tione). He was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 30th September, 1779; and was elected physician to St. George's hospital 23rd June, 1786, but resigned that office in the latter part of 1793. He died at Exmouth, co. Devon, after a short illness, 18th March, 1799, aged forty-five.

STEPHEN PELLET, M.D., was born in London. His education was commenced at Lausanne; afterwards he went to Geneva, and for two years was a pupil of De Saussure. He returned to England, and was matriculated at Hertford college, Oxford, as a member of which house he proceeded A.B. 14th May, 1773. He then removed to Edinburgh, where, after a four years' course of study, he graduated doctor of medicine 24th June, 1779 (D.M.I. de Palustrium Locorum Insalubritate a Miasmate Oriundâ). He was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 20th March, 1780; and practised first at Reading, but afterwards removed to St. Alban's, where, besides his usual practice as a physician, he had a house for the reception of lunatics of the upper class. He was for more than a quarter of a century an acting magistrate for the liberty of St. Alban's. Dr. Pellet eventually retired from practice, and removed to London. He died at Westbourn-green, November 28, 1824, aged seventy-eight.

CHARLES ELSDEN BAGGE, M.D., was born in Norfolk, and educated at Caius college, Cambridge, of which he was a fellow. He proceeded M.B. 1774; M.D. 1779; was admitted a Candidate of the College of Physicians 30th September, 1779; and a Fellow, 30th September, 1780. He practised for a short period in London, but then settled at Lynn Regis, where he remained some years, but eventually removed to East Dereham; and, as I conceive, died there in 1798 or 1799.

THOMAS BOWDLER, M.D., was born at Ashley, near Bath, 4th January, 1754, and received his medical edu

cation at Edinburgh, where he graduated M.D. in 1776 (D.M.I. de Febrium Intermittentium Naturâ et Indole). He was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 9th April, 1781; a fellow of the Royal Society in 1781; and a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1784. In 1788 he published an interesting volume of "Letters written in Holland in 1787;" and in 1818 a well-known and useful work, "The Family Shakespeare." Dr. Bowdler closed a long and useful life at Rhyddings, near Swansea, on the 24th February, 1825.

THOMAS CLERK, M.D., a native of Edinburgh, and a doctor of medicine of the university of that city of 12th September, 1776 (D.M.I. de Hydrocephalo); was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 15th May, 1781.

Here, namely from 25th June, 1781, we have again the Annals for our guidance.

WILLIAM KEIR, M.D., was born in Perthshire, and educated at Edinburgh, where he took the degree of doctor of medicine 12th September, 1778 (D.M.I. de Attractione Chemicâ). He was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 25th June, 1781. Dr. Keir was elected physician to St. Thomas's hospital in 1780; and died of fever 6th June, 1783, aged thirty.

WILLIAM PAYNE, M.D., was born at Worcester, New England, and had resided and studied for two years at Harvard college, in that country. He was created doctor of medicine by the university of Aberdeen 1st November, 1775; was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 1st October, 1781, and held the appointment of physician to the army.

SIR GILBERT BLANE, BART., M.D., was the son of

Gilbert Blane, esq., of Blanefield, co. Ayr, and was born 29th August, 1747. He was intended for the church, and received a good preliminary education; but, his original views having undergone a change, he devoted himself to medicine, and spent five years in its study at Edinburgh. He took his degree of doctor of medicine at Glasgow, 28th August, 1778. Whilst at Edinburgh, Dr. Blane had obtained the notice and friendship of Dr. Robertson, Dr. Blair, and Dr. Cullen, by the last of whom he was introduced to Dr. William Hunter, then at the zenith of his reputation in London. To the kindness of lord Holdernesse and the warm recommendation of Dr. Hunter, Dr. Blane was indebted for an introduction to lord Rodney, with whom he sailed in the capacity of private physician, but without any public appointment. He was soon however, appointed by lord Rodney physician to the fleet, and performed the duties of that office with so much ability and satisfaction to all concerned, that, although the mode of his appointment precluded him from enjoying half-pay, yet, in consequence of the unanimous application to the Admiralty of all the principal officers who had been on the station, he was rewarded by a pension from the Crown, which pension at a later period was doubled by the recommendation of the Lords of the Admiralty. Returning to England, Dr. Blane settled in London; was admitted a Licentiate of the College of Physicians 3rd December, 1781; and in 1783, through the warm recommendation of lord Rodney and the friendly assistance of his countrymen Sir Walter Farquhar, M.D., and Dr. Saunders, was elected physician to St. Thomas's hospital. In 1785, on the application of the duke of Clarence, Dr. Blane was appointed physician extraordinary to the prince of Wales, and in the following year physician to his royal highness's household. He was at a later period selected by the Prince to proceed to Spa, to attend the duke of Cumberland, then dangerously ill at that watering place. So highly to the satisfaction of the

Prince was this mission executed, that he had next, as a mark of royal favour, the higher appointment of physician in ordinary. He was admitted a fellow of the Royal Society 13th January, 1785.

The Government during a series of years had recourse to Sir Gilbert Blane on many important occasions. When the Admiralty was under lord Spencer, he was appointed one of the commissioners for the sick and wounded. His arrangements for the provisioning of fleets on foreign stations were of a very superior description, particularly in supplying them with abundance of lemon-juice, and making it a regular ingredient of diet; in consequence of which scurvy was soon banished from the fleet. He was consulted on the subject of quarantine, on the arrangement of the hulks, and of some of the prisons on shore, and also with respect to the transportation of convicts-on all of which his advice was conspicuously beneficial. The most remarkable occasion, however, on which his opinion was sought, was during the alarming mortality which took place among the troops at Walcheren. The report which he then made was concurred in by the medical officers of the army, and led to the abandonment of the island. As an acknowledgment of these important services, he was created a baronet by the Prince Regent 26th December, 1812. On the accession of George IV, Sir Gilbert Blane was appointed one of the physicians in ordinary to the king, and he was continued in the same office on the accession of William IV. Sir Gilbert Blane's health began to fail in 1821. He was attacked with prurigo senilis in its most inveterate form, which nothing but opium in large doses would alleviate. This palliative he continued to use in gradually increasing doses to his death. In January, 1834, he was seized with diarrhoea, followed by anasarca and ulceration of the legs, which proved fatal on the 27th June, 1834, in the eighty-seventh year of his age. He was a fellow of the Royal Societies of London and Edinburgh, and a member of the French Institute. He read

the Croonian lecture on Muscular Action to the Royal Society in 1788, contributed many important papers to the Transactions of various societies, scientific and medical, and was the author of

Observations on the Diseases incident to Seamen. 8vo. Lond.

1785.

The Croonian Lecture on Muscular Motion. 4to. Lond. 1790. Address on the Practice of Vaccination. 8vo. Lond. 1811. Elements of Medical Logick; or, Philosophical Principles of the Practice of Physic. 8vo. Lond. 1819.

Select Dissertations on Medical Science. 8vo. Lond. 1822.

Statement of the Progressive Improvement in the Health of the Royal Navy at the end of the 18th and beginning of the 19th century. 8vo. Lond. 1830.

Warning to the Public on the Cholera of India. 8vo. Lond. 1832.

An unfinished portrait of Sir Gilbert Blane, by Sir Martin Archer Shee, presented by his family, is in the College.

JOHN WHITEHEAD, M.D., was born in Lancashire of humble parents, about the year 1740. Early in life he became connected with the Wesleys, and under their auspices preached at Bristol and elsewhere. He soon however left them, and started as a linen draper at Bristol; but failed in business, when he came to London and joined the society of Friends. By some leading members of that body he was established in a school at Wandsworth, where many of their children were educated. Some time after this Mr. Barclay, wishing his son to travel on the continent, proposed to Whitehead to become his companion, offering him an annuity of one hundred pounds for life, and paying all the expenses of the tour. He accepted the offer, and in course of travel they reached Leyden, where Whitehead, then thirty-nine years of age, was on the 16th September, 1779, inscribed on the physic line. He graduated doctor of medicine at Leyden 4th February, 1780 (D.M.I. de Causa Reciprocarum Contractionum Cordis et Arteriarum). He was admitted a Licentiate