Dr. Pettigrew, in his “Medical Portrait Gallery,” thus vividly describes the overpowering influence Sir Astley had upon his pupils: “I can never forget the enthusiasm with which he entered upon the performance of any duty calculated to abridge human suffering. This enthusiasm, by the generosity of his character, his familiar manner, and the excellence of his temper, he imparted to all around him; and the extent of the obligations of the present and of after ages to Sir Astley Cooper, in thus forming able and spirited surgeons, can never be accurately estimated. He was the idol of the Borough School. The pupils followed him in troops; and, like to Linnæus, who has been described as proceeding upon his botanical excursions accompanied by hundreds of students, so may Sir Astley be depicted traversing the wards of the hospital with an equal number of pupils, listening with almost breathless anxiety to catch the observations which fell from his lips. But on the days of operation this feeling was wound up to the highest pitch. The sight was altogether deeply interesting; the large theatre of Guy’s crowded to the ceiling—the profound silence obtained upon his entry—that person so manly and so truly imposing—and the awful feeling connected with the occasion—can never be forgotten by any of his pupils. The elegance of his operation, without the slightest affectation, all ease, all kindness to the patients, and equally solicitous that nothing should be hidden from the observation of the pupils; rapid in execution, masterly in manner; no hurry, no disorder, the most trifling minutiæ attended to, the dressings generally applied by his own hand. The light and elegant manner in which Sir Astley employed his various instruments always astonished me, and I could not refrain from making some remarks upon it to my late master, Mr. Chandler, one of the surgeons to St. Thomas’s Hospital. I observed to him, that Sir Astley’s operations appeared like the graceful efforts of an artist in making a drawing. Mr. C. replied, ‘Sir, it is of no consequence what instrument Mr. Cooper uses, they are all alike to him; and I verily believe he could operate as easily with an oyster-knife as the best bit of cutlery in Laundy’s shop.’ There was great truth in this observation. Sir Astley was, at that time, decidedly one of the first operators of the day, and this must be taken in its widest sense, for it is intended to include the planning of the operation, the precision and dexterity in the mode of its performance, and the readiness with which all difficulties were met and overcome.”