A native Genius and Capacity accompanied with a competent Degree of Learning, must conspire to make an accomplished Physician, but if these are separated, the first improved by Experience is far preferable to the last: A Man by Nature dull and unanimated, let his Head be ever so much stuffed and crowded with old Authors, scholastick Ideas, and Common-Place Collections, will never acquire any tolerable Qualifications for the Profession of Physick. It was the Saying, as I have been informed, of Col. Titus, That Learning was fit Armour for a strong Man, but that it oppressed and crushed a weak one. I believe the Remark is just; for a great deal of reading and crude and undigested Notions huddled together without Coherence, not only fit very awkwardly about a sleepy and spiritless Scholar, but they overwhelm and confound him to that Degree, that he is unable to Use them to any beneficial Purpose: On the contrary, for want of Skill and Prudence, he is very likely to do great Harm and Mischief; for Medicines are Weapons, that cannot be trifled with less Danger in the Hands of a Fool, than a Madman. Men of a ready Apprehension, clear Reason, and distinguishing Judgment, cultivated and improved by Practice and Business, will soon attain great Abilities in their Profession, though destitute of the Help of Letters and a liberal Education. It is in this Case, as in that formerly of an eminent though illiterate Member, of the House of Commons, of whom it has been said, That by that Time he had spoken a quarter of an Hour, he put all Learning out of Countenance. For it is very evident that a Man of good Sense, Vivacity, and Spirit, may arrive to the highest Rank of Physicians, without the Assistance of great Erudition and the Knowledge of Books: And this was the Case of Dr. Sydenham abovementioned, who became an able and eminent Physician, though he never designed to take up the Profession till the civil Wars were composed, and then being a disbanded Officer, he entred upon it for a Maintenance, without any Learning properly preparatory for the Undertaking of it. And to shew the Reader what Contempt he had for Writings in Physick, when one Day I asked him to advise me what Books I should read to qualify me for Practice, he replied, Read Don Quixot, it is a very good Book, I read it still. So low an Opinion had this celebrated Man of the Learning collected out of the Authors, his Predecessors. And a late celebrated Physician, whose Judgment was universally relied upon as almost infallible in his Profession, used to say, as I am well informed, That when he died, he would leave behind him the whole Mystery of Physick in half a Sheet of Paper. It is true both these Doctors carried the Matter much too far, by vilifying Learning, of which they were no Masters, and perhaps for that Reason. And lest I my self should be here mistaken by my Readers, and looked upon as a Writer of Raillery and Satyr upon Learning, I crave leave to explain my self as before, by saying, that I do by no means depreciate, or expose any Kind of useful Learning in any Art or Science whatsoever, but much esteem and honour the Masters of it. And again I affirm, that notwithstanding Genius alone is far more successful, than Learning alone, which is indeed insignificant, if not mischievous as before asserted, yet when they are united in the same Persons, they become of all others the most excellent and accomplished Physicians. But the Learning required for this Profession, is not perhaps so various, extensive and difficult, as some imagine, or are willing that others should believe, and what Kinds of Learning are necessary, or at least expedient and desirable, to fit a Student for the Practice of Physick, is not in my Judgment difficult to determine.
A competent Knowledge of Chymistry, as well as Anatomy and Botany, are very requisite and beneficial; but to enter into the minute Recesses of Nature by chymical Pursuits, and with great Expence and Application to endeavour to be an Adept, and a Person of Distinction, is by no means desirable. Every one should be discouraged from such Researches and long Labour in the Fire, by the Example of that valuable and excellent Person, the Honourable Mr. Boyle, a curious and indefatigable Searcher into Nature, who by all his chymical Toyl and Lucubrations, has for the Service of Physick and Cure of Diseases produced only a little Collection of Remedies and Receipts sold for twelve Pence, but too dear. It is very observable, that all the prevalent Medicines that serve the greatest Part of the Purposes of the Profession, namely, Steel, Mercury, Opium, and the Peruvian Bark, are more efficacious and successful, when they have not undergone any chymical Operation, but are used as Nature formed them: And as to Cordial Waters, Tinctures, and Spirits, they signify little for the Cure of Diseases, as all experienced and judicious Physicians must know, and the Art of making them is soon learned and without Difficulty. And as to the Knowledge of Plants, that are beneficial in Physick, their Number lies in a very narrow Compass, what Multitudes soever are the Objects of the natural Historian’s Consideration; and though Anatomy is a very curious and delightful Amusement and highly necessary for the Accomplishment of the Surgeon, yet a very minute and extensive Knowledge of it is what an able and skilful Physician may be without: But an accurate and distinguishing Knowledge of Pharmacy, the Nature of Drugs, and the Manner of preparing and mixing them in due Proportion for making of compound Medicines is what the Physician should labour to be acquainted with. Add to this a due Knowledge of experimental Philosophy, for as to the speculative and metaphysical Systems they are dark and impertinent, and this will abundantly suffice for preparatory Qualifications; the rest and the greatest part of the Doctor’s Accomplishments must arise from Practice and Observation.
The Reader will see that I have not set down a great Acquaintance with abundance of Writers, especially the Antient, as necessary or useful for a Student in this Profession; for I do not think they are so. A competent Number of the most celebrated modern Authors should be perused; but their systematical Way and formal Institutions are at least for the greatest part so tedious, heavy and spiritless, that I cannot see how a great Application to them will be of much Service.
There is yet less Profit to be gained by a laborious Study of the eldest Writers of the Faculty; for such is their Obscurity and Ignorance, and so great and various their Defects, that much Time must be spent in reading over their numerous Volumes, and so little, if any, beneficial Knowledge will be got, to balance this Expence, that Time must lye heavy on any Man’s Hands, that employs it this Way.
But before I mention the Weakness of the eldest Authors, it is but just to allow them their due Praises, and to make likewise an Apology for their Imperfections. They are to be esteemed and honoured for this, that they were Men of Sense and good natural Endowments, and that they employed their Talents with great Labour and Industry to find out the Art of curing Diseases, and that they made some commendable Advances in it; and that they knew so little of the Matter comparatively, is owing to this, that Physick being then in its Infancy, as other liberal and mechanical Arts have once been, required like them, Time, Observation