OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 39 



of the divine art of healing to become conversant with 

 this as well as the other branches of Natural History ; 

 for not only do they derive some of their most useful 

 drugs from insects, but many also of the diseases upon 

 which they are consulted, as we shall see hereafter, are 

 occasioned by them. For want of this kind of informa- 

 tion medical men run the risk of confounding diseases 

 perfectly distinct, at least as to the animal that causes 

 them. It would be a most desirable thing to have pro- 

 fessors in each branch of Natural History in our univer- 

 sities, and to make it indispensable, in order to the ob- 

 taining of any degree in Physic, that the candidate should 

 have attended these lectures. We may judge from the 

 good effects that the arts have derived from the present 

 very general attention to Chemistry, how beneficial would 

 be the consequence if Entomology were equally culti-r 

 vated : and I shall conclude this paragraph with what I 

 think may be laid down as an incontrovertible axiom : — I 

 That the profit we derive from the works of creation will 

 be in proportion to the accuracy of our knowledge of 

 them and their properties. 



I trust I have now said enough to convince you and 

 every thinking man that the study of insects, so far from 

 being vain, idle, trifling, or unprofitable, may be attended 

 with very important advantages to mankind, and ought 

 at least to be placed upon a level with many other 

 branches of science, against which such accusations are 

 never alleged. 



"& v 



But I must not conceal from you that there are ob- 

 jectors who will still return to the charge. They will 

 say, « We admit that the pursuits of the entomologist 



