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which depend the real prosperity of ourselves and our
families should be among the subjects of our education,
for how can we properly guard the organs on which so
much depends if we know nothing about them. We
may call in the advice of a man skilled in these subjects
when any thing is wrong, but to prevent the first germs
of disease, we must all know something of physiology.
I shall quote a passage from the address of Sir B. Brodie
on his election as President of the Royal Society, in
corroboration of these views.
"Is there any one in any situation in life to whom it
would not be a benefit to know something of animal
physiology, of the functions of his own body, and of the
influence which his bodily condition exercises over those
moral and intellectual faculties, by which he is distinguished
from the rest of the animal creation ? If it did
not teach him how to cure disease, it might be useful
for him to know how far disease may cure itself, and
what are the limits of nature in this respect. To man,
looking at him as an individual, there is no art so important
as understanding and managing himself—an
art so simply and well-expressed by the two significant
words which were inscribed over the heathen oracle of
Delphi. To correct bad habits when once acquired, is
no easy task. A strong sense and a strong will, such
as only a limited number of persons possess, are necessary
for the purpose. But it would go far towards preventing
the acquirements of such habits, if young
persons during the acquirement of their education were
made to understand the ill consequences to which they
must inevitably lead, and how eventually the body must
suffer, and the mind be stupified and degraded, not by
the reasonable indulgence, but by the abuse of the
animal instincts."
The year 1859 will be distinguished for the great
sanitary measure of removing all the coffins from under