xvi 



His first visits in London were to Dr. and Mrs. James Somerville, 

 John Allen, and John Murray; and at 30, Old Burlington Street, 

 while waiting for John Allen, he first made the acquaintance of 

 Sydney Smith. Medical education was then (1833) as now (1887), 

 the serious subject of discussion ; and Mr. Allen was of opinion 

 that " superior degrees should be granted by Universities, with full 

 preliminary education ensured by a degree of M.A., and diplomas for 

 general practitioners should be granted by chartered bodies, after- 

 wards to be decided upon." He disapproved of legal prosecution of 

 the unlicensed, unless they do harm, or take titles they have no 

 right to. 



Mr. Allen introduced his namesake, Allen Thomson, at this time to 

 Lord and Lady Holland ; and he was afterwards introduced to Lord 

 Melbourne by Lady Holland, at Holland House, with the words, 

 " Melbourne, allow me to introduce to you the future Professor of 

 Anatomy in the University of Glasgow." Allen Thomson had to wait, 

 however, for fifteen years before that promotion took place. During 

 this visit to London he also spent some of his time with his half- 

 brother, Dr. William Thomson, James Simpson, and Dr. Carswell, 

 who was then lecturing at University College, London. 



Dr. Allen Thomson was then much interested in the work of Clift 

 and of Owen, at the Hunterian Museum, especially in the admirable 

 series of preparations of comparative anatomy, and the beautiful 

 manner in which vegetable structure is illustrated. He also records 

 the significant memorandum, " Make some preparations of this kind 

 for myself." Breakfasting at Sir Astley Cooper's, he had "a very 

 i iteresting demonstration from him of his preparations of the thymus 

 gland and testicle," and mentions that " Sir Astley lectured with a 

 great deal of spirit, and took the trouble to carry about 100 prepara- 

 tions from one room to another." Allen Thomson admired particularly 

 the dry preparations of the thymus gland at different ages, in which 

 the sacculi of the body itself are injected with wax, the arteries, veins, 

 and particularly the lymphatics being injected and painted of various 

 colours. Again he makes the memorandum, " Make some of these 

 preparations in the foetal calf." Sir Astley then demonstrated his 

 preparation of the structure of the testicles ; and again, the memoran- 

 dum, " Dr. Sharpey and I must have some similar injections of the 

 tubes with wax, &c." He visited Guy's Hospital Museum with 

 Hodgkin, and there he bears his testimony to the beauty and accuracy 

 of the wax models of diseases of the skin and of healthy anatomy, 

 made by Joseph Townes. His father joined him on 15th of June, in 

 London. On the 17th they started for Rotterdam. Thence by Dussel- 

 dorf and Delft to Bonn. He gives a very detailed account of the 

 contents of the Museum at Bonn. He also describes the surgical 

 <: klinik," " conducted by questioning the students respecting patients 



