Page:Lives of British Physicians.djvu/260

 240 BRITISH PHYSICIANS. who, from his extensive connexions as an accouch- eur, possessed many opportunities of recommend- ing his son-in-law. A few years afterwards, Dr. Pitcairn, also, with whom Baillie had been ac- quainted in very early life, was obHged, at the height of his fame, to relinquish his business through declining health, and introduced his friend to his patients. The circumstances of the illness and death of this accomplished physician, which made so favourable an opening for the rising for- tunes of Baillie, were peculiarly melancholy. He liad been obliged to give up his practice, and em- bark for Lisbon in the summer of 1798, where a stay of eighteen months in the mild climate of Portugal so far restored him to health as to war- rant his return to England, and partial resumption of his professional duties. But his convalescence was of short duration only, and Pitcairn was des- tined soon to fall a victim to a disease that had hitherto escaped the observation of the faculty ; and though he had never published any medical work himself, the peculiar and melancholy privilege was reserved for him, to enlighten his profession in the very act of dying. In the spring of 1809, in the month of April, he complained of a soreness in his throat, which, however, he thought so lightly of, as to continue his professional visits for a day or two more. In the night of the 15th of that month, his throat became worse, and on the morning of the following day Baillie called upon him accidentally, but observed at that time no symptoms indicating danger ; the insidious disease, however, slowly advanced, and after the lapse of twenty- four hours the embarrassment of breathing became suddenly