 physicians of highest consideration in New- York, and was en- 

 gaged in delivering lectures on different subjects of medical 

 science in Columbia College. Having pursued the early part 

 of his medical studies with Dr. William Bruce, he felt a gene- 

 rous gratitude for the instruction and attention which he had 

 received from him, and endeavoured to requite them by ad- 

 vising with his son, and promoting his views, as far as lay in his 

 power. Here commenced a friendship which increased with 

 advancing years, and terminated but with life. At this period, 

 young Bruce began to evince a desire to oppose the inclination 

 of his father and friends by studying medicine ; this study, with- 

 out their knowledge, and while a student of the arts in the 

 senior class, he commenced by attending Dr. Romayne's lec- 

 tures. Such was the strong bent of his mind towards the study 

 of medicine, and its collateral physical pursuits, that the per- 



