﻿William 
  Gils 
  on 
  Farloiv. 
  89 
  

  

  seems 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  sadly 
  in 
  need; 
  since, 
  as 
  lie 
  remarks, 
  

   it 
  was 
  then 
  arranged 
  "partly 
  on 
  the 
  Linnsean, 
  partly 
  on 
  

   the 
  Natural 
  and 
  partly 
  on 
  the 
  Alphabetical 
  System." 
  

   His 
  reputation 
  as 
  a 
  scientific 
  light 
  among 
  his 
  fellow 
  mem- 
  

   bers 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  such 
  that 
  his 
  name 
  was 
  always 
  

   mentioned 
  by 
  them 
  with 
  "awed 
  respect." 
  He 
  was 
  also 
  

   secretary 
  and 
  treasurer 
  of 
  the 
  O.K. 
  Society 
  in 
  his 
  Junior 
  

   year, 
  and 
  was 
  greatly 
  interested 
  in 
  the 
  theatre 
  and 
  in 
  

   private 
  theatricals 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  often 
  took 
  part 
  ; 
  his 
  star 
  

   performance 
  being 
  an 
  impersonation 
  of 
  a 
  ballet 
  dancer 
  

   in 
  short 
  skirts, 
  which 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  been 
  quite 
  inimit- 
  

   able. 
  The 
  estimation 
  in 
  which 
  he 
  was 
  held 
  by 
  his 
  class- 
  

   mates 
  generally 
  may 
  be 
  inferred 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  at 
  

   the 
  Senior 
  Class 
  election, 
  he 
  was 
  chosen 
  Class 
  Secretary. 
  

  

  Although 
  he 
  speaks 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  his 
  graduation 
  of 
  

   having 
  "no 
  definite 
  plans 
  for 
  life," 
  he 
  appears 
  to 
  have 
  

   kept 
  up 
  his 
  botanical 
  interests, 
  and 
  within 
  a 
  year 
  to 
  have 
  

   made 
  a 
  definite 
  decision. 
  At 
  this 
  period 
  the 
  medical 
  

   course 
  was 
  almost 
  the 
  only 
  means 
  by 
  which 
  one 
  could 
  

   acquire 
  the 
  training 
  necessary 
  for 
  a 
  scientific 
  career. 
  

   For 
  this 
  reason, 
  and 
  in 
  order 
  that, 
  should 
  the 
  pursuit 
  of 
  

   botany 
  as 
  a 
  profession 
  prove 
  impracticable, 
  he 
  might 
  

   have 
  another 
  to 
  fall 
  back 
  upon, 
  he 
  followed 
  the 
  advice 
  

   of 
  Gray, 
  himself 
  a 
  graduate 
  in 
  medicine 
  ; 
  and, 
  after 
  

   studying 
  anatomy 
  for 
  a 
  time 
  with 
  Dr. 
  Jeffries 
  Wyman 
  

   in 
  Cambridge, 
  entered 
  the 
  Harvard 
  Medical 
  School 
  in 
  

   November, 
  1867. 
  Although 
  he 
  never 
  seems 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  

   any 
  intention 
  of 
  practising 
  medicine, 
  he 
  evidently 
  took 
  

   his 
  medical 
  studies 
  with 
  great 
  seriousness 
  ; 
  since, 
  at 
  the 
  

   close 
  of 
  his 
  third 
  year, 
  he 
  won 
  a 
  coveted 
  appointment 
  as 
  

   surgical 
  intern 
  at 
  the 
  Massachusetts 
  General 
  Hospital, 
  

   under 
  the 
  distinguished 
  surgeon 
  Dr. 
  H. 
  J. 
  Bigelow. 
  

   That 
  his 
  proficiency, 
  in 
  surgery 
  at 
  least, 
  was 
  regarded 
  as 
  

   beyond 
  question, 
  seems 
  clearly 
  indicated 
  by 
  the 
  fact 
  that, 
  

   after 
  finishing 
  his 
  hospital 
  service, 
  when 
  he 
  came 
  up 
  for 
  

   his 
  final 
  examinations, 
  the 
  only 
  inquiry 
  addressed 
  to 
  him 
  

   by 
  the 
  examiner 
  in 
  this 
  subject 
  was, 
  "Where 
  do 
  you 
  

   intend 
  to 
  practise, 
  Mr. 
  Farlow?" 
  

  

  Where 
  he 
  intended 
  to 
  practise, 
  he 
  made 
  quite 
  clear, 
  

   after 
  receiving 
  his 
  medical 
  degree 
  in 
  May, 
  1870 
  ; 
  since 
  im- 
  

   mediately 
  thereafter 
  he 
  betook 
  himself 
  to 
  Cambridge 
  and 
  

   to 
  Asa 
  Gray, 
  helping 
  the 
  latter 
  with 
  his 
  classes, 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tinuing 
  his 
  botanical 
  studies 
  until, 
  in 
  the 
  following 
  July, 
  

   he 
  was 
  appointed 
  Gray's 
  Assistant 
  by 
  the 
  University. 
  

  

  In 
  this 
  position, 
  which 
  he 
  held 
  for 
  two 
  years, 
  he 
  took 
  

  

  