Sir John Scott Bur don- Sanderson, Bart v 



grasped some of those fundamental principles which were to be displayed in 

 all his later scientific work. He recognised the importance of studying 

 living processes, and the fundamental nature of such characteristics of these 

 processes as are general in their distribution ; for instance, excitability or 

 irritability ; he recognised also the paramount necessity of experimental 

 investigation for the determination of a physiological problem. A further 

 notable characteristic of his mental attitude towards biological and medical 

 science is displayed by the step which he took when the Edinburgh 

 curriculum had been completed. He appears to have realised early in 

 his medical career that, since the study of living processes, whether normal 

 or abnormal, was a study of their chemical and physical aspects, it was 

 essential to possess an adequate knowledge of the methods used in chemistry. 



The completion of medical education by a visit to a Continental medical 

 school was in vogue at this time, and so Burdon-Sanderson went in the 

 autumn of 1851 to Paris, with the definite intention of spending a con- 

 siderable part of his time in working practically at organic chemistry under 

 Gerhardt. In a little daily journal he dotted down brief indications as to 

 the main occupations of each day ; the diary is somewhat irregular, but 

 is of much interest, since it affords a glimpse of the nature of his work. 



In Paris he placed himself under Gerhardt, but soon began systematic 

 work of a practical kind in the laboratory of Wurtz. He devoted himself 

 especially to the study of the organic compounds which are found in animal 

 tissues, and commenced a research into the constitution of such substances as 

 could be extracted from muscle, particularly kreatine. 



In the diary there are brief references to chemical work on a large variety 

 of compounds, including kreatine, uric acid, urea, hippuric acid, benzoic acid, 

 leucine, glycin, bile compounds, choleate of soda, stearic acid, elaic acid, oleic 

 acid, lactic acid, and pulmonic acid, this last having a query annexed to it. 



On January 16, 1852, there is a note to the effect that he read a paper at 

 the Paris Medical Society "which was not understood." It was a busy 

 winter; time was found for attending the embryological lectures given by 

 Coste, for visiting once or twice a week some of the Paris hospitals, and for 

 witnessing the experimental demonstrations given by Claude Bernard. 

 Several of those who had been his fellow students at Edinburgh were in 

 Paris at this time ; among these the names of Pavy and Marcet frequently 

 occur in the little diary. It appears that he joined these two friends in 

 attending the experimental demonstrations and lectures given by Claude 

 Bernard, and seems to have immediately fallen under the magnetic spell 

 cast by the intellectual personality of this great physiologist. His veneration 

 for Bernard lasted throughout his life, and in later years he used to say, 

 pointing to the bust which stood upon the shelf above his study table, that 

 Bernard was the most inspiring teacher, the most profound scientific thinker, 

 and the most remarkable experimental physiologist that he had ever known. 

 On March 1, 1852, there is the following interesting entry in the diary: 

 " Went with Marcet to Bernard's, who showed us much attention ; " followed 



