‘ 
ace 
the late Dr. Gregory, whofe liberal opinions 
concerning medical knowledge probably had 
eonliderable influence: on is own future 
views and conduct. In confequence of the 
Invitation of a fellow-ftudent, who had fet- 
tled in Yorkihire, the Doctor joined him for 
fome time in the practice of hisart. A new 
incident tended not a little to extend his 
fame and improvement. On a vacancy fora 
phyfictan to the Foundling Hofpital, then 
eftablithed and fupported by Parliament, at 
Ackworth, he declared himfelf a candidate, 
and was eleéted, after a public competition or 
trial of (kill with ten profeffional men, While 
here, he Jaid the foundation of that know- 
ledge of the difeafes of children, w hich after- 
wards’ formed the fubje& of bis inaugural 
differtation, when he returned to Edinburgh 
to take a degree as doctor of phyfic. The 
title was, ‘« De Infantum vita confervanda 3? 
it was much approved by the profeffors ab 
that time, and now conftitutes the fubftance 
of the firft, and, as he ufed himielf to think, 
the bef chapter of that popular work, Do- 
meftic Medicine. On his return to the capi- 
tal of Scotland, for the purpofe alluded to 
above, he courted the eldeft daughter of Mr. 
Peter, om his union with whom he received a 
competent portion for thole day s, and, in 
addition to this, formed fome very re{pect- 
able connections, the lady in quetiton bemg 
related, by means of her mother, whofe name 
was Dunbar, to the family of Dundas, of 
Pandas, of whigh the prefent Lord Dundast 
is the reprefentative. He foon afterwards 
returned to refume the duties of his ftation at 
Ackworth, where his eldeft fon, now living, 
wasborn. ‘The Doétor remained there until 
the inftitution itfelf was annihilated. Parlia- 
ment being at length convinced that found- 
ing-hofpitals did little or no good, withdrew 
the fixty-thoufand pounds annually voted for 
its tupport, in confequence of which the 
whole fabric tumbled to pieces. .On this, 
eur young phyiician returned to Edinburgh, 
where he practried tor feveral years with fuc- 
cefs, and occupied his hours of leifure in 
compoting the “ Domeftic Medicine ; or, a 
‘Treatife on the Cure and Prevention of Dif- 
eafes by Regimen and Simple Medicines.” — 
‘This was firft publifhed in 1770, and dedicat- 
ed to Sir John Pringle, then Prefident of the 
Royal Society, with whom he was in fome 
meafure connected by bis wife’s family.— 
Qn the death of the late Dr. Gregory, he be- 
came a candidate for the vacant chair; but 
the fyitem oi rendering profeflorihips heredi- 
tary, which, though fortunately fuccefsful in 
thetparticular in iffance, muft inevitably ter- 
mainte in the ruim of whatever univerfity 
adopts it as a rule of conduct, prefented an 
invincible obftacle to his fuccefs. . A bequet 
* 'Yhey were married in York cathedral. 
t This family ‘is originally of Englith ex- 
traction, the anceftor having retired into 
Scotiand on the. Norman invafion. 
The late Dr. Buchan. 
fApril 4; 
from a fcientific man, equally honourable. to 
both parties, now pointed out a new career, 
The celebrated Ferguffon, for many years % 
lecturer on natural philofophy, on his death 
bequeathed his apparatus, at that time confi- 
dered as the beft in Great Britain, to the 
Doctor; and if not abfolutely as a legacy, 
yet onterms fo beneficial, that he confidered 
it prudent to accept of it. Immediately af- 
ter this, he himfelf delivered two courfes of Se 
lectures annually for three years, with the 
affiftance of his” fon, who performed the ex- 
perimental part, to very crowded audiences, 
the apariment, which held about two hun- 
dred perfons, being always full. Thefe phi- 
lofophical avocations probably injured his 
profeffional purfuits, as mankind in general. 
conceive, and perhaps not unjuftly, that the 
practic -e of fuch an important profeflion as 
that of medicine, is alone fuificient to occu 
the mind of any one individual. The very 
general diffufion, as well as great celebrity, 
of his work, having rendered the Doétor’s 
name by this time ‘exceedingly popular, he 
determined to try his fortune on the wider, 
theatre of London. On fettling here, he 
accordingly difpofed of his philofophical ap- 
paratus on advantageous terms to Dr. Lett- 
fom, and began to “praétife under the hap- 
piett aufpices.' His fuccefs was at fir& very 
flattermé ; and could he have ‘withftood the 
allurements of company, which his convivial 
talents always enl livened, and confidered the. 
healing-art merely as a lucrative profefiion, 
he might have undoubtedly amafled a large 
and ainple fortune. But he ‘too frequently 
preferred the fociety of an agreeable friend. 
to the calls of bufinefs, the importunities of 
patients, and the purfuit of wealth. He 
er ecee exerted himfelf ‘at times; and a 
little before the late memorable Revolution, | 
he repaired to Dunkirk, where he reftored a’ 
rich merchant to health, after his cafe had 
been relinquifhed as hopelefs by all the 
French pbyficians. © His magnum opus, the. 
Domeftic Medicine, has experienced a fale 
far exceeding that of any other medical 
work ever publithed before in this ifland. Ie. 
has gone through no iefs than nineteen edi- 
tions, many of which confifted of fix and 
feven thoafand copies each, and ftill enjoys 
as extenfive a circulation as ever. In addi- 
tion to this, ithas been frequently republith- 
ed in America, and has been repeatedly imi- ~ 
tated, copied, and pirated, in various ways, 
as well as under different forms, both in Ire- 
jand and inthis country. It is tranflated\into 
every language of ‘Europe, and even into 
the Ruffian. The reputation of the author 
appears te have been ftill greater oh the Con=’ 
tinent than in his native country. From the 
late Emprefs of all the Roflias, the munifi-- 
cent rewarder of every fpecies of merit, he 
received a large medallion, of pure gold, 
which has been teen and admired by the au-’ 
thor of this article, with a complimentary- 
letter, written at her Imperial Majefty’s exe 
pacts 
Re 
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