Abstract
THE sudden and quite unexpected death, after a -L few minutes' distress, early on the morning of February 22, of Sir Clifford Allbutt, Regius professor of physic at Cambridge since 1892, robs British medicine of its acknowledged leader, who from his scholarly accomplishments recalls Samuel Johnson's description of William Heberden the elder (1710–1801) as “Ultimus Romanorum, the last of the learned physicians.” He was indeed remarkable for his wide knowledge not only of modern but of ancient medicine, and for the broad horizon of his conception of the relations of medicine and how its future course should be directed. Thus he was ever insistent on the importance of a sound general educational basis on which medical studies should be engrafted, and he held strongly that universities should provide a liberal education and not lay themselves out for the more utilitarian qualification for the practice of any art or trade, and should not compete with hospital schools. His high standard was shown in a work-the result of many years' research—on “Greek Medicine in Rome” (1921). Since 1888 he had advocated the necessity for the study of comparative medicine and pathology, and happily he lived to see his own University start an Institute for this branch of research, and appropriately he was the first president of the Section of Comparative Medicine at the Royal Society of Medicine.
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ROLLESTON, H. Right Hon. Sir Clifford Allbutt, K.C.B., F.R.S. Nature 115, 387–388 (1925). https://doi.org/10.1038/115387a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/115387a0