Excerpt from An Introductory Lecture to the Institutes of MedicineTo insure a successful result to your labours, the first step is to form a just estimate of the nature and extent of your under taking. I propose, therefore, as a subject appropriate to the introduction of this course of instruction, to present to you in a cursory manner, some observations on the character of medicine as a science, the means of its improvement, the proper mode of pursuing its investigations, and its capacity of becoming a science of positive facts.IN the circle of the sciences, some have been dignified as the exact, while' others are characterised as possessing uncertainty. It may, with propriety be questioned, whether any, except the high and transcendental mathematics, from the imperfections at teched to human agency, and attending on physical means, can be considered as possessing absolute or positive certitude.About the PublisherForgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.comThis book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully, any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.