THE  AMERICAN 
JOURNAL  OF  PHARMACY. 
MAY,  1884. 
A  SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  OF  ROBERT  BRIDGES,  M.  D. 
By  W.  S.  W.  Ruschenberger,  M.  T>. 
Head  before  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  February  15,  1884. 
A  man  whose  honest  conduct  and  toil  through  a  long  life  contribute, 
in  any  marked  degree,  towards  the  comfort  or  enlightenment  of  his  fel- 
lows, or  the  good  name  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  earns  a 
claim  to  kindly  remembrance  after  he  has  left  the  field  of  his  labor 
forever.  It  is  good  for  the  living  to  know  something  of  his  ways  and 
services,  though  he  may  not  have  won  a  foremost  place  among  the 
leaders  of  science  or  of  letters.  Even  an  imperfect  sketch  of  the  life 
of  a  man  who  has  striven  to  increase  or  to  diffuse  knowledge  is  more 
or  less  valuable,  because  it  may  incite  others  to  emulate  his  example, 
and  toil  patiently  among  followers  till  qualified  to  fill  a  chief's  place. 
If  the  reputation  of  a  workman  is  in  proportion  to  the  quality  and 
quantity  of  his  work,  then  a  fair  relation  of  what  Dr.  Bridges  has 
done  will  suffice  to  secure,  without  aid  of  rhetoric,  the  degree  of  enco- 
mium which  his  life  deserves  in  this  connection.  A  kind*  and  gene- 
rous disposition  enhanced  the  merit  of  his  work.  He  did  much  that 
brought  no  pay  beyond  the  satisfaction  which  comes  from  doing  to 
help  others,  and  to  contribute  to  the  common  progress.  His  life  was 
characterized  by  uniform,  unremitting  labor. 
The  details  of  this  sketch  may  be  somewhat  tiresome,  but,  as  they 
contain  the  gist,  all  the  testimony  in  the  case,  they  may  be  patiently 
heard,  at  least,  if  not  excused. 
The  ancestry  of  Dr.  Robert  Bridges  is  traced  to  Edward  Bridges, 
who,  in  1648,  was  a  lieutenant  of  the  English  Army.  Edward,  his 
eldest  son,  who  was  an  architect,  married  in  1692.  He  left  two  sons. 
The  eldsr,  named  Edward,  married  Catherine  Bullen.  He  was  a 
merchant  in  Cork.  He  had  six  sons  and  two  daughters.  Edward, 
the  eldest  of  the  sons,  who  also  was  a  merchant  in  the  city  of  Cork, 
16 
