"Take time by the forelock": the letters of Anthony Fothergill to James Woodforde 1789-1813.
In the Library of the American Philosophical Society at Philadelphia there is a letterbook. It is titled, in the same hand as the letters, 'A collection of Letters from Dr A. Fothergill to J. Woodforde M.D.'.' The letters ofAnthony Fothergill (1737-1813) to James Woodforde (1771-1837) cover the period 1789-1813. At the time the correspondence commenced Fothergill was a distinguished physician practising in Bath and Woodforde was apprentice to two surgeon-apothecaries in the West Country. Fothergill became Woodforde's patron and the letters record Fothergill's ongoing advice, material assistance and attempts to use his influence on Woodforde's behalf until Fothergill's death shortly after the last letter. Woodforde served his apprenticeship between 1786-1791 and then went to study at the Edinburgh medical school. Three years later, in 1794, he qualified as an MD. He then returned to the West Country and endeavoured to establish himself in practice as a physician. The letters are a rich source of information for the student of Georgian social life, for they are not confined to technical medical issues. They discuss, for example, the Bath season, the Napoleonic Wars, American affairs, the cost of living and the vagaries of travel and those of the post. For the medical historian in particular, however, the letters are a gold mine. Fothergill's advice to Woodforde as a student included a comprehensive account of the books he considered the aspiring physician should read. It covered the order in which he thought medical lectures should be attended and an evaluation of the various Edinburgh professors. Fothergill also guided Woodforde on how to conduct himself so as to make the best impression on his teachers. Fothergill's reflections on Woodforde's Edinburgh experiences shed much light on student life in Edinburgh. After Woodforde's qualification, the letters are full of remarks on how to construct a successful medical career. The politics of hospital appointments, the challenge of the surgeon-apothecary to the physician and the importance of midwifery, all make their appearance. The letters are crammed with details of the books exchanged between the correspondents and their discussion of new medical theories, such as those of John Brown and Benjamin Rush. Their increasing exchange of journals would seem to be a measure of the rising importance of periodical literature in science and medicine in this period.2 Actual medical practice figures large too. There are detailed accounts of patients, their illnesses and prescriptions. Significantly, on occasion, physical examination of patients makes an appearance (letters 54 and 71). The historian of science will find pertinent material here too. Natural philosophical texts, itinerant lecturing, the chemical revolution and electricity are all discussed.