Since that affair, however, I can readily admit that it would have been prudent, and in every respect proper, either personally, or by means of another, to have ascertained that the thing was really and decently done and completed. So far as I have said, I acknowledge myself to have acted imprudently; and so far, therefore, do I apologize to the public, and more particularly to the friends of the deceased. Anatomy, however, must be studied. Is it possible that any one can doubt this? I am informed, Sir, that it _is_ possible. But if this be true, I am sure the strange opinion must be held by those who never employed a thought upon the subject. Give me leave to recommend such persons to consult their medical attendants upon the nature and consequences of the following diseases,――aneurism, hernia, stone, cataract. Let them inquire, further, how they are to be remedied, and how frequent they are in their occurrence; and then, and thereafter, I pledge myself that their prejudices against dissection of the human body will have been lessened, if not overthrown. “Anatomy,” says Mr. Abernethy in a pamphlet published on the occasion of the enlargement of an Anatomical Theatre, under the sanction of the Governors of a contiguous Hospital; “Anatomy forms the only basis on which the superstructure of medical science can possibly be built. We must understand the healthy structure and functions of the various organs and parts of the body, or we can never understand the nature of their diseases, nor the rational mode of effecting their cure.”