Page:The Harveian oration ; delivered at the Royal College of Physicians, June 26th, 1879 (IA b24976465).pdf/35

 useful than that of having impressions and so-called views. The order of nature is to most of us a chaos, and therefore to decompose it, and analyse it, by a careful observation of phenomena, requires rare talents.

Jenner observed a fact, he sought an explanation, and put it to the proof. His was the correct and only method. The world goes on and sees an apple fall, or a frog's leg jump in a dish, or a heart beat, but no familiarity with these facts would excite the enquiry, why are these things so? Those exceptional men who see and ask, are the Newtons, the Galvanis, and the Harveys.

If then there be only one method by which truth can be discovered, we need no longer discuss how it happened (a fact which seems so remarkable to some persons), that this great discovery of Harvey should have been made before Bacon's treatise was published or extensively read: or further seek to refute the strange impression that Harvey should have worked in a spirit antagonistic to Bacon. I have shown how both these conjectures are erroneous, for Harvey worked as I have said in the one and only right way, being led by the true scientific spirit. Bacon, as may be seen in