IN THE annals of English poetry it is not the least remarkable
thing that the physicians have been conspicuous: Conan
Doyle himself was a lyrical writer of great directness,
John Todhunter, M.D., possessed a true charm in verse,
Sir Ronald Ross expressed his own scientific triumph in
lively imaginative poems, Gordon Hake was not only
Rossetti's friend but won the name of the Parable Poet, and
everyone knows that Robert Bridges achieved a reputation
in medical circles before he made the decision which carried
him at length to the Laureateship. These are only a few
modern instances; a glance into earlier literary history soon
produces a great many more, and we see that here and there
the list might be extended by the names of splendid poets
who had more than a little inclination towards the world
of the doctors of medicine. Coleridge found opportunity to
accompany his brother round the hospital wards, and Shelley,
in the words of an intimate friend, "visited the sick (at Great
Marlow) in their beds, for he had gone the round of the
hospitals on purpose to be able to practise on occasion."

This coalition of physician and poet, of which the Rev.
George Crabbe, LL.B., was a strong representative, has been
noticed frequently enough, but as yet seldom investigated
with depth of thought except in the case of John Keats. No
doubt the results of a critical survey would be uneven, and
the poems of some of the physician-poets might disclose but
little sign of the medical training or attitude possessed by the
authors. Where does Campion the surgeon make himself
known in Campion's lyrics, or what does Goldsmith's degree
of M.B. do for "The Deserted Village"? The reader of Henry
Vaughan's beloved book may easily picture that well-known
Welsh doctor of three centuries ago on his wide journeys, but

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