Author: Arthur F. Hurst

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2015-07-14

Total Pages: 500

ISBN-13: 9781331414391

Excerpt from Guy's Hospital Reports, Vol. 72 The nation cannot know too much of its great men; from their lives we may gather lessons of no small value. In estimat ing their services we are not to regard merely the direct accession of knowledge which has resulted from their individual labours; we must consider the influence they exerted over the minds of those around them, and the effects of their writings and examples in stimulating others. The life of Astley Cooper affords an example of great industry, Of temperance in all things, and of the importance of independent enquiry. He claimed no special gifts; he was certainly not a genius, nor had he the philosophical mind of his contemporary Abernethy. My own success, he writes, depended upon my zeal and industry; but for this I take no credit, as it was given to me from above. TO what use he put the talent committed to him, it will be the purpose of this sketch to show. He was born on August 23, 1768, at Brooke, in Norfolk, Where his father was rector. When about fourteen, Astley Cooper saved the life of his foster-brother by the timely applica tion of his handkerchief as a tourniquet; he had met with an accident and was bleeding from a wound in the thigh. He had just completed his sixteenth year when he was sent to London in August 1784, and apprenticed to his uncle, William Cooper. For various reasons he did not reside with his uncle, as apprentices usually did, but instead was placed with Mr. Cline, Surgeon to St. Thomas's Hospital, a circumstance which proved of great importance to the future of the young apprentice. At this time Astley Cooper was a tall, handsome youth, rejoicing in good health, high spirits and a great capacity for enjoyment. For a time he revelled in the attractions Of the great city of which he had heard but never before Visited. But his sense of duty soon compelled attention to his studies, and here began the wise influence of Mr. Cline. The boy had never expressed any special leaning towards the profession of medicine, so it was-quite an open question whether he would take to it or not. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.