moting the knowledge of medical science. Dr. EZEKIEL HERSEY, an eminent physician of Hingham, in that State, who died in 1770, bequeathed one thousand pounds, Massachusetts currency, to be applied to the support of a Professor of Anatomy and Surgery. His widow, at her death, left a like sum, to be devoted to the same object. His brother, Dr. Abner Hersey, of Barnstable, and Dr. JOHN CUMMING, of Concord, left each five hundred pounds, to be also applied to the encouragement and support of medical instruction." These generous donations were aided by that of WILLIAM ERVING, Esquire, an opulent gentleman of Boston, who, a few years afterwards, gave one thousand pounds towards the support of an additional Professor.*

Though the first of the benefactions above stated was made some time before the commencement of the revolutionary war, yet nothing effectual was done toward executing the will of these public spirited donors till near the close of it. In 1781 Dr. JOHN WARREN began to lecture in Boston on Anatomy and Surgery, and prosecuted his plan for two seasons. In 1783 the government of the University of Cambridge proceeded to organize a regular medical school, when Dr. WARREN was appointed Professor of Anatomy and Surgery; Dr. BENJAMIN WATERHOUSE, Professor of the Theory and Practice of Physic; and Dr. AARON DEXter, Professor of Chemistry and Materia Medica. Since that period these gentlemen have regularly de

These several sums, amounting to three thousand pounds, Massachusetts currency, are funded, and their annual proceeds equally divided between the Professors of Anatomy and Surgery, and of the Theory and Practice of Physic; each of which Professorships bears the name of HERSEY.

The bequest of Mr. ERVING was exclusively devoted by him to the support of a professorship of Chemistry and Materia Medica. This profes sorship also bears the name of its first and principal benefactor.

livered lectures on the several branches assigned to them; and though the number of students who usually attend them is comparatively small, yet they are annually increasing; and the erudition and talents of the Professors afford a satisfactory pledge that the institution will, at no distant period, reach a much higher station both of respectability and usefulness.

The fourth and last medical school formed in the United States, is that connected with Dartmouth College, in the State of New-Hampshire. This establishment, for instruction in medicine, was founded in the year 1798; when Dr. NATHAN SMITH was appointed Professor of Medicine, to lecture on Anatomy, Surgery, Midwifery, and the Theory and Practice of Physic; and Dr. LYMAN SPALDING Professor of Chemistry and Materia Medica. A considerable number of young gentlemen have attended the lectures, and several have received the honours of this institution.

The establishment of Medical Schools in the United States may be considered as forming a grand era in our national progress, and as producing important effects on the character of our physicians. The happy influence of these institutions has also been much aided by the formation of Medical Societies, in almost every State, which have all come into being within the last forty years. The effect of such establishments in exciting a thirst for the acquisition of knowledge; in producing a spirit of generous emulation; in cultivating a taste for observation and inquiry; and in combining the efforts and the skill of physicians, in every part of our country, must be obvious to every attentive mind. Many of the Inaugural Theses, defended and published by the students, in the American medical schools, would be considered as honoura

ble specimens of talents and learning in the most renowned universities of Europe."

Within the last fifteen years of the century under review, medical publications have greatly multiplied in the United States; many of which do equal honour to their authors and our country. Among these the numerous and valuable works of Dr. RUSH hold the first place; and to no individual are we more indebted for promoting, both by precept and example, that laudable and enlightened zeal for medical improvements, which has been so happily increasing, for a number of years past, among American physicians. In a catalogue of our medical writers also, "Drs. MACLURG, MITCHILL, BARTON, RAMSAY, CALDWELL, CURRIE, and several others, would be entitled to particular notice, did not the limits of the present sketch forbid an attempt to do justice to their respective merits.

In the year 1797, a periodical publication, under the title of the Medical Repository, was commenced by Drs. MITCHILL, MILLER, and SMITH, which, from the peculiar circumstances of our country, may be considered as an important event, in noting the successive steps of medical improvement in the United States. In the premature death of the last named gentleman, who bid fair to attain the most honourable eminence in his profession, this work sustained a great loss. It is still, how

b

a Within the last ten or twelve years, all the medical schools in the United States have concurred in permitting their medical graduates to write and defend their Inaugural Dissertations in the English language. Whether this is to be considered as an improvement, or a literary retrocession, is a question which it is proposed to discuss in another place.

b Dr. ELIHU H. SMITH was born in the year 1771, at Litchfield, in the State of Connecticut, where his father, a respectable physician still resides. He entered Yale College at the age of eleven; and after leaving that institution, completed his education under the care of the Rev. Dr. DWIGHT, since President of Yale College, and who at that time presided over an academy of distinguished reputation at Greenfield. After this he pursued a regular course of medical studies under the direction of his father; commenced the practice of physic at Weathersfield in 1792, and removed

ever, prosecuted with undiminished excellence and success; and furnishes at once very reputable spe cimens of the learning, talents and zeal of many American physicians; and a most useful vehicle for conveying to the public a knowledge of every improvement in the science of medicine,

CHAPTER V.

GEOGRAPHY.

pe

As few sciences are more interesting than Geography, so few have received more attention, or been more improved and extended during the riod under consideration. At the beginning of the century, almost half the surface of the globe was either entirely unknown, or the knowledge of it was so small and indistinct, as to be of little practical value. Since that time such discoveries and improvements have been made, that geography has assumed a new face, and become almost a new

to the city of New-York in 1793, where he remained until 1798, when he fell a victim to the yellow fever, which raged with so much violence in the city in the autumn of that year. The surviving Editors of the Medical Repository speak of their deceased colleague in the following honourable

terms.

“As a physician, his loss is irreparable. He had explored, at his early age, an extent of medical learning, for which the longest lives are seldom found sufficient. His diligence and activity, his ardour and perseverance, knew no common bounds. The love of science and the impulse of philanthropy directed his whole professional career, and left little room for the calculations of emolument. He had formed vast designs of medical improvement, which embraced the whole family of mankind, were animated by the soul of benevolence, and aspired after every object of a liberal and dignified ambition. His writings, already published, incessantly awaken regret, that the number of them is not greater. They display singular diligence and acuteness of research, the talents of accurate and extensive observation, great force and precision of reasoning, and the range of a vigorous and com prehensive mind." Medical Repository, v. ii. p. 214, 215. second Edition.

science. A spirit of curiosity has stimulated mankind to unprecedented activity in exploring remote regions of the earth. Individual voyagers and travellers, and private associations have done much to extend our acquaintance with the globe. Besides the exertions of these, the governments of Great-Britain, France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark and Russia have severally directed, or encouraged expeditions of discovery and of scientific research. To which we may add, that the occasional mistakes and misfortunes of mariners, while they overwhelmed with distress the immediate sufferers, have contributed to enlarge the sphere of our information with respect to distant countries, and thus, by a wise arrangement of Providence, to increase the objects and the means of naval enterprise.

Although in these geographical discoveries GreatBritain has undoubtedly made the most distinguished figure; yet, with respect to time, the honour of priority belongs to Russia. Early in the century, PETER the Great, to whose mind bold and grand enterprises were familiar and habitual, conceived the design of exploring regions of the earth, which had not been before visited by civilized man, and by this means promoting the wealth, cultivation, and aggrandizement of his empire. In pursuance of this design, he formed several expeditions for discovery, which, though not crowned with complete success, were yet considerably useful, and laid the foundation of greater attainments after his death. It was in his reign that several large districts of country in the north-eastern parts of Asia were first visited and explored by Euro

By Geography here is meant not only what the word strictly imports, viz. a description of the extent, divisions, and aspect of the surface of our globe, but also some of the other statistical inquiries, which modern writers, however improperly, have universally agreed to include in geo graphical treatises.