Mr. Lloyd, of Fleet Street, who was one of the old-fashioned family wine-merchants, and one of the best men of his day, was the purveyor of his Falernian; never was there a more correct application of nomenclature than that which gave to him the title, by which he was best known, of "Honest John Lloyd." He was one of the kindest-hearted men I ever knew: he had a great regard for Mr. Abernethy; and was treated himself by almost everybody as an intimate friend. One day I went there just as Abernethy had left. "Well," says Mr. Lloyd, "what a funny man your master is!" "Who?" said I. "Why, Mr. Abernethy. He has just been here, and paid me for a pipe of wine; and threw down a handful of notes and pieces of papers with fees. I wanted him to stop to see if they were right, 'for,' said I, 'some of these fees may be more than you think, perhaps.' 'Never mind,' said he; 'I can't stop; you have them as I took them,' and hastily went his way."
Sedentary habits, however, as people now begin to find, do not harmonize well with great mental exertion, or constant and anxious occupation. In 1817, Abernethy felt his combined duties as surgeon to the hospital, as lecturer there, and also at the College, becoming too onerous, and therefore in that year resigned the Professorship. On this occasion, the Council sent him the following unanimous expression of their appreciation of his services.
"At the Court of Assistants of the Royal College of Surgeons in
London, holden at the College on the 15th day of July, 1817;"Resolved unanimously:
"That the thanks of this Court be presented to John Abernethy, Esq. for the series of Lectures delivered by him in the theatre of this College, in the years 1814, 1815, 1816, 1817, with distinguished energy and perspicuity, by which he has elucidated the physiological and pathological opinions of John Hunter, explained his design in the formation of the Hunterian Collection, illustrated the principles of surgery, and thereby has highly conduced to the improvement of anatomical and physiological knowledge, the art and science of surgery, and to the promotion of the honour of the College."
This seems to have gratified him, as, under all circumstances, we can readily understand it might do; and he accordingly replied to it as follows:
"TO THE MASTER, GOVERNORS, AND COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL
COLLEGE OF SURGEONS."Sir and Gentlemen,
"To obtain the good opinion of others, is a universal object of human actions; and we often strive to acquire it by circuitous and absurd means; but to obtain the approbation of eminent and judicious characters, by pursuing the direct path of professional duty, is the most gratifying mode of seeking and receiving this object of general ambition.
"I have ventured to premise these observations, to show you, gentlemen, that I do not write inconsiderately, or merely as a matter of form, when I thus return you my warmest thanks for the distinguished honour you have conferred on me by your public approbation of my endeavours[86] to discharge the duties of an arduous office, to which I was elected through your kindness and confidence.
"I have the honour to remain,
"Sir and Gentlemen,
"Your very grateful and obedient servant,
"John Abernethy."
We insert in this place a letter which he wrote about this time to Sir William Blizard; because it shows two things which are characteristic: the one, how constant he was in not allowing any considerations to interfere with the lectures; and the other, the endurance of his old attachment to Sir William Blizard. It is an apology for not having been present at the Council.
"Dear Sir William,
"I was yesterday desired to see a patient residing seven or eight miles from London. I could not go that day, for it was lecture evening; I cannot go to-morrow for the same reason; consequently I must go this evening. I hope you will consider these circumstances as an apology for my absence from the Board.
"If you cite my example as one misleading future Professors, be so good as to remember that I retired, leaving the task which I had undertaken incomplete, wherefore it became necessary to explain publicly to an indulgent audience my motives for resigning the Professorship.
"I remain, dear Sir William,
"Yours unremittingly,
"John Abernethy."
Abernethy had at various periods of his life been subject to an inflammatory sore throat of a very active kind, which would on some days impede so as almost to prevent his swallowing, and then suddenly terminate in abscess, leaving him perfectly well again. He was young when these sorts of attack began; for in his lectures he used to speak of one of them having subsided only the night before he had some lectures to deliver before the Council of the College, when they were accustomed to meet in the Old Bailey.
As he advanced in life, the disposition to disorder of the digestive organs, which had hitherto shown a tendency to terminate in inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat, began to affect other structures; and he became teazed and subsequently greatly tortured by rheumatism. The disorder so termed (a kind of general name for various conditions of disorder very different from each other, and which occasionally affect, not only joints, but other structures) is in many cases, as we all know, extremely painful; and is never more excruciating than when muscular parts thus conditioned are affected by spasm. These spasms were a source of much acute suffering to Abernethy. His constant occupations gave him no opportunity of relieving himself from work, except there was that accommodation of indisposition to convenient times, which of course seldom happens.
In the early parts of his life, Abernethy, when he was out of health, would take the first opportunity which his occupations allowed of going a little way into the country; and there, by diet, and amusing himself by reading and exercise, he would soon get well. But as he advanced in life, he was not so ready to attend to himself as perhaps he ought to have been. Besides, he would occasionally do things which incurred unnecessary risks, which we ourselves have sometimes ventured to mention to him.