174 Literary and PJiilosophical Society. 



Dr. JoJi'il Ferriar. 



Dr. John Ferriar was a man of great force of character, 

 and attained an eminence beyond the place of his practice. 

 He was born at Oxnam/ near Jedburgh, in 176 1 ; he studied 

 in Edinburgh, and practised in Manchester. He was phy- 

 sician to the Infirmary and Lunatic Asylum. He died in 

 1815. 



He contributed to the memoirs of the Society several 

 of his papers ; a letter has already been quoted regard- 

 ing sanitary measures to be adopted in Manchester. An 

 article in vol. iii., * On the Vital Principle,' gives us a specimen 

 of his power of reasoning and breadth of mind, and leads to 

 conclusions generally accepted. He sums up, ' While so 

 many doubts occur respecting the proof of a vital principle, 

 and while the supposition includes so many difftculties, in 

 its own nature, it is allowable to suspend our judgment on 

 the subject till more convincing proofs of its existence 

 shall appear than have as yet been offered to the public. 

 At present it is .evident that we gain nothing by admitting 

 the supposition, as no distinct account is given of the nature 

 or production of this principle, and as an investigation of 

 facts seems to lead us back to the brain as the source of 

 sensibility and irritability. 



* In the course of this paper I have uniformly considered 

 the action of the mind and brain on the body as identical, 

 without reference to the question of materialism ; because 

 with respect to our facts, and indeed to all medical facts, 

 the notion is sufficiently complete. I have also avoided 

 all disquisitions respecting the peculiar nature of the ner- 



1 Vol. iii. The same family spelt the name as Ferrier. See life by J. E. 

 Bailey, Palatine Note Book, 1882. 



