o, in their supposed knowledge of
their own constitutions and those of their families, are frequently
found dosing and drugging themselves and others?

I do not mean to say that in the incipiency of my observations and
inquiries my mind was mature enough--well educated enough, I mean--to
pursue exactly the foregoing train of thought; but there was certainly a
tendency that way, as will be seen more fully in the next chapter. The
spell at least was broken, and I saw plainly that if "died by the
visitation of God" _never_ means any thing, it _generally_ does not. And
as it turned out that the further I pushed my inquiries the more I found
that diseases were caused by transgression of physical and moral law,
and hence not uncontrollable, why should it not be so, still farther on,
in the great world of facts which I had not yet penetrated?

CHAPTER XIV.

STUDYING MEDICINE.

My thoughts were now directed with considerable earnestness and
seriousness, to the study of medicine. It is true that I was already in
the twenty-fourth year of my age, and that the statute law of the State
in which I was a resident required three years of study before receiving
a license to practise medicine and surgery, and I should hence be in my
twenty-seventh or twenty-eighth year before I could enter actively and
responsibly upon the duties of my profession, which would be rather late
in life. Besides, I had become quite enamored of another profession,
much better adapted to my slender pecuniary means than the study of a
new one.

However, I revolved the subject in my mind, till at length, as I
thought, I saw my path clearly. It was my undoubted duty to pursue the
study of medicine. Still, there were difficulties which to any but men
of decision of character were not easily got removed. Shall I tell you
how they were gradually and successfully overcome?

Our family physician had an old skeleton, and a small volume of anatomy
by Cheselden, as well as a somewhat more extended British work on
anatomy and physiology; all these he kindly offered to lend me. Then he
would permit me to study with him, or at least occasionally recite to
him, which would answer the letter of the law. Then, again, I could,
during the winter of each year of study except the last, teach school,
and thus add to my pecuniary means of support. And lastly, my father
would board me whenever I was not teaching, and on as long a credit as I
desired. Were not, then, al