HUNTERIAN ORATION. 
219 
rise as scientific surgeons. He proceeded to say, that, however 
elevated as a surgeon, Hunter rendered essential and enduring 
service to the whole art of healing, by bringing the practice of that 
art in closer relation than it had hitherto been with the natural 
sciences. He referred to his museum, not only as an orderly 
arrangement of animal life, but as the nucleus of the sciences of 
comparative anatomy. He then briefly alluded to the great ser- 
vices rendered to science and our profession in general by Hunter 
having regarded life as a law, and banishing the various hypotheses 
which had been held respecting it. 
How could we regard his excellence as a pattern to others l It 
could not be overlooked or disregarded that his trait was genius. 
The orator then proceeded to explain, in an elaborate manner, his 
view regarding the true nature of genius, and expatiated on the 
necessity of application and industr}^, in order that genius itself 
should acquire power and facility in educing ils manifestations. 
Hunter was a wonderful instance of industry and application, and 
the divine Milton himself owed much of his skill in “ weaving 
harmonious numbers” to his having begun in early life industriously 
•“ to build the lofty rhyme.” Education, then, was the means of 
educing the powers of the mind. He then proceeded to say, 
that in order to carry out the provisions of the late Charter, and 
with the view of raising the character and attainments of English 
surgeons, a preliminary liberal education would be one of the 
requisites in the candidate for a fellowship, such liberal education 
being guaranteed by a degree, or an equivalent to it. By this 
means the character of the profession would be elevated, and hold 
its rank with the other professions. 
He then proceeded, in a strain of eloquence — not always, how- 
ever, quite intelligible — to shew the value of education. Language, 
geography, literature, classical, modern, and profane, mathematics, 
and logic, severally and individually engaged his attention ; the 
advantages of each being illustrated by examples, and in a manner 
which shewed that the orator had been a “pupil of Samuel Taylor 
Coleridge.” 
Lastly, he dwelt for a few minutes on medical science. He said 
it was scarcely necessary for him to say that every man in practice 
should have a proper amount of technical knowledge and skill ; 
indeed, no honest man would be without them. What, then, was 
that amount 1 He would answer, such an amount as would render 
such practitioner capable of applying all the resources of our art — 
all, indeed, that the profession could supply. Every man who had 
taken advantage of the opportunities afforded him by our institu- 
tions would be able to do all that the physician or surgeon could do. 
The second qualification which he would name for a medical 
