The truly judicious physician, in contrast with all these, is neither bewildered nor precipitate. He takes a rapid view of all the circumstances of the case, and looks carefully at the important and perplexing questions which start up one after another in his mind, and then decides intelligently, coolly, and definitely upon his plan of treatment. He may err, it is true; but if he does, it is not his fault, for he has made use of all possible precautions to prevent error. The plan which he fixes upon, he does not pursue obstinately, as being, without a doubt, the best. While it is that which he believes to be the best at the time, he watches its progress, and if he see reason afterward to alter it, he does so. Aware of the uncertainty of his knowledge, while he decides at every step what it is best to do, he is ready to reverse that decision, and change his course, whenever any new development in the case shall call for it. Sometimes he decides that it is best to wait and watch the movements of the case. Many seem to demand that he shall pursue an active course of treatment all the time, to conquer the disease—that he shall be keeping up a constant cannonade upon it from beginning to end, not reflecting that if he do so, many of his shots must be worse than lost. And some physicians yield to this demand, and pursue this destructive course. The public call them bold practitioners; and they do gain some apparently splendid victories over disease; but if the results of their whole campaign (to carry out the illustration) could be fairly estimated, they would be found not to deserve the reputation for success, which is accorded to them. The prudent and judicious physician, like the prudent and judicious general, fires as few random shots as possible, taking good care, too, that he hit none but enemies—husbands carefully all his resources—rests from his battle with disease whenever it is best to do so, maintaining, for the time, a “masterly inactivity”—retreats when he finds his line of movement is likely to prove disastrous—calculates probabilities as accurately as he can at every step, and endeavors to make every measure tell upon the great result, avoiding, as far as possible, those which will not, and especially those which will hinder or defeat it.