1805.] 
William Buchan, M.D. Felluw of the Roy- 
al College of Phyficians, Kdinburgh. 
f* Omnes homines artem medicam noffe opor- 
tet. ye 
Sapientie cognitionem medicine fororem 
Ac contubernalem efle puto.” 
bd Hippocrates. 
Man appears to be the creature of the fo- 
éial inftitutions. Tn dark and barbarous pe- 
tiods, he finks into fubjeétion, and becomes 
unable to refcue himfelf from the trammels of 
But in proportion as the age be- 
comes refined, he affumes a ferener front 
and a bolder tone. The fciences are then 
ftudied and promoted, knowledge begins to 
he generally diffuled, and the fine- aus are 
at length cultivated with affiduity, if not 
with fuccefs. It is not a little lamentable, 
however, that one of the moft ufeful and im- 
por tant branches of human ingenuity fhould 
be among the laft of thofe that attain perfec- 
tion. The healing-art,.confiigned among fa- 
vages to the giaias of the reputed forcerer, 
is too frequently entrufted, by a large por- 
tion of the inhabitants of polifhed ftates, 
to the interefted pretenfions of nefarious 
quacks, and the far lefs dangerous prefcrip- 
tions of ignorant old women. Men of regu- 
lar education too often feel themfelves de- 
terred from improvement by the prejudices 
of the fchools on one hand,. and the terrors 
arifing out of even fuccefsful innovation on 
the other. Medicine, therefore, asa fcience, 
is often doomed to languith for ages, until 
fome bold and enterprifing man, the Luther 
of phyfic, achieves a fudden and memorable 
revolution. This was happily effected by the 
fubject of the prefent memoir, who, while he 
unfolded the operations of nature with a maf- 
terly hand, at the fame time fimplified all the 
procefles of the healing-art : he found phyfic 
atrade, and endeavoured to convert it to a 
{fcience. Dr. Buchan was born at Ancram, a 
village fituate near Jedborough, in Rox- 
burghfhire, in the year 1729. His father 
poflefied a finall landed eftate there; in addi- 
tion to which, he rented a farm appertaining: 
to the Duke of Roxburgh. He ufed to fay, 
that he had heard his grandfather tell, that 
he remembered having entered through a 
window in the paternal manfion, on purpofe 
to bring out the provifions belonging to the 
family, at the time the houfe itfelf was gar- 
rifoned by the King’s troops,* and its inhabi- 
prejudice. 
* This probably alludes to that unhappy 
period of the hiftory of Scotland (about the 
yeer 1678), when the Duke of Lauderdale 
reigned in the name of Charles I]. under the 
appellation of his Majefty’s Commiilioner — 
* This Minifter (fays an hiftorian) engaged 
the Scotch Parliament not only to declare 
that the whole exterior power of the charch 
was invefted in the Crown, but to eftablifh a 
militia of twenty-two thouland men, ready to 
actin every enterprize where ihe power or 
The late Dr. Buchan: 
‘a period of nine years. 
281 
tants driven into the fields. This perfecution 
forced him to take refuge in Holland, where 
he lived fome time, oe returned with King 
William, who reflored liberty both civil and 
religious. The Doctor, at an early period of 
life, had a turn for medical ftudies, and even 
while a boy at the grammar-{chool, was ac 
cuftomed to act in the capacities of both fur- 
geon and phyfician to the “whole village,— 
He repaired, however, to the Univertity of 
Edinburg gh, with a view to the ftudy of divi- 
nity. But his theological purfuits were foon 
interrupted by 4 predile¢tion for mathema- 
tics, which proved more congenial to his 
mind. In this branch of {cience he foon ac- 
quired fuch proficiency as to be frequently 
employed as a private tutor to fuch of his 
fellow-ftudents as were lefs precocious than 
himfelf. He was thus at. once enabled and 
induced to continue at the univerfity during 
This long refidence 
naturally led to an intimacy with many of 
the ftudents of medicine who conftitute the 
majority of thofe who frequent that celebrat- 
edfeatof learning. He at the fame time ob- 
tained confiderable proficiency in botany, 
which delightful department of f{cience con- 
tinued to furnifh a fource of amufement for 
many years of his life. Dr. Buchan at length 
dedicated himfelf wholly to medicine, and 
enjoyed a familiar intercourfe with all the 
Geter ated profeffors of phyfic, particularly 
the ehendenn of the Sovereign was concern- 
ed. As much as Charles was naturally an 
enemy to toleration, fo. much the Duke was 
fond of perfecution ; whieh however, was 
ihe worft of all remedies againft the Prefby- 
terian fanaticifm diffeminated throughout the 
kingdom. 
would be endlefs, and we fhall therefore 
only mention a circumftance or two. Be- 
caufe the law which prohibited conventicles 
had called them feminaries of rebellion, he 
treated thole counties as rebellious where 
the conventicles were moft frequent; and 
the troops he fent againf them were guilty 
of the moft horrible and fhameful diforders. 
According to the law of the country, every 
perfon who was accufed, and did not appear, 
was liable to be condemned for contumacy, 
and outlawed. The refentment of the peo- 
ple increaled every day; and that their 
complaints might not reach the ear of the 
King, Lauderdale forbade a!] who had lands 
in Scotland to leave the kingdom. Some 
noblemen, notwith!anding, laid their com- 
plaints before the throne. Charles, if the 
fatirical Burnet deferves any credit, faid, 
on this occafion, ‘ J underftand that Lauder- 
dale behaves very ill to my people in Scot- 
land, but f do not find he has done any thing 
contrary to my intereft.” When a king 
makes a diftinction between his own intere{t 
and that of his people, it is not‘to be won-. 
dered if the people make a diftinct intereft 
too,” 
the 
The detail of his oppreffions — 
