THE LIFE AND WORKS OF BROWN-SEQUARD. 683 



more unci more the advantages of its own State for its own citizens. 

 This tendency to exclusion lias begun to affect even the United States. 

 The life of a wandering scientist, such as Brown-Sequard, has there- 

 fore become quite difficult. Perhaps, indeed, it would not have been 

 possible, even in his time, had he not possessed special qualities derived 

 from his racial origin. 



Although we can thus easily explain the national exclusiveness of 

 the present day, we may perhaps in certain respects see cause to 

 regret it; for the exchange of ideas aud conceptions between peoples 

 is more easily effected by means of persons than by books, and this 

 exchange is indispensable for the general diffusion of knowledge and 

 culture. 



Hardly had Brown-Sequard landed at New York when he was 

 obliged to give lessons in French to support himself. He made the 

 acquaintance of some of the distinguished physicians of the city who 

 had attended at Paris the lectures of Magendie, Andral, and Bouillaud. 

 They obtained for him the post of teacher of experimental physiology 

 in one of the American medical schools. At the present time a young 

 Parisian physician would hardly find such resources in New York. In 

 the first place, because scientific culture has remarkably developed in 

 America during the past half century, and the Americans find among 

 themselves the necessary teachers; but also because we no longer, to 

 the great damage of French influence, give the same welcome to for- 

 eign students. Too frequently, repulsed by us, they go to complete 

 their education in Germany. Let us hope that our University of Paris 

 will pursue a more enlightened course and repair the sad mistakes into 

 which narrow-minded persons have led her. 



In 1853 Brown Sequard was in America and led there a very unset- 

 tled life. In order to support himself he resorted to obstetric practice 

 at $5 a case, and assisted in the preparation of a treatise on obstetrics. 

 In the meantime he married, espousing Miss Fletcher, niece of Daniel 

 Webster, the celebrated orator, and had by her a son, recently deceased, 

 who gave his father but little satisfaction. Brown Sequard returned to 

 France during the summer, without, however, finding there any more 

 solid means of support. Patients did not care for a physician so un- 

 settled in his habits. He would not, however, abandon science, which 

 was always the principal subject of his thoughts. It was, indeed, at 

 this time that he published, in the Philosophical Medical Examiner, his 

 first paper on experimental epilepsy. Still adventurous and unsettled, 

 he returned to the United States, to leave again in 1854, in order to 

 visit Mauritius, his native island. There he chanced upon an epidemic 

 of cholera, which was decimating the population. Physicians were 

 needed. Brown Sequard was put in charge of a hospital and various 

 relief establishments. The treatment he adopted, founded upon the use 

 of opium, was in accordance with the practice of the period. The prin- 

 cipal fruit of his services was a gold medal, struck by order of the 



