ADDRESS. 
339 
tance, and which have been my personal guides in a professional 
life which has lasted but a few years short of half a century. 
These three points are involved in the consideration of your 
duties towards your colleagues in the profession, of those towards 
your employers, and last, but not least, of those towards your 
patients. 
is/. Duties towards your Colleagues .—You now have your 
degree, you have returned home among your relations, your 
friends ; and, once rested from the excitement of the few last 
months of your student’s life, you have selected a place to estab¬ 
lish yourself. 
The struggle for life has begun. How hard is it going to be ? 
Let me guard you against a feeling which is likely to over¬ 
come you almost at this time, at the start of your professional 
life—one of disappointment ! 
Many of us, when just leaving school have felt that the world 
was ours, that practice was going to fall on us at once, that be¬ 
cause we had put up our shingles and distributed our cards and 
said “Here we are ,” there would be for us no rest, because of a 
rush of practice, of success, of wonderful recoveries, etc., etc. 
And, yet, weeks and weeks, months after months, have gone by 
before we could record our first case, before we could speak of 
our great success in relieving a patient, which had been left to 
our care after many others had already tried, but in vain, also, to 
cure. 
Yes, perhaps even longer time than that may elapse before 
pecuniary success seems to smile on us to refund the great ex¬ 
pense which our education had imposed on us or our family and 
friends. 
Do not think that I am picturing a too sad prospect ; but if 
you are prepared for it, how better shall you feel, if, on the con¬ 
trary, success should come with your first efforts. 
Let me say, do not be too hasty in the selection of the place 
where you will settle,—but be careful and watchful of your op¬ 
portunities, and also of your personal facilities to adapt your¬ 
selves to circumstances. To some, a large city will be the place ; 
