wiser than their master, from whom they can no longer gain anything valuable. Docility is thus often extinguished, when education is scarcely begun. It is vain to deny the reality of these inconveniences, and of other most serious dangers to the individual and to the community, from a speculative tendency (above all) too early impressed on the minds of youth.

These observations probably afford a very fair view of the situation of his own mind during the three years which he spent at the university. Though professedly engaged in the study of medicine, he seems not to have been a very ardent student in the dry and laborious preliminary labours, so necessary for the acquisition of a thorough acquaintance with the fundamental facts on which the science rests. Before he had acquired a full share of this solid and positive knowledge, he was eager to plunge into speculation. Besides belonging to the "Speculative," he became a very active member of "The Royal Medical" and "Physical" societies, two excellent institutions, which for many years were supported with great spirit, and which, with the able prelections of the eminent men who then taught the various branches of medical science and practice, contributed their aid to keep alive, and to exercise the ardour of the student, and to send forth the many illustrious men, whose names adorn this school of medicine. Each member of these societies was obliged to present a paper on some particular branch of medical science, the choice of which was left to himself; but which when read, was publicly commented upon by the members, and afforded the writer an opportunity of defence or correction. The papers which Mr. M. contributed on these occasions, are still preserved in the records of these societies, and are here noticed more at large, as they are almost the only memorials that remain of his first profession.

The subject of that which he presented to the "Royal Medical Society," was intermittent fever, in which he took a view of those of the tertian tribe only. He shows a considerable acquaintance with the opinions of the best authors on the subject, and traces at some length the symptoms of the disorder, as affected by situation, season, and climate; the various forms which it assumes; the influence of marshes and miasmata; the various species of the disease; their effects, and the mode of cure. He examines particularly four general sources of disease: 1, organic lesion; 2, chemical change of the fluids; 3, increase or diminution of action; 4, change of action. It is not to be supposed, that in a study in which he never engaged with much zeal, the young student should add anything to the knowledge that was already possessed on the subject; but he at least shows much elegance and ingenuity in his mode of treating it, as well as his spirit of independence, by the freedom with which he differs, not only from the received authorities, but from his master, Brown*, whom he justly charges with being, in this instance, too exclusive, and confined in his views. He delights, as his habit was, in pursuing general speculations, wherever they present themselves, and willingly leaves the slow, but solid footing of induction, for the flattering and rapid, but vague conclusions afforded by logical generalities and metaphysical propositions. "I must be suffered," says he, "to introduce this by observing, that the imperfection of the explanation is no objection to the truth of the theory. In the words of the most admirable person of the present age, a theory

* Brown retorted upon him by one day, when he observed him (what was pretty often not the case) present at his lecture, cautioning his audience" against the example of certain ingenious young men, who occupied themselves in defending his opinions, instead of coming to his lectures to learn them."

founded on fact, and not assumed, is always good for so much as it explains; our inability to push it indefinitely, is no argument at all against it. This inability may

be owing to our ignorance of some necessary media-to a want of proper application--to many other causes besides the defect or falsehood of the principles we employ*." The passage is curious also as showing at what an early period Burke had become an object of that idolatry, which he always remained. Some subsequent observations on the imperfection of medical theory, the truth of which the most experienced physicians will always be the first to acknowledge, are a good deal in the style of his later writings. "It is fortunate for mankind," he remarks, "that in this disease, though we must lament the obscurity of its theory, we are not also, as in most others, condemned to deplore the insufficiency of our practice. That portion of accident which mixes in human affairs, has, on this occasion, happily anticipated the slow progress of intellect and of science. Few medical theories have either truth or utility enough to enable us to predict; it is their highest praise if they can be reconciled to whatever empiricism or accident has discovered. The theory which has been here delivered, if it is false, is at least innocent, since it directs to no practice, the success of which is not established by the most extensive and accurate observations. Imitemur, says the illustrious friend of Haller, philosophos morales, qui ex dogmatibus sectarum diversis eadem præcepta eruunt." This doctrine, however true, is liable to be inconveniently applied, in unskilful hands, to defend groundless and shadowy hypotheses. But the disease which he had chosen to treat of is, happily, under the

*On the Sublime and Beautiful. + Werlhoff. Op. vol. i. p. 260.

controul of medicine in an uncommon degree; and he concludes his essay by a beautiful extract from Lord Bacon, yielding to an inclination observable in all his earlier works, of bringing prominently forward select and appropriate passages of eminent writers. "In the correspondence between the theory and cure of this disease," he observes," there seems to be an example of that alliance between science and experience, which is so happily illustrated, with his usual richness of imagination and depth of thought, by Lord Bacon:- Formica colligit, et utitur, ut faciunt empirici; aranea ex se fila educit, neque a particularibus materiam petit, ita faciunt medici speculativi ac mere sophistici; apis denique cæteris se melius gerit. Hæc indigesta e floribus mella colligit, deinde in viscerum cellulis concocta maturat, iisdemque tamdiù insudat, donec ad integram perfectionem perduxerit.""

The paper which he read to the Royal Physical Society, February 23rd, 1786, on the instincts and dispositions of animals, affords larger scope to his favourite philosophical speculations, and he is less cramped than in the last by the professional nature of his subject. It is evidently what it professes to be, a hasty production, but shows strong powers of mind, and sound principles of ratiocination. The inquiry is composed of two branches;-whether the actions of animals indicate the existence of principles in them in all respects similar to those which govern human actions; and whether those actions which appear very different, may not be proved to proceed from the same source; or, in other words, whether brutes have human faculties-whether they have original instinctive principles.

As to the former of these questions, he proves, at some length, the existence in brutes of memory, imagination, and reason, in different degrees. He declines entering on the difficult question,-to what circumstance are we

to attribute the intellectual superiority of man over the other animals?

The second branch of the inquiry is stated to be, "whether intelligence be in its nature one, or whether animals possess any sources of knowledge different from human; or whether instinct may not be proved, in all its varieties, to be a habit of design, formed in a manner similar to that in which man acquires intellectual habits." "Instinct " he describes as being a power with desire of performing a definite action, which appears early-which is unvaried with respect to its objects, the excellence of which bears no proportion to the general state of the knowledge or genius of the animal, which receives neither change nor improvement from the progress of the individual, or the succession of the species.

Following Reimarus, he points out two species of instincts; the first, mechanical instincts, where the end to be obtained is simple, but where the motions of the body necessary for its attainment are numerous and complicated; for example, the act of sucking. The second, industrious instincts, where the difficulty and appearance of design are in the works performed by the animal, as in the cases of the beaver, the bee, &c. To the first, as indicating no knowledge, and performed by no art, he denies the character of instinctive action, (though they seem to be those which in general most peculiarly receive that name,) and proceeds to examine the second species.

On this latter, he contends that principles, having every character of instinct, are acquired, as in the instance of the music of birds, when they are placed while young with birds of a different note; or of beavers, who vary the structure of their houses with their local position and circumstances; or of the discerning of distances by sight, which might have been supposed to be instinctive, (having every character of instinct,) had not an accidental experi