Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/363

 340 FAMOUS LIVING AMERICANS pline of this Friday evening debate Dr. Murphy has frequent- ly said exerted greater influence over his subsequent life than any other element in his early education. The association with Professor Schmidt lasted for six years ; his students all respected and revered him. Then passing from the high school and its post-graduate work, again the in- dividuality of his teacher was felt. Prof. Walter S. Haines, the professor of chemistry in Bush Medical College, was his ideal medical teacher. He had the faculty of imparting knowl- edge in such a way that it was easily assimilated and perman- ently appropriated. He was precise as to detail, simple yet forceful in his demonstrations and exacting of the student in return, yet with a charming and attractive personaUty. One could not fail to be receptive, as the presentation was irresist- ible. Another of his teachers, almost diametrically opposite in his personality, was the later Prof. James Adams Allen. The keynote of his teaching was, ** What is really the matter? What is back of the name? What is the real deviation from the physiologic condition which is called disease f In other words, what is the internal disease that produces the external pre- sentations called symptoms f The impression was left in every surgical student who sat within the hearing of Prof. Moses Gunn that he had an exact anatomic knowledge, that he knew the clinical course of sur- gical diseases and that prompt treatment was an absolute es- sential that best results might obtain. To use this able teach- er's expression: **If you are to be a success in surgery, you must be a minute gun. * ' Dr. Murphy was next favored in a scientific way by his per- sonal and professional close relationship with the late Chris- tian Fenger, whom he considers the master American surgical mind of his time. Dr. Fenger *s early training had been of the most profound scientific type. His life was dominated by his love of science ; the application of it to the individual in a prac- tical way was merely an incident ; an opportunity for demon- strating its scientific value and truth. In his zeal he would forget his home, his family, and even his anesthetized patient