While this strictly professional reputation, which is awarded to every physician by his brethren, is commonly very nearly correspondent with his true merits, that which the public awards to him may be far otherwise. It is often the case, that, while a physician, of whom his brethren have an exalted opinion, meets with but little favor from the community; another, who is a very ordinary practitioner, and who is so considered by the profession at large, has an extensive practice, and a high popular reputation. Such a physician may be treated with much outward deference by his medical brethren, on account of the position in which the public favor has placed him; and this is often very erroneously considered as evidence, that he is held in great estimation by the members of the profession generally. I pass now to the consideration of a means of estimating the qualifications of physicians, which is of a more practical character, and more certain in its results, than those which I have already mentioned. And yet it is one which has been very generally neglected, for reasons which I shall give in a future stage of my remarks. There are certain mental qualities, which are essential to the possession of skill in the practice of medicine. Whoever is found to possess these qualities, you may be sure, will with proper education make a good physician. And if they are wanting in any one, no education, nor experience can supply the deficiency. He never can be truly skilful as a physician; and if such an one acquire a reputation for skill, which is no uncommon thing, all that we can say is, that the public are deceived in their estimate of his qualifications. How then can an intelligent man discover, whether a physician has these requisite mental qualities, and to what extent he has them? What tests can he apply to bring them out, so that he can see them distinctly, and measure them with any good degree of accuracy?