TRUTH, PATHOLOGY, AND PUBLIC. 153 
our social relations we influence others and are in- 
fluenced. We must also take into consideration 
that when we analyse the characters of individual 
men, we find that no man is wise in everything, and 
that most are wise in reference to things within a 
very limited compass. Yet, as it is the property of 
truth to keep ever sapping the domain of error, 
there is an always increasing number of truths and 
half-truths which gain the assent of the majority of 
men. From such considerations as these, it arises 
that public opinion is often the foolish offspring of 
passion and prejudice, especially. with regard to 
mere passing events; and yet, with regard to per- 
manent matters, it keeps slowly and lumberingly, 
but very surely, moving on at a respectful distance 
behind the heels of wisdom. We are bound, there- 
fore, in those professional matters with regard to 
which it would be better for the public to be- 
liberated from prejudice, and be more fully in- 
formed, we are bound to keep hopefully pointing 
out the things which our training brings specially 
under our notice, and so endeavour by the one thing 
in which we are wise to make up for the many in 
which we are foolish. 
As to the propriety of the public affording facili- 
ties to medical men to do their duty in the matter 
of making certain the cause of death in every case, 
