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I. I-em-hotep and Ancient Egyptian Medicine
II. Prevention of Valvular Disease
THE
HARVEIAN ORATION
DELIVERED BEFORE THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS ON JUNE 21, 1904
BY
RICHARD CATON, M.D., F.R.C.P.
EMERITUS PROFESSOR OF PHYSIOLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL;
CONSULTING PHYSICIAN, ROYAL INFIRMARY
With Seven Illustrations
PRINTED AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS OF LIVERPOOL
LONDON: C. J. CLAY AND SONS
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE, AVE MARIA LANE
1904
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TO
Sir WILLIAM SELBY CHURCH, Bart., K.C.B., M.D.
THE PRESIDENT
AND TO
THE FELLOWS
OF THE ROYAL COLLEGE OF PHYSICIANS OF LONDON
THIS ORATION IS DEDICATED
WITH MUCH RESPECT
THE
HARVEIAN ORATION
1904
Mr. President and Gentlemen,The officials fellows and friends of thiscollege assemble to-day, as we and ourpredecessors have assembled year by year fortwo-and-a-half centuries, to commemorate theservices which William Harvey has rendered tomankind, and in order to keep alive in our ownminds the wise counsels which he addressed tous, the memory of which he desired us ever torenew at the festival which he founded. We areto honour our great profession, to continue inmutual love and affection among ourselves, and tosearch and to study out the secrets of nature byway of experiment in order to prevent sufferingand to ameliorate human life.
In commencing the pleasing duty which thekindness of our President has placed in my handsit is needful to comply with the desire of ourfounder that we commemorate the names of2benefactors of this college. The lengthy andhonourable roll was so fully dealt with by thelearned orator of last year that I shall merely addto his recital the names of those who since thattime have given of their substance for the advancementof medicine. Dr. Horace Dobell of ParkstoneHeights, Dorset, gave the sum of £500 toencourage research into the ultimate origin,evolution, and life-history of bacilli and otherpathogenic micro-organisms; Dr. George Oliver,Fellow of this College, of Harrogate, and Farnham,Surrey, has given £2,000 to found theOliver-Sharpey lectureship or prize in memoryof William Sharpey of University College, andto encourage the application of physiologicalknowledge for the prevention and