1899-1900.] 
Chairman's Opening Address. 
7 
onslaught on what he called Listerism and on Koch’s discoveries. 
One of his favourite sayings was that “ Medicine is no more an 
exact science than millinery.” For some years he was Professor 
of Clinical Medicine in Anderson’s College, Glasgow, hut owing to 
his scorn for theories which were held by his colleagues and 
medical scientists, he was not reappointed in 1897. He was 
elected a Fellow of this Society in 1896, and died on the 20th 
December 1898. 
Emeritus Professor Blaikie was the son of James Blaikie of 
Craigiebuckler, Aberdeenshire, advocate, and was born at Aberdeen 
in 1820. His father was Provost of Aberdeen, and inaugurated 
the scheme for rebuilding Marischal College. The late Professor 
was educated at the Aberdeen Grammar School and in Marischal 
College. He was one of the famous Melvin’s most brilliant pupils. 
In his twenty-third year he was ordained minister of the Parish of 
Drumblade, but in 1844 he undertook the founding of a new Free 
Church * charge ’ at Pilrig, of which he was the successful pastor 
for twenty-four years. In 1864 the University of Edinburgh con- 
ferred on him the degree of D.D., and in 1872 Aberdeen honoured 
him with the degree of LL.D. In 1868 he was appointed to the 
Chair of Apologetics and Pastoral Theology in the Kew College, 
Edinburgh, a position which he held for twenty years. He is the 
author of numerous works on theological and philanthropic subjects, 
among others of Heads and Hands in the World of Labour , and 
Better Days for the Working Classes, of which nearly 100,000 
copies were sold. From similarity of name he was frequently 
mistaken for Professor Blackie, the Professor of Greek, and on one 
occasion, after a speech by the Greek Professor in praise of the 
Drama, he received a letter from an Irish female correspondent, 
saying that as he had recommended his divinity students to attend 
the theatre she would henceforth leave his publications severely 
alone. He kept up his scholarship to the end, and after his retire- 
ment from his chair spent part of his leisure in translating into 
Latin verse some of our modern hymns. He was elected a Fellow 
of this Society in 1862, and died on 11th June 1899. 
Mr David Chalmers of Redhall was the son of Mr Charles 
Chalmers, the founder of Merchiston Castle Academy, and was 
born at Glasgow in 1820. He was proud of being the nephew of 
