medical essays-第76部分

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ing　added　to　his　natural　gifts。

It　is　not　necessary　to　maintain　the　direct　practical　utility　of　all　kinds　of　learning。　　Our　shelves　contain　many　books　which　only　a　certain　class　of　medical　scholars　will　be　likely　to　consult。　　There　is　a　dead　medical　literature；　and　there　is　a　live　one。　　The　dead　is　not　all　ancient；　the　live　is　not　all　modern。　　There　is　none；　modern　or　ancient；　which；　if　it　has　no　living　value　for　the　student；　will　not　teach　him　something　by　its　autopsy。　　But　it　is　with　the　live　literature　of　his　profession　that　the　medical　practitioner　is　first　of　all　concerned。

Now　there　has　come　a　great　change　in　our　time　over　the　form　in　which　living　thought　presents　itself。　　The　first　printed　books；the　incunabula；were　inclosed　in　boards　of　solid　oak；　with　brazen　clasps　and　corners；　the　boards　by　and　by　were　replaced　by　pasteboard　covered　with　calf　or　sheepskin；　then　cloth　came　in　and　took　the　place　of　leather；　then　the　pasteboard　was　covered　with　paper　instead　of　cloth；　and　at　this　day　the　quarterly；　the　monthly；　the　weekly　periodical　in　its　flimsy　unsupported　dress　of　paper；　and　the　daily　journal；　naked　as　it　came　from　the　womb　of　the　press；　hold　the　larger　part　of　the　fresh　reading　we　live　upon。　　We　must　have　the　latest　thought　in　its　latest　expression；　the　page　must　be　newly　turned　like　the　morning　bannock；　the　pamphlet　must　be　newly　opened　like　the　ante…prandial　oyster。

Thus　a　library；　to　meet　the　need　of　our　time；　must　take；　and　must　spread　out　in　a　convenient　form；　a　great　array　of　periodicals。　　Our　active　practitioners　read　these　by　preference　over　almost　everything　else。　　Our　specialists；　more　particularly；　depend　on　the　month's　product；　on　the　yearly　crop　of　new　facts；　new　suggestions；　new　contrivances；　as　much　as　the　farmer　on　the　annual　yield　of　his　acres。　One　of　the　first　wants；　then；　of　the　profession　is　supplied　by　our　library　in　its　great　array　of　periodicals　from　many　lands；　in　many　languages。　　Such　a　number　of　medical　periodicals　no　private　library　would　have　room　for；　no　private　person　would　pay　for；　or　flood　his　tables　with　if　they　were　sent　him　for　nothing。　　These；　I　think；　with　the　reports　of　medical　societies　and　the　papers　contributed　to　them；　will　form　the　most　attractive　part　of　our　accumulated　medical　treasures。　　They　will　be　also　one　of　our　chief　expenses；　for　these　journals　must　be　bound　in　volumes　and　they　require　a　great　amount　of　shelf…room；　all　this；　in　addition　to　the　cost　of　subscription　for　those　which　are　not　furnished　us　gratuitously。

It　is　true　that　the　value　of　old　scientific　periodicals　is；　other　things　being　equal；　in　the　inverse　ratio　of　their　age；　for　the　obvious　reason　that　what　is　most　valuable　in　the　earlier　volumes　of　a　series　is　drained　off　into　the　standard　works　with　which　the　intelligent　practitioner　is　supposed　to　be　familiar。　　But　no　extended　record　of　facts　grows　too　old　to　be　useful；　provided　only　that　we　have　a　ready　and　sure　way　of　getting　at　the　particular　fact　or　facts　we　are　in　search　of。

And　this　leads　me　to　speak　of　what　I　conceive　to　be　one　of　the　principal　tasks　to　be　performed　by　the　present　and　the　coming　generation　of　scholars；　not　only　in　the　medical；　but　in　every　department　of　knowledge。　　I　mean　the　formation　of　indexes；　and　more　especially　of　indexes　to　periodical　literature。

This　idea　has　long　been　working　in　the　minds　of　scholars；　and　all　who　have　had　occasion　to　follow　out　any　special　subject。　　I　have　a　right　to　speak　of　it；　for　I　long　ago　attempted　to　supply　the　want　of　indexes　in　some　small　measure　for　my　own　need。　　I　had　a　very　complete　set　of　the　〃American　Journal　of　the　Medical　Sciences；〃　an　entire　set　of　the　〃North　American　Review；〃　and　many　volumes　of　the　reprints　of　the　three　leading　British　quarterlies。　　Of　what　use　were　they　to　me　without　general　indexes？　　I　looked　them　all　through　carefully　and　made　classified　lists　of　all　the　articles　I　thought　I　should　most　care　to　read。　　But　they　soon　outgrew　my　lists。　　The　〃North　American　Review　〃　kept　filling　up　shelf　after　shelf；　rich　in　articles　which　I　often　wanted　to　consult；　but　what　a　labor　to　find　them；　until　the　index　of　Mr。　Gushing；　published　a　few　months　since；　made　the　contents　of　these　hundred　and　twenty　volumes　as　easily　accessible　as　the　words　in　a　dictionary！　　I　had　a；　copy　of　good　Dr。　Abraham　Rees's　Cyclopaedia；　a　treasure…house　to　my　boyhood　which　has　not　lost　its　value　for　me　in　later　years。　　But　where　to　look　for　what　I　wanted？　　I　wished　to　know；　for　instance；　what　Dr。　Burney　had　to　say　about　singing。　　Who　would　have　looked　for　it　under　the　Italian　word　cantare？　　I　was　curious　to　learn　something　of　the　etchings　of　Rembrandt；　and　where　should　I　find　it　but　under　the　head　〃Low　Countries；　Engravers　of　the；〃an　elaborate　and　most　valuable　article　of　a　hundred　double…columned　close…printed　quarto　pages；　to　which　no　reference；　even；　is　made　under　the　title　Rembrandt。

There　was　nothing　to　be　done；　if　I　wanted　to　know　where　that　which　I　specially　cared　for　was　to　be　found　in　my　Rees's　Cyclopaedia；　but　to　look　over　every　page　of　its　forty…one　quarto　volumes　and　make　out　a　brief　list　of　matters　of　interest　which　I　could　not　find　by　their　titles；　and　this　I　did；　at　no　small　expense　of　time　and　trouble。

Nothing；　therefore；　could　be　more　pleasing　to　me　than　to　see　the　attention　which　has　been　given　of　late　years　to　the　great　work　of　indexing。　　It　is　a　quarter　of　a　century　since　Mr。　Poole　published　his　〃Index　to　Periodical　Literature；〃　which　it　is　much　to　be　hoped　is　soon　to　appear　in　a　new　edition；　grown　as　it　must　be　to　formidable　dimensions　by　the　additions　of　so　long　a　period。　　The　〃British　and　Foreign　Medical　Review；〃　edited　by　the　late　Sir　John　Forties；　contributed　to　by　Huxley；　Carpenter；　Laycock；　and　others　of　the　most　distinguished　scientific　men　of　Great　Britain；　has　an　index　to　its　twenty…four　volumes；　and　by　its　aid　I　find　this　valuable　series　as　manageable　as　a　lexicon。　　The　last　edition　of　the　〃Encyclopaedia　Britannica〃　had　a　complete　index　in　a　separate　volume；　and　the　publishers　of　Appletons'　〃American　Cyclopaedia〃　have　recently　issued　an　index　to　their　useful　work；　which　must　greatly　add　to　its　value。　I　have　already　referred　to　the　index　to　the　〃North　American　Review；〃　which　to　an　American；　and　especially　to　a　New　Englander；　is　the　most　interesting　and　most　valuable　addition　of　its　kind　to　our　literary　apparatus　since　the　publication　of　Mr。　Allibone's　〃Dictionary　of　Authors。〃　　I　might　almost　dare　to　parody　Mr。　Webster's　words　in　speaking　of　Hamilton；　to　describe　what　Mr。　Gushing　did　for　the　solemn　rows　of　back　volumes　of　our　honored　old　Review　which　had　been　long　fossilizing　on　our　shelves：　〃He　touched　the　dead　corpse　of　the　'North　American；'〃　and　it　sprang　to　its　feet。〃　　A　library　of　the　best　thought　of　the　best　American　scholars　during　the　greater　portion　of　the　century　was　brought　to　light　by　the　work　of　the　indexmaker　as　truly　as　were　the　Assyrian　tablets　by　the　labors　of　Layard。

A　great　portion　of　the　best　writing　and　reading　literary；　scientific；　professional；　miscellaneouscomes　to　us　now；　at　stated　intervals；　in　paper　covers。　　The　writer　appears；　as　it　were；　in　his　shirt…sleeves。　As　soon　as　he　has　delivered　his　message　the　book…binder　puts　a　coat　on　his　back；　and　he　joins　the　forlorn　brotherhood　of　〃back　volumes；〃　than　which；　so　long　as　they　are　unindexed；　nothing　can　be　more　exasperating。　　Who　wants　a　lock　without　a　key；　a　ship　without　a　rudder；　a　binnacle　without　a　compass；　a　check　without　a　signature；　a　greenback　without　a　goldback　behind　it？

I　have　referred　chiefly　to　the　medical　journals；　but　I　would　include　with　these　the　reports　of　medical　associations；　and　those　separate　publications　which；　coming　in　the　form　of　pamphlets；　heap　themselves　into　chaotic　piles　and　bundles　which　are　worse　than　useless；　taking　up　a　great　deal　of　room；　and　frightening　everything　away　but　mice　and　mousing　antiquarians；　or　possibly　at　long　intervals　some　terebrating　specialist。

Arranged；　bound；　indexed；　all　these　at　once　become　accessible　and　valuable。　　I　will　take　the　first　instance　which　happens　to　suggest　itself。　　How　many　who　know　all　about　osteoblasts　and　the　experiments　of　Ollier；　and　all　that　has　grown　out　of　them；　know　where　to　go　for　a　paper　by　the　late　Dr。　A。　L。　Peirson　of　Salem；　published　in　the　year　1840；　under　the　modest　title；　Remarks　on　Fractures？　　And　if　any　practitioner　who　has　to　deal　with　broken　bones　does　not　know　that　most　excellent　and　practical　essay；　it　is　a　great　pity；　for　it　answers　very　numerous　questions　which　will　be　sure　to　suggest　themselves　to　the　surgeon　and　the　patient　as　no　one　of　the　recent　treatises；　on　my　own　shelves；　at　least；　can　do。

But　if　indexing　is　the　special　need　of　our　time　in　medical　literature；　as　in　every　department　of　knowledge；　it　must　be　remembered　that　it　is　not　only　an　immense　labor；　but　one　that　never　ends。　　It　requires；　therefore；　the　cooperation　of　a　large　number　of　individuals　to　do　the　work；　and　a　large　amount　of　money　to　pay　for　making　its　results　public　through　the　press。　　When　it　is　remembered　that　the　catalogue　of　the　library　of　the　British　Museum　is　contained　in　nearly　three　thousand　large　folios　of　manuscript；　and　not　all　its　books　are　yet　included；　the　task　of　indexing　any　considerable　branch　of　scienc