1809. | 
death of his uncle, the well-known Dr. Wil- 
liam Pitcairn who had practised physic here 
for nearly half a century, and had been many 
years president of the college of Physicians. 
Dr. David Pitcairn was born on the ist of 
May, 1749, in the house of his grandfather, 
the Rev. David Pitcairn, minister of Dysart, 
in the county of Fife. When about nine or 
ten years old, he was sent tothe high school 
at Edinburgh, where he remained four years ; 
after which he went’to the University of 
Glasgow, and prosecuted his studies there till 
he arrived at the age of twenty. At this 
period of his life he used to spend much of 
his leisure time with the family of the Rev. 
James Baillie, minister of Bothwell, in the 
County of Lanark, and father of the present 
De. Mathew Baillie, of London, and of the 
celebrated dee writer Miss Joanna 
Baillie. During this intercourse commenced 
an affectionate intimacy between Dr. Pitcairn 
and Dr. Baillie; which afterwards, as the 
difference of their years became less in pro- 
portion to their whole aves, graduatly chang- 
ed into the warmest friendship, that continu - 
ed everafter. Jt being now determined that 
he should be a physician, he went in I769 to 
the university of Ndinburgh, and studied me- 
dicine there for three years, under the imme- 
diate direction of the illustrious Cullen. In 
1772 he came to London, and attended the 
lectures of Dr. W. Hunter, and Dr, G. 
Fordyce. About the same time also, that 
he might attain an English degree in physic, 
thoush he was then feacly 23 years old, he 
entered at Ben’et College, Cambridge. In 
1780, several years befure he received his- 
Dockers Degree, he was elected physician to 
St. Bartholomew's Hospital ; and about the 
same lime may be placed the conimencement 
of his private medical practice. Yh 1792, 
he was chosen physician to Christ’s Hospital 5 
and in the following year, his private prac- 
tice being now considerable, he resigned the 
ofece of Physician to St. Bartholomew’s 
Hospital. His office at Christ’s Hospital de- 
manded but little of his time, and was there- 
foye retained by him several years longer. 
By the death of Dr. Warren, which took , 
place in June 1797, Dr. Pitcairn was. placed 
at the head of his profession in London. 
One or two other physicians possibly derived 
as much pecuniary emolument from the 
practice of medicine as himself; but certainly 
no other was so. frequently requested by his 
brethren to afford his aid in cases of difficulty. 
But this prosperous state did not endure long. 
In the autumn of the same year he fell from 
his horse, and bruised his side. Shortly af- 
ter, his heart began to beat wich violence, 
and his attention was more particularly di- 
rected to this symptom, as it had occurred in 
one of his brothers, likewise in consequence 
ofa fall, whose heart, after death, was tound 
considerably enlarged. He continued, how- 
ever, to follow his pro‘ession till February 
in the following year,when he was attacked 
Account of the late Dr. Pitcairn, .— pe 
with an heemorrhage from hislungs. From 
this he recovered, after some time, so far as 
to be enabled to resume the exercise of his 
profession; butthe same disease having res 
curred in summer, he enrbarked in September 
for Lisbon. During a stay of more than 18 
mouths in Portugal, he had no return of the 
hagmorrhage, in consequeace of which he 
ventured tocome back to this country in 
May 1800. He was still feeble; and his 
heart was still beating too forcibly; he for 
some time, eneporceu declined altogether en- 
gaging in medical practice. Afterwards, as 
his health improved, he began to receive pa- 
tients at his house 3 then to meet other phy- 
sicians in consultation at the houses of their 
patients ;' and at length, after an interval of 
several yeavs, to undertake the entire care of 
sick persons at theirown homes 5 except du- 
ring tour menth in the latter part of the year, 
which he spent almost wholly inthe country. 
In the mean time, however, the palpitation 
of his heart continued; on which account he 
for-a long time lived very abstemiously, 
drinking only water, and abstaining almost 
entirely from animal food. But, as the beat- 
ing did not increase, and no other sign of a 
d.seased heart existed, and as he found a vege- 
table diet to produce in him much flatulence, 
about a year or two before his death he be- 
gan toeat moderately of animal food once a 
day, and to take sometimes after dinger asin- 
gle glass of wine diluted with water. Under 
this change of regimen his appearance altered 
considerably, and during the last six months of 
his life, he frequently received the congratula- 
tions of his friends on the improvement which 
his health had undergone. Disregarding the 
advice given by one of the masters of his art, 
“6 sj plenior ali quit, et s Speciosior y et coloratior, 
factus est, suspecta habere bona sua debet,” he 
seemed to look upon his increased strength 
as a permanent acquisition, and aschiefly valu- 
able from enabling him to bear an increase 
of professional labour. inthe course of the 
month of March for instance, he rose several 
times from his bed soon after midnight, and 
travelled between twenty and thirty mies 
before morning, to visit a patient. From 
these exertions, however, he appeared to 
suffer no immediate injury. But about the 
beginning of April he found that he was 
heated by his single glass of wine, though di- 
luted largely with water, and therefore dis- 
continued it. On the 13th he feit a soreness 
in his throat; but he thought so lightly of 
it, that he continued his profess sional visits 
during that and the two following days. in 
the night of the 15th, his throat became 
worse, In consequence of which | ee was copi- 
ously bled at his own desire, anu hada large 
blister applied over his throat; but the irri- 
tation occasioned by the latte: remedy was 
so distressing to him, that 4% was removed 
before its intended effect was fhily produced. 
On the evening of the 16th, Dr. Baiilie cal. 
led upon him, ‘without knowing that he was 
ill 
