Page:The Harveian oration - delivered at the Royal College of Physicians, London, June 24, 1870 (IA b22307643).pdf/10

8 faithful attempt, however feeble, to perform it. To have shrunk from this duty would have involved a seeming unreadiness to do my best, and an apparent neglect of the command of Harvey, whose immortal name confers not only the highest honour upon our country, but an undying distinction upon this College.

We have not met to-day to do honour to Harvey by lauding again the splendour of his discoveries, or to justify the scientific method he employed in making them. This has been done so repeatedly and so well in this place that it would be both superfluous and presumptuous to go over the ground again. My duty is rather to fulfil, as far as lies in my power, Harvey's intention in instituting this oration by moving your minds to a consideration of our position as students of medicine, and to encourage a further search into nature's mysteries.

The science of medicine, being the science of man (in health and disease), must occupy the central place in human knowledge-