medical essays-第77部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

ript；　and　not　all　its　books　are　yet　included；　the　task　of　indexing　any　considerable　branch　of　science　or　literature　looks　as　if　it　were　well　nigh　impossible。　But　many　hands　make　light　work。　　An　〃Index　Society〃　has　been　formed　in　England；　already　numbering　about　one　hundred　and　seventy　members。　It　aims　at　〃supplying　thorough　indexes　to　valuable　works　and　collections　which　have　hitherto　lacked　them；　at　issuing　indexes　to　the　literature　of　special　subjects；　and　at　gathering　materials　for　a　general　reference　index。〃　　This　society　has　published　a　little　treatise　setting　forth　the　history　and　the　art　of　indexing；　which　I　trust　is　in　the　hands　of　some　of　our　members；　if　not　upon　our　shelves。

Something　has　been　done　in　the　same　direction　by　individuals　in　our　own　country；　as　we　have　already　seen。　　The　need　of　it　in　the　department　of　medicine　is　beginning　to　be　clearly　felt。　　Our　library　has　already　an　admirable　catalogue　with　cross　references；　the　work　of　a　number　of　its　younger　members　cooperating　in　the　task。　　A　very　intelligent　medical　student；　Mr。　William　D。　Chapin；　whose　excellent　project　is　indorsed　by　well…known　New　York　physicians　and　professors；　proposes　to　publish　a　yearly　index　to　original　communications　in　the　medical　journals　of　the　United　States；　classified　by　authors　and　subjects。　　But　it　is　from　the　National　Medical　Library　at　Washington　that　we　have　the　best　promise　and　the　largest　expectations。　　That　great　and　growing　collection　of　fifty　thousand　volumes　is　under　the　eye　and　hand　of　a　librarian　who　knows　books　and　how　to　manage　them。　For　libraries　are　the　standing　armies　of　civilization；　and　an　army　is　but　a　mob　without　a　general　who　can　organize　and　marshal　it　so　as　to　make　it　effective。　　The　〃Specimen　Fasciculus　of　a　Catalogue　of　the　National　Medical　Library；〃　prepared　under　the　direction　of　Dr。　Billings；　the　librarian；　would　have　excited　the　admiration　of　Haller；　the　master　scholar　in　medical　science　of　the　last　century；　or　rather　of　the　profession　in　all　centuries；　and　if　carried　out　as　it　is　begun　will　be　to　the　nineteenth　all　and　more　than　all　that　the　three　BibliothecaeAnatomica；　Chirurgica；　and　Medicinae…Practicaewere　to　the　eighteenth　century。　　I　cannot　forget　the　story　that　Agassiz　was　so　fond　of　telling　of　the　king　of　Prussia　and　Fichte。　　It　was　after　the　humiliation　and　spoliation　of　the　kingdom　by　Napoleon　that　the　monarch　asked　the　philosopher　what　could　be　done　to　regain　the　lost　position　of　the　nation。　　〃Found　a　great　university；　Sire；〃　was　the　answer；　and　so　it　was　that　in　the　year　1810　the　world…renowned　University　of　Berlin　came　into　being。　　I　believe　that　we　in　this　country　can　do　better　than　found　a　national　university；　whose　professors　shall　be　nominated　in　caucuses；　go　in　and　out；　perhaps；　like　postmasters；　with　every　change　of　administration；　and　deal　with　science　in　the　face　of　their　constituency　as　the　courtier　did　with　time　when　his　sovereign　asked　him　what　o'clock　it　was：　〃Whatever　hour　your　majesty　pleases。〃　　But　when　we　have　a　noble　library　like　that　at　Washington；　and　a　librarian　of　exceptional　qualifications　like　the　gentleman　who　now　holds　that　office；　I　believe　that　a　liberal　appropriation　by　Congress　to　carry　out　a　conscientious　work　for　the　advancement　of　sound　knowledge　and　the　bettering　of　human　conditions；　like　this　which　Dr。　Billings　has　so　well　begun；　would　redound　greatly　to　the　honor　of　the　nation。　　It　ought　to　be　willing　to　be　at　some　charge　to　make　its　treasures　useful　to　its　citizens；　and；　for　its　own　sake；　especially　to　that　class　which　has　charge　of　health；　public　and　private。　　This　country　abounds　in　what　are　called　〃self…made　men；〃　and　is　justly　proud　of　many　whom　it　thus　designates。　　In　one　sense　no　man　is　self…made　who　breathes　the　air　of　a　civilized　community。　　In　another　sense　every　man　who　is　anything　other　than　a　phonograph　on　legs　is　self…made。　　But　if　we　award　his　just　praise　to　the　man　who　has　attained　any　kind　of　excellence　without　having　had　the　same　advantages　as　others　whom；　nevertheless；　he　has　equalled　or　surpassed；　let　us　not　be　betrayed　into　undervaluing　the　mechanic's　careful　training　to　his　business；　the　thorough　and　laborious　education　of　the　scholar　and　the　professional　man。

Our　American　atmosphere　is　vocal　with　the　flippant　loquacity　of　half　knowledge。　　We　must　accept　whatever　good　can　be　got　out　of　it；　and　keep　it　under　as　we　do　sorrel　and　mullein　and　witchgrass；　by　enriching　the　soil；　and　sowing　good　seed　in　plenty；　by　good　teaching　and　good　books；　rather　than　by　wasting　our　time　in　talking　against　it。　　Half　knowledge　dreads　nothing　but　whole　knowledge。

I　have　spoken　of　the　importance　and　the　predominance　of　periodical　literature；　and　have　attempted　to　do　justice　to　its　value。　　But　the　almost　exclusive　reading　of　it　is　not　without　its　dangers。　　The　journals　contain　much　that　is　crude　and　unsound；　the　presumption；　it　might　be　maintained；　is　against　their　novelties；　unless　they　come　from　observers　of　established　credit。　　Yet　I　have　known　a　practitioner；perhaps　more　than　one；who　was　as　much　under　the　dominant　influence　of　the　last　article　he　had　read　in　his　favorite　medical　journal　as　a　milliner　under　the　sway　of　the　last　fashion…　plate。　　The　difference　between　green　and　seasoned　knowledge　is　very　great；　and　such　practitioners　never　hold　long　enough　to　any　of　their　knowledge　to　have　it　get　seasoned。

It　is　needless　to　say；　then；　that　all　the　substantial　and　permanent　literature　of　the　profession　should　be　represented　upon　our　shelves。　Much　of　it　is　there　already；　and　as　one　private　library　after　another　falls　into　this　by　the　natural　law　of　gravitation；　it　will　gradually　acquire　all　that　is　most　valuable　almost　without　effort。　　A　scholar　should　not　be　in　a　hurry　to　part　with　his　books。　　They　are　probably　more　valuable　to　him　than　they　can　be　to　any　other　individual。　　What　Swedenborg　called　〃correspondence〃　has　established　itself　between　his　intelligence　and　the　volumes　which　wall　him　within　their　sacred　inclosure。　　Napoleon　said　that　his　mind　was　as　if　furnished　with　drawers；he　drew　out　each　as　he　wanted　its　contents；　and　closed　it　at　will　when　done　with　them。　　The　scholar's　mind；　to　use　a　similar　comparison；　is　furnished　with　shelves；　like　his　library。　　Each　book　knows　its　place　in　the　brain　as　well　as　against　the　wall　or　in　the　alcove。　　His　consciousness　is　doubled　by　the　books　which　encircle　him；　as　the　trees　that　surround　a　lake　repeat　themselves　in　its　unruffled　waters。　　Men　talk　of　the　nerve　that　runs　to　the　pocket；　but　one　who　loves　his　books；　and　has　lived　long　with　them；　has　a　nervous　filament　which　runs　from　his　sensorium　to　every　one　of　them。　　Or；　if　I　may　still　let　my　fancy　draw　its　pictures；　a　scholar's　library　is　to　him　what　a　temple　is　to　the　worshipper　who　frequents　it。　　There　is　the　altar　sacred　to　his　holiest　experiences。　　There　is　the　font　where　his　new…born　thought　was　baptized　and　first　had　a　name　in　his　consciousness。　　There　is　the　monumental　tablet　of　a　dead　belief；　sacred　still　in　the　memory　of　what　it　was　while　yet　alive。　　No　visitor　can　read　all　this　on　the　lettered　backs　of　the　books　that　have　gathered　around　the　scholar；　but　for　him；　from　the　Aldus　on　the　lowest　shelf　to　the　Elzevir　on　the　highest；　every　volume　has　a　language　which　none　but　be　can　interpret。　　Be　patient　with　the　book…　collector　who　loves　his　companions　too　well　to　let　them　go。　　Books　are　not　buried　with　their　owners；　and　the　veriest　book…miser　that　ever　lived　was　probably　doing　far　more　for　his　successors　than　his　more　liberal　neighbor　who　despised　his　learned　or　unlearned　avarice。　Let　the　fruit　fall　with　the　leaves　still　clinging　round　it。　　Who　would　have　stripped　Southey's　walls　of　the　books　that　filled　them；　when；　his　mind　no　longer　capable　of　taking　in　their　meaning；　he　would　still　pat　and　fondle　them　with　the　vague　loving　sense　of　what　they　had　once　been　to　him；to　him；　the　great　scholar；　now　like　a　little　child　among　his　playthings？

We　need　in　this　country　not　only　the　scholar；　but　the　virtuoso；　who　hoards　the　treasures　which　he　loves；　it　may　be　chiefly　for　their　rarity　and　because　others　who　know　more　than　he　does　of　their　value　set　a　high　price　upon　them。　　As　the　wine　of　old　vintages　is　gently　decanted　out　of　its　cobwebbed　bottles　with　their　rotten　corks　into　clean　new　receptacles；　so　the　wealth　of　the　New　World　is　quietly　emptying　many　of　the　libraries　and　galleries　of　the　Old　World　into　its　newly　formed　collections　and　newly　raised　edifices。　　And　this　process　must　go　on　in　an　accelerating　ratio。　　No　Englishman　will　be　offended　if　I　say　that　before　the　New　Zealander　takes　his　stand　on　a　broken　arch　of　London　Bridge　to　sketch　the　ruins　of　St。　Paul's　in　the　midst　of　a　vast　solitude；　the　treasures　of　the　British　Museum　will　have　found　a　new　shelter　in　the　halls　of　New　York　or　Boston。　　No　Catholic　will　think　hardly　of　my　saying　that　before　the　Coliseum　falls；　and　with　it　the　imperial　city；　whose　doom　prophecy　has　linked　with　that　of　the　almost　eternal　amphitheatre；　the　marbles；　the

bronzes；　the　paintings；　the　manuscripts　of　the　Vatican　will　have　left　the　shores　of　the　Tiber　for　those　of　the　Potomac；　the　Hudson；　the　Mississippi；　or　the　Sacramento。　　And　what　a　delight　in　the　pursuit　of　the　rarities　which　the　eager　book…hunter　follows　with　the　sce