Excerpt from Introductory Lecture to the Course of the Institutes of Medicine, in the University of Pennsylvania: Delivered October 12, 1855In the meantime Physiology had suddenly sprung up, developed in the proportions of a science, rich in important facts, explaining the functions of the animal economy, and was actively investigating and unravelling the phenomena of life. It was not possible it could longer be ignored and neglected as a branch of medical in: struction.It has been considered a question of doubtful solution whether, at this time, it would not have been preferable to have dropped the title of the Institutes of Medicine, and substituted that of Physiology for the new chair. This would have made a radical change in the mode of treating the subject, and particularly as to the point of view in which physiological facts and principles are to be regarded.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.