Annals of the Royal College of Surgeons of England (1975) vo01 56
Letters from the past From John Hunter to William Jenner
Letters from the past Dear Jenner, I own I was at a loss to account for your silence, and I am sorry at the cause. I can easily conceive how you must feel, for you have two passions to cope with viz that of being dissappointed in love and that of being defeted, but both will wear out, perhaps the first soonest. I own I was glad, when I heard that you was moored to a woman of fortune; "but let her go never mind her". I shall imploy you with Hedge Hogs, for I do not know how far I may trust mine. I want you to get a Hedge Hog in the beginning of winter and weigh him, put him in your garden and let him have some leaves, Hay or straw to cover himself with, which he will do; then weigh him in the spring and see what he has lost. Secondly I want you to kill one at the beginning of winter to see how fatt he is, and another in the spring to see what he has lost of his fat. Thirdly when the weather is very cold, and about the month of January I could wish you would make a hole in one of their bellys and put the Thermometer down into the Pilves, and see the height of the mercury, then turn it up towards the Diaphragm and observe the heat there. so much at present for Hedge Hogs. I beg pardon, examine the stomach and intestines and see what they contain. If Hewson's things go cheap I will purchase some that I think proper for you. Those you mention I am affraid will be every bodys money and go dear ever yours JOHN HUNTER
London Sept 25th I778 This letter from master to pupil needs special recognizance. It contains the 'let her go never mind her' quotation, the source of which is obscure, and the instructions on the study of fat deposits in a hibernating animal. Among Jenner's many contributions to medicine and natural science such as vaccination and the habits of the young cuckoo in the nest (for which he was elected FRS) should be included his lifelong interest in the migration of birds, his study of which was published posthumously and presented for publication by Sir Humphry Davy, one of Jenner's many friends. It was formerly believed that birds such as swallows and house-martins spent the winter hibernating in the mud of ponds. Jenner, observing that these birds always arrived in good condition, with plenty of fat on them and with unseasonable food in their crops, deduced that they must come from overseas.
275
Letters from the past From John Hunter to William Jenner
Letters from the past Dear Jenner, I own I was at a loss to account for your silence, and I am sorry at the cause. I can easily conceive how you must feel, for you have two passions to cope with viz that of being dissappointed in love and that of being defeted, but both will wear out, perhaps the first soonest. I own I was glad, when I heard that you was moored to a woman of fortune; "but let her go never mind her". I shall imploy you with Hedge Hogs, for I do not know how far I may trust mine. I want you to get a Hedge Hog in the beginning of winter and weigh him, put him in your garden and let him have some leaves, Hay or straw to cover himself with, which he will do; then weigh him in the spring and see what he has lost. Secondly I want you to kill one at the beginning of winter to see how fatt he is, and another in the spring to see what he has lost of his fat. Thirdly when the weather is very cold, and about the month of January I could wish you would make a hole in one of their bellys and put the Thermometer down into the Pilves, and see the height of the mercury, then turn it up towards the Diaphragm and observe the heat there. so much at present for Hedge Hogs. I beg pardon, examine the stomach and intestines and see what they contain. If Hewson's things go cheap I will purchase some that I think proper for you. Those you mention I am affraid will be every bodys money and go dear ever yours JOHN HUNTER
London Sept 25th I778 This letter from master to pupil needs special recognizance. It contains the 'let her go never mind her' quotation, the source of which is obscure, and the instructions on the study of fat deposits in a hibernating animal. Among Jenner's many contributions to medicine and natural science such as vaccination and the habits of the young cuckoo in the nest (for which he was elected FRS) should be included his lifelong interest in the migration of birds, his study of which was published posthumously and presented for publication by Sir Humphry Davy, one of Jenner's many friends. It was formerly believed that birds such as swallows and house-martins spent the winter hibernating in the mud of ponds. Jenner, observing that these birds always arrived in good condition, with plenty of fat on them and with unseasonable food in their crops, deduced that they must come from overseas.
275
