In 1840, we had, in Boston, one hundred and twenty-two physicians, surgeons, and dentists, and a population of 93,383. There are now, in this physicky metropolis, according to the Directory, for 1848-9, physicians, of all sorts, not including those for the soul, but doctors, surgeons, dentists, regulars and quacks, of all colors and both sexes, 362. THREE HUNDRED AND SIXTY-TWO: an increase of two hundred and forty, in eight years. This is certainly encouraging. If 122 doctors are quite as many, as 93,383 Athenians ought to bear, 362 require about 280,000 patients, and such should be our population. Let us arrange this formidable host. At the very _tete d'armee_, marching left in front, we have seven _Female Physicians_, preceded by an _Indian doctress_--next in order, come the surgeon _Dentists_, seventy in number--then the main body, to whom the publisher of the Directory courteously and indiscriminately applies the title of _Physicians_, two hundred and fifty-seven, rank and file;--seven and twenty _Botanic Doctors_ bring up the rear! How appropriate, in the hand of the very last of this enormous _cortege_, would be a banner, inscribed with those well known words--GOD SAVE THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS! I shall devote this paper to comparative statistics. In 1789, with twenty-three physicians in Boston, four less, than the present number of _botanic doctors_ alone, and three hundred and thirty-nine less, than the present number of regulars and pretenders, there were nine only of _our_ profession, regularly enrolled, as F. U., funeral undertakers, and placed upon a footing with the Roman _designatores_, or _domini funerum_. There were several others, who bore to our profession the same relation, which bachelors of medicine bear to theirs, and who were entitled to subscribe themselves D. G., diggers of graves. Yet in 1840, the year, which I take, as a _point d'appui_ for my calculations, there were only twenty, enrolled as F. U., with 362 medical operatives, busily at work, day and night, upon the insides and outsides of our fellow-citizens! Here is matter for marvel! How was it done? Did the dead bury the dead? I presume the solution lies, in the fact, that there existed an unrecorded number of those, who were D. G. only.