Cities, where a variety of dangerous cases may be inspected; and by these Advantages Students in Physic are Educated in a Regular way and manner.
In country places remote from those Colleges, the modes of Instruction are vastly different. For wherever a Physician has raised his fame by merit, or by Quackery, among the Ignorant multitudes of his Employers; some of them are commonly inclined to send their sons to him, to be instructed a year or two in the Medical Art: but if any of their other children are sent to learn to be carpenters, Taylors, or shoemakers: about seven years must be spent in learning the mysteries of those mechanical Arts.
Some young men are sent to learn to be Physicians, who have had some learning, and others are sent directly from the plough, who can scarcely read, or even write their own Names, and thus the Doctor becomes furnished with Pupils. His Library consists, perhaps, of Cheselden's Anatomy, an old Dispensatory, and Brooke's Practice of Physic; for I have been credibly informed that a very celebrated Practitioner, and eminent Doctor-Maker, keeps no other Books; though some of the other Doctor-Makers keep better Libraries, whilst others again may have those which are not so good.
Let us distinguish the Master from the Pupil, by calling the former Dr. Triumphant, and the latter Dr. Imposter, whilst we observe how the Learning goes on, etc.
