Page:The Harveian oration - delivered at the Royal College of Physicians, London, June 24, 1870 (IA b22307643).pdf/44

 ever be formed by art, antidotes to these poisons. But should it be otherwise, my duty at this moment still seems to be clear, that I ought not to stir up your minds to search out such secrets of nature. Upon this search already too much time has been wasted, and an incalculable amount of life has been lost. On the contrary, I ought to urge upon the profession the most strenu- ous and united exertions for limiting the spread of these diseases, if it be not possible to altogether stamp them out; and then, if hereafter antidotes should be discovered, we may hope the cases will be rare upon which their operation could be tried.

I cannot pass from this subject without congratulating the College that we number amongst ourselves many distinguished la- bourers in this department of medicine, or without acknowledging the debt we owe to the late Sir James Simpson. No one more earnestly drew attention to the demands of preventive medicine than he did; and amongst the many claims his memory has