are sometimes distinguished, there were few of his cotemporaries whose society was more generally courted by the upper classes in Edinburgh; and none who were better fitted to adorn and enliven the circle in which he moved.
Mr Bell's notions of the dignity of his profession were very high; and no man perhaps ever discharged his professional duties with more disinterested humanity, and honourable independence. His generosity to those whose circumstances required pecuniary aid was well known, and his contempt for any thing approaching to what he thought mean or narrow minded, was boundless, and frequently expressed in no very measured terms. The warmth of his temper, however, involved him in several misunderstandings with his professional brethren; the most remarkable of which was that which brought him and the late Dr Gregory into collision. The question on which these two distinguished men took opposite sides, related to the right of the junior members of the College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, to perform operations in the Royal Infirmary. This dispute divided the medical men of Edinburgh towards the close of the last century; and Dr Gregory and Mr Bell wrote several volumes about it But, although great wit and much happy sarcasm were displayed on both sides, it is impossible to look back to this dissension without feeling regret that two of the most eminent medical men of their day should have wasted their ingenuity and high talents in acrimonious and unprofitable controversy, on a topic of ephemeral interest and comparatively minor importance. Mr Bell's principal publication in this controversy was entitled, "Letters on Professional Character and Manners; on the education of a Surgeon, and the duties and qualifications of a Physician; addressed to James Gregory, M.D." Edinburgh, 1810. It is a large octavo volume, and is characterised by extraordinary acrimony.
In the fine arts, Mr Bell's taste was very correct. As a painter and draughtsman his talents were far above mediocrity; and the anatomical drawings by which his works are illustrated have been much admired. He was also a proficient in music, with more taste, however, than execution; and, as Mrs Bell was also a highly accomplished musician, his musical parties, although conducted on a scale of expense which his circumstances hardly warranted, assembled at his house the elite of Edinburgh society. He had no family, and his whole house was laid out for this species of display—a foible which those who were inclined to laugh at his expense, did not overlook; and which was to a certain extent censurable, since his income, although very large, was never equal to his expenditure.
Mr Bell's personal appearance was good. Although considerably under the middle size, he was exceedingly well proportioned, very active, and studiously elegant in his movements. His head was well formed, his features regular, his eyes keen and penetrating, and his whole expression intellectual and intelligent in no ordinary degree. He was also remarkable for the good taste which he exhibited in his dress; and was altogether a person whom even a stranger could not have passed without recognizing as no ordinary man.
The limits of this work do not admit of an analysis of Mr Bell's writings. The best is his treatise on "Gun-shot wounds," to enable him to prepare which, he passed some weeks amongst the wounded men of Lord Duncan's fleet, after the battle of Camperdown.
The following is a complete list of his professional works:—1. The Anatomy of the Human Body, vol. i. 8vo. 1793, containing the Bones, Muscles, and Joints; vol. ii. 1797, containing the Heart and Arteries; vol. iii. 1802, containing the Anatomy of the Brain, Description of the course of the nerves, and the Anatomy of the Eye and Ear; with plates by Charles Bell, third edition, 3 vols. 8vo. 1811. 2. Engravings of the Bones, Muscles, and Joints, illustrating
