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had laboured formerly, and which continued to trouble me, from time to time, for the two or three following years.

Although, between my increasing practice, my duties at the hospital, and my lectures, my time was considerably more occupied than formerly, I nevertheless found some leisure for the cultivation of physiology. It was at this time that I made the experiment of passing a ligature round the choledoch duct, of which I afterwards published an account in 'Brande's Journal.' The conclusion at which I arrived was, that the interruption of the flow of the bile into the intestine stopped the formation of chyle. The experiment was repeated by Herbert Mayo in London, and Macartney in Dublin, with the same result. Dr. Blundell, who was at that time lecturing on Physiology at Guy's Hospital, made the same experiment, not knowing that I had made it previously, and he also arrived at the same conclusion. When I afterwards published my statement, Dr. Blundell complained to Mr. Green that I had robbed him of his discovery. This led to a comparison

of dates, and it turned out that my first successful experiment had been made just three weeks before his. Since then Tiedemann and Bernard have repeated the experiment, and, as they declare, with a different result; the latter being of opinion that it is the secretion of the pancreas, and not that of the liver, which is the principal agent of chylification. M. Bernard is led to believe that the disagreement between his experiment and mine is to be explained by my having included the duct of the pancreas in the same ligature with the choledoch duct. Other engagements have prevented my prosecuting the inquiry further. I am, however, far from being convinced that Mayo, Macartney, Blundell, and myself, have been in an error. I do not find that the other experimentalists paid attention to the contents of the intestine after the flow of bile had been suspended. If they had done so, they could not have failed to remark the very striking difference which there is in them where the bile does not flow into the intestine, as compared with that which exists where the flow of bile has not been interrupted.

In the two or three which followed my

years

marriage I find little worth recording. My eldest son was born in the winter of 1817. In 1818 we had another child, a little boy, who was named Alexander, after my kind friend Mr. Alexander Brodie, father of the present Duchess of Gordon. Our little Alexander, however, was taken from us when he was about a year old. Our daughter was born in the following year, and our youngest son in the autumn of 1821. We have had no other children.

in a very

It was in the year 1817 or 1818 that I first formed a rather intimate acquaintance with the late Sir William Knighton. In the year 1815 Sir William was in attendance on the Duke of serious attack of illness which terminated fatally. I was applied to for the purpose of examining the body after death. Some foolish or ill-disposed persons had persuaded the Duchess that Knighton had mistaken the nature of the Duke's complaint, and that he had treated him improperly. The examination which I made proved that this charge was altogether unfounded. After I had sent

my written report the Duchess asked me to call upon her, and she and her sister cross-examined me on the subject, being, as it appeared to me, very ready to attribute blame to the physician. I took his part, as it was my duty to do, and believed that I had satisfied them that the opinion which they had been led to form was erroneous. Not a word ever passed between Knighton and myself on the subject. But from this time he became one of my warmest and kindest friends. As his history is somewhat remarkable, I think it worth while to take this opportunity of giving some account of it.

He was of humble origin, and I believe that he had originally practised for a short time as an apothecary at Plymouth. While there, he married the present Dowager Lady Knighton. She was a Miss Hawker, and one of a family of great respectability well known in Devonshire; being herself a very superior person both morally and intellectually, and highly accomplished. After his marriage Mr. Knighton went to Edinburgh, studied there, and graduated as a physician. He then came to London, took a house in Maddox Street, and engaged in practice as a

physician and accoucheur.

He had at first

few friends; but he was ambitious and determined to succeed. He devoted himself wholly to his profession, being always to be found, and not at all mixing in general society. With great natural sagacity, he had most agreeable and engaging manners, and the result was that in the course of a very few years he obtained a very large practice. During the war he accompianed the Marquis Wellesley when he went on a temporary diplomatic mission to Spain. On his return to England Lord Wellesley introduced him to the Prince Regent, and soon afterwards he was created a baronet.

According to common report, which I believe in this instance to have been well founded, an accidental circumstance led to his being more intimately acquainted with the Regent. M'Mahon, who at that time held the office of Keeper of the Privy Purse, died, and in his will named Knighton as his executor. Among the papers of the deceased were found some which belonged to the Regent, which ought to have been destroyed. Knighton at once took the

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