Years again rolled on. I found myself in practice. Now, I had an opportunity of proving the truth and excellence of the beautiful principles I had been taught. I found how truthful had been his representations of them. I was, however, grieved to find that his opinions and views were very much misunderstood and misrepresented; and I had very frequent opportunities of seeing how much this restricted their application, and abridged their utility. Some few years after his death, I tried to induce some one to endeavour to correct the erroneous impressions which prevailed in regard to him; but to do Abernethy full justice, _would require a republication of his works, with an elaborate commentary_. This was a task involving too much time, labour, and expense, for any individual to undertake; whilst anything less, however useful or instructive to the public, must necessarily subject the author to a criticism which few are disposed to encounter. But as it appeared to me that scruples like these stood in the way of that which was alike just to the memory of Abernethy and useful to the public, I was resolved at all hazards to undertake at least a Memoir myself. I shall say little of the difficulties of the task. I feel them to have been onerous, and I believe them to have been, in some respects, unexampled. Apologies for imperfections in works which we are not obliged to write, are seldom valued: the public very sensibly take a work for what it is worth, and are ultimately seldom wrong in their decision. I have only said thus much, not in deprecation of criticism, so much as to show that I have not shrunk from what I deemed just and useful, on account of the somewhat oppressive sense I entertain of the risk or difficulty which it involves. The scientific reader may, I fear, think that, in endeavouring to avoid too tedious a gravity, I may sometimes have been forgetful of the dignity of biographical memoir; but, in the difficulty of having to treat of subjects which, however important, are not always of the most popular kind, I have been obliged sometimes to think of the "_quid vetat ridentem_." In the very delicate task of discussing subjects relating to some of my contemporaries, I have endeavoured simply to do Abernethy justice; and, beyond what is necessary for that purpose, have avoided any quotations or other matter calculated unnecessarily to revive or rekindle impressions which may as well be dismissed or forgotten. It may appear to some, that, in my remarks on the present state of professional affairs, I have been too free. I can only say, that I have stated exactly what I feel. I am earnestly desirous of seeing a better state of things; but I have no idea that we can materially improve that which we are afraid to examine.