Onewhomwehavelost，verywidelyknownandhonored，wasaleadingpractitionerofthiscity。Hisimagecanhardlybedimmedinyourrecollection，ashestoodbeforeyouonlythreeyearsago，fillingthesameplacewithwhichIamnowhonored。Tospeakofhimatallworthily，wouldbetowritethehistoryofprofessionalsuccess，wonwithoutspecialaidatstarting，bytoil，patience，goodsense，purecharacter，andpleasingmanners；woninastraightuphillascent，withoutonebreathing-spaceuntilhesatdown，nottorest，buttodie。Ifprayerscouldhaveshieldedhimfromthestroke，iflovecouldhavedrawnforththeweapon，andskillcouldhavehealedthewound，thispassingtributemighthavebeenlefttootherlipsandtoanothergeneration。
Letushopethatourdeadhaveatlastfoundthatrestwhichneithersummernorwinter，nordaynornight，hadgrantedtotheirunendingearthlylabors！Andletusrememberthatourdutiestoourbrethrendonotceasewhentheybecomeunabletoshareourtoils，orleavebehindtheminwantandwoethosewhomtheirlaborhadsupported。ItishonorabletotheProfessionthatithasorganizedanAssociationaforthereliefofitssufferingmembersandtheirfamilies；itowesthistributetotheill-rewardedindustryandsacrificesofitslessfortunatebrotherswhowearouthealthandlifeintheserviceofhumanity。Ihavegreatpleasureinreferringtothisexcellentmovement，whichgivesourliberalprofessionachancetoshowitsliberality，andservestouniteusall，thesuccessfulandthosewhomfortunehascastdown，inthebondsofatruebrotherhood。
Amedicalman，ashegoesabouthisdailybusinessaftertwentyyearsofpractice，isapttosupposethathetreatshispatientsaccordingtotheteachingsofhisexperience。Nodoubtthisistruetosomeextent；towhatextentdependingmuchonthequalitiesoftheindividual。Butitiseasytoprovethattheprescriptionsofevenwisephysiciansareverycommonlyfoundedonsomethingquitedifferentfromexperience。Experiencemustbebasedonthepermanentfactsofnature。Butaglanceattheprevalentmodesoftreatmentofanytwosuccessivegenerationswillshowthatthereisachangeableaswellasapermanentelementintheartofhealing；notmerelychangeableasdiseasesvary，orasnewremediesareintroduced，butchangeablebythegoingoutoffashionofspecialremedies，bythedecadenceofapopulartheoryfromwhichtheirfitnesswasdeduced，orothercausenotmoresignificant。Thereisnoreasontosupposethatthepresenttimeisessentiallydifferentinthisrespectfromanyother。Much，therefore，whichisnowverycommonlyconsideredtobetheresultofexperience，willberecognizedinthenext，orinsomesucceedinggeneration，asnosuchresultatall，butasaforegoneconclusion，basedonsomeprevalentbelieforfashionofthetime。
Thereare，ofcourse，ineverycalling，thosewhogoabouttheworkofthedaybeforethem，doingitaccordingtotherulesoftheircraft，andaskingnoquestionsofthepastorofthefuture，oroftheaimandendtowhichtheirspeciallaboriscontributing。Theseoftenconsiderandcallthemselvespracticalmen。Theypulltheoarsofsociety，andhavenoleisuretowatchthecurrentsrunningthisorthatway；lettheoristsandphilosophersattendtothem。Inthemeantime，however，thesecurrentsarecarryingthepracticalmen，too，andalltheirworkmaybethrownaway，andworsethanthrownaway，iftheydonottakeknowledgeofthemandgetoutofthewrongonesandintotherightonesassoonastheymay。SirEdwardParryandhispartyweregoingstraighttowardsthepoleinoneoftheirarcticexpeditions，travellingattherateoftenmilesaday。Buttheiceoverwhichtheytravelledwasdriftingstraighttowardstheequator，attherateoftwelvemilesaday，andyetnomanamongthemwouldhaveknownthathewastravellingtwomilesadaybackwardunlesshehadliftedhiseyesfromthetrackinwhichhewasplodding。Itisnotonlygoingbackwardthattheplainpracticalworkmanisliableto，ifhewillnotlookupandlookaround；hemaygoforwardtoendshelittledreamsof。Itisasimplebusinessforamasontobuildupanicheinawall；butwhatif，ahundredyearsafterwardswhenthewallistorndown，theskeletonofamurderedmandropoutoftheniche？ItwasaplainpracticalpieceofcarpentryforaJewishartisantofittwopiecesoftimbertogetheraccordingtothelegalpatterninthetimeofPontiusPilate；heaskednoquestions，perhaps，butweknowwhatburdenthecrossboreonthemorrow！Andso，withsubtlertoolsthantrowelsoraxes，thestatesmanwhoworksinpolicywithoutprinciple，thetheologianwhoworksinformswithoutasoul，thephysicianwho，callinghimselfapracticalman，refusestorecognizethelargerlawswhichgovernhischangingpractice，mayallfindthattheyhavebeenbuildingtruthintothewall，andhanginghumanityuponthecross。
Thetruthis，thatmedicine，professedlyfoundedonobservation，isassensitivetooutsideinfluences，political，religious，philosophical，imaginative，asisthebarometertothechangesofatmosphericdensity。Theoreticallyitoughttogoonitsownstraightforwardinductivepath，withoutregardtochangesofgovernmentortofluctuationsofpublicopinion。ButlookamomentwhileIclashafewfactstogether，andseeifsomesparksdonotrevealbytheirlightacloserrelationbetweentheMedicalSciencesandtheconditionsofSocietyandthegeneralthoughtofthetime，thanwouldatfirstbesuspected。