Page:The Hunterian Oration1843.djvu/36

 to do with his medicine. He said, “ to cure the patient.” ‘ Let me know what you mean by that. Do you mean to alter the diseased state of the parts ? or do you mean by your medicine to remove the parts diseased?” ‘I mean to destroy them,” he replied. ‘ Well, then, that is nothing more than I or any other surgeon can do with less pain to the patient.” Poor Woollett, the engraver, died under one of these cancer-curers. He was under my care when this person took him in hand. He had been a lifeguardsman, I think, and had got a never- failing receipt. I continued to call on Woollett as a friend, and received great accounts of the good effects; upon which I said, if the man would give me leave to watch the appearance of the cancer, and see myself the good effects, and should be satisfied of its curing only that cancer, (mind, not by de- stroying it,) I would exert all my power to make him the richest man in the kingdom; but he would have nothing to do with me, and tortured poor Woollett for some time, till at last I heard the sound testicle was gone, and at length he died.”

I have stated that Mr. Hunter’s lectures were but thinly attended, but that he might have been satis- fied could he have anticipated the fame of his pupils. Among those who lived in his house, there were several who attained great eminence in their pro- fession, Dr. Jenner, Dr. Physick, and Sir Everard Home. But there were other pupils of his who had not these additionaladvantages, and yet drank deeper, far deeper, of the spring open to all. Among