A. N* ADDRESS 
OX TUK 
LIFE AND CHARACTER 
OK THE RATE 
CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D., 
DELIVERED TO THE 
Utoihtflte of 3£ong 
BROOKLYN, N. Y., 
AT THE 
ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT, JULY 14th, 1862, 
By JOSEPH 0, HUTCHISON, M.D., 
PROFESSOR OF OPERATIVE SURGERY AND SURGICAL ANATOMY. 
Reprinted from the AMERICAN MEDICAL MONTHLY, August, 1862, 
NEW YORK: 
HALL, CLAYTON A MEDOLE, PRINTERS, 
No. 46 Pine Street. 
1862. A. 1ST ADDRESS 
ON THE 
life JSJNT> character 
OF TIIE LATE 
CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D., 
DELIVERED TO THE 
fcfluate d g&mg fwspitat, 
BROOKLYN, N. Y., , 
AT THE 
ANNUAL COMMENCEMENT, JULY 14th, 1862, 
By JOSEPH 0, HUTCHISON, M.D., 
PROFESSOR OF OPERATIVE SURGERY AND SURGICAL ANATOMY. 
Reprinted from the AMERICAN MEDICAL MONTHLY, August, 1862. 
NEW YORK: 
HALL, CLAYTON & MEDOLE, PRINTERS, 
No. 46 Pine Street. 
1862. A. 1ST ADDRESS 
ON THE 
LIFE AND CHARACTER 
OF THE LATE 
CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D., 
DELIVERED TO THE 
(Snhalts of Jong fslaiitr College Hospital. 
Graduates of the Long Island College Hospital: 
According to an agreeable custom, I welcome you into the ranks 
of the medical profession — a profession which, by Christian and 
Painim, has been esteemed one of the most Godlike of human avoca- 
tions. Our relation of preceptor and pupil has terminated. Hence- 
forth we are equals—members of the same great fraternity. You go 
forth honorably enrolled among the graduates of the Long Island 
College Hospital, carrying with you its broad seal, which, whether at 
home or abroad, will secure for you all the rights and privileges 
that attach to any similar institution in the land. Your acquire- 
ments have been tested by what may have seemed to you a rigorous 
and painful ordeal, But it can be scarcely less painful to you than 
the responsibility which the Council and Faculty feel in declaring to 
their fellow-citizens your fitness for the duties incident to the profes- 
sion of your choice. Do not disappoint them. 4 
ADDRESS ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
It is usual, on occasions like the present, to occupy the hour with 
words of counsel and advice, or in indicating what are the “requisites 
for success” in the medical profession. I trust I shall be pardoned 
for digressing from this time-honored custom; for it has been generally 
observed that few things are so liberally bestowed, or uttered with so 
little effect, as good advice. I take it for granted, gentlemen, that 
you are aware of the true character of the profession you have se- 
lected as your occupation for life—that you have estimated its respon- 
sibilities, and the nature of its duties. I turn to another more agree- 
able, and I trust more profitable, theme. It was the maxim of 
Alphonsus of Arragon, that dead counselors are safest; and who does 
not know that the characters of the wise and good among the de- 
parted exert a more potent influence than the most salutary precepts 
or the most pathetic persuasions of the living, because free from 
vanity, arrogance, or superciliousness ? I propose, therefore, to coun- 
sel you through the life and character of one who, by his industry, 
professional integrity and scientific attainments, had risen to an emi- 
nent position in our profession, and yet of whom it may be said, lie* 
left not a single enemy. I refer to Charles Edward Isaacs, M.D., 
who died in this city on the 16th of June, 1860. 
This remarkable man was born at Bedford, Westchester County, 
N. Y., on the 24th of June, 1811. He was the son of William and 
Mary Isaacs. His father was a merchant and farmer; Charles was 
the youngest of the family, which consisted of three sons and one 
daughter. Almost from infancy he manifested an unusual fondness 
for books, especially the Bible, from which he frequently quoted pas- 
sages and parts of chapters, and often discussed the controverted 
points of faith with his mother. He attended the parish school kept 
by Mr. Samuel Holmes, where he studied the classics; and at the 
age of eleven or twelve he could read the Greek Testament with 
facility. We are told that “he early evinced marked preferences for 
the natural sciences. The anatomy of insects and the lower animals 
was carefully studied in a practical way, and he exhibited a peculiar 
fondness for Botany and Geology. Even at a very early age he was 
accustomed to sauuler in the fields and woods, gathering specimens 
of all sorts from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. This 
striking peculiarity early indicated his choice of a profession, and his 
mother wisely allowed him to follow his own inclinations, his father 
having died when he was but seven years of age.”—(Ainer. Med. 
Times, June, 1860.) He commenced the study of medicine with the 
late Dr. Belcher, of New York, who was a relative of the family, and THE LATE CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
5 
attended his first course of lectures in the College of Physicians and 
Surgeons, New York. He subsequently entered the office of Dr. 
Graves, of New York, who afterwards removed to Baltimore, and 
was accompanied by his pupil. “ He graduated in medicine at the 
University of Maryland, in 1882; after remaining in Baltimore for a 
short time, he went to North Carolina. During President Jackson’s 
administration, he received the appointment of surgeon to accompany 
the Cherokee Indians in their removal beyond the Mississippi. He 
traveled extensively among the Indian tribes and through the South- 
ern States; he entered the army in 1841; and of fifty candidates 
who were examined by the Army Board of Surgeons, only six passed, 
of whom Dr. Isaacs stood first. He was first sent to Governor’s 
Island, and from thence, after a few months, was ordered to repair 
to Fort Kent, on the eastern boundary of Maine. There he re- 
mained about two years; and was then ordered to Copper Harbor, 
Lake Superior, at the time of the excitement relative to the discov- 
ery of copper mines in that region.” 
Dr. Isaacs left this station in June, 1845, and from thence went to 
Fort Niagara, Youngstown, New York. The following November, 
being in bad health, he obtained a furlough, and came to the City of 
New York for professional advice. Before the expiration of his leave 
of absence he resigned his office, and in connection with Dr. W. H. 
Van Buren established a private school for medical students in Greene 
Street. In September, 1847, he returned to Youngstown, and en- 
tered into private practice with his friend, Dr. T. G. Catlin. At the 
end of six months he left to accept the position of Deputy Health 
Officer on Staten Island; after being there a month he resigned, and 
returned to Niagara County to resume his practice with Dr. Catlin. 
In September, 1848, he received the appointment of Demonstrator of 
Anatomy in the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which he reluc- 
tantly accepted at the urgent solicitation of his friends. His unwill- 
ingness to accept the position arose from his humble estimate of his 
ability to discharge the duties which it involved, and for which I may 
add his friends considered him peculiarly fitted. He retained this 
place for several years, and afterwards officiated as Demonstrator and 
Adjunct Professor of Anatomy in the University Medical College. 
During the intervals of the lecture term he was occasionally employ- 
ed as surgeon on the European steamers. He was thus enabled to 
avail himself of the advantages offered by the medical institutions of 
the Old World, and at the same time to reinvigorate himself for the 
labors of the winter in his favorite department of anatomy. 6 
ADDRESS ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
During his residence in the City of New York, Dr. Isaacs was not 
actively engaged in practice. His time was occupied in studying the 
book of nature, in making investigations into the intricacies of sci- 
ence, and in instructing students, who eagerly sought the varied 
stores of knowledge which his gifted intellect was ever ready to dis- 
pense. 
At the urgent solicitation of a few friends, who were actuated by a 
desire to promote his worldly comforts, Dr. Isaacs took up his resi- 
dence in Brooklyn, in the spring of 1857. His personal acquaint- 
ance with the members of the profession here did not perhaps exceed half 
a dozen, and the number of his non-professional acquaintances was still 
more limited. He came reluctantly. He had hitherto failed to suc- 
ceed in private practice, and he feared that he should have to under- 
go a prolonged probation before he could secure a competency. His 
success exceeded the most sanguine anticipations of his friends, and 
he at once entered upon a large and lucrative practice. You, gentle- 
men, who are about entering upon the active duties of your profession, 
perhaps among strangers, will naturally feel an interest in knowing 
how Dr. Isaacs’ pecuniary success was so rapidly accomplished here, 
after years of stern conflict with opposing and discouraging fate. 
His personal appearance was by no means attractive or commanding. 
There was nothing pretentious or adventitious in his character—no 
pliant, time-serving falseness—nothing that savored in the most dis- 
tant degree of empiricism. He would have scorned to indulge in the 
vulgar tricks of the trade, as they are called. Like our Rush, Physic, 
Nath. Chapman, Bard, Post, Hosack, Francis, and all those whose 
names are revered in our profession, he said in every action, 
“ Or grant an honest fame, or grant me none.” 
Those who were instrumental in bringing him here, knew that 
notwithstanding his high reputation, his success in private practice 
within a short time must be through his professional brethren. The 
question arose, how he could be introduced personally to the physi- 
cians of the city at once and in a proper manner ? The happy thought 
occurred to a friend whose name I would not dare mention, to invite 
him to deliver some lectures on Surgical Anatomy at the Brooklyn 
City Hospita immediately after he came here. The members of the 
profession attended in large numbers, for medical lectures were at that 
time a novelty in Brooklyn, and Dr. Isaacs at once became personally 
known to them. They took him warmly by the hand, received him 
into their hearts, and, I say it to their honor, that through their in- THE LATE CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
7 
strumentality he was soou inducted into a large practice. Among 
the many noble deeds of the medical men of Brooklyn, this one will 
ever stand prominent. Self-interest, envy, jealousy, and, all unchari- 
tableness were forgotten, and each seemed to emulate the other in the 
desire to promote the material interest of one whose exertions had 
been fettered and clogged by poverty and ill health; whose life had 
been a constant struggle with adversity. 
As an Anatomist, Dr. Isaacs was not excelled in this country. In- 
deed, I was informed by one of his most intimate and devoted friends, 
himself a distinguished professor of anatomy, that in this fundamental 
department of medicine he had no equal in the land. He was not 
only thoroughly versed in all that relates to special and surgical 
anatomy, but in the departments of microscopic, pathological, and 
comparative anatomy, he was an authority. He availed himself of 
the ample facilities which his position as Demonstrator of Anatomy 
in the College of Physicians and Surgeons and in the University Med- 
ical College afforded, and the opportunities which his medical friends 
were but too ready to offer, to engage in the most abstruse and origin- 
al investigations in anatomy, histology, and pathology; and so great 
jvas the respect for his opinion upon questions relating to these subjects, 
that when expressed it was considered conclusive. Dr. Isaacs’ 
monograph on the structure and functions of the kidney, published in 
the Transactions of the New York Academy of Medicine, Vol. I., Part 
9, is a monument of patient industry and scientific zeal worthy of 
imitation. “ Entering upon the investigation of this subject,” he 
says, “ without any preconceived theory, it has occupied much of my 
attention for some years past, and for the last twelve months I have 
labored upon the subject almost daily, sparing neither time, trouble, 
nor expense, and carefully guarding against arriving at any conclu- 
sion until after long-continued and repeated examinations. The facts 
from which deductions have been drawn have all been obtained by the 
careful examination of the kidney in many animals, and especially in 
the frog, turtle, snake, alligator, fish, bird, mouse, rat, squirrel, cat, 
dog, raccoon, rabbit, hog, sheep, deer, elk, moose, ox, horse, black 
bear, rhinoceros, monkey, and in man.” This paper attracted con- 
siderable attention in this country and abroad. It was translated and 
republished in the medical journals of France and Germany, and was 
pronounced by the ablest living microscopical anatomist, Ch. Robin, 
of Paris, “ the most valuable contribution to structural anatomy that 
has been made for many years.” It would be inappropriate on this 
occasion to refer to the original facts presented in this celebrated pa- 8 
ADDRESS ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
per. They have already been incorporated into some of your text- 
books, and have become the common property of the profession. 
His paper “ On the Extent of the Pleura above the Clavicle,” read 
before the New York Academy of Medicine, April, 1857, contains 
the result of a series of carefully conducted and laborious researches 
into the relative position of the pleura to the clavicle. By these in- 
vestigations he settled an important anatomical fact: that the pleura 
extends above the clavicle to a much greater height than had been 
previously supposed by the best anatomical authorities. This paper 
is one of great importance to the physician, the surgeon, and the 
medical jurist, and adds new lustre to the name of Isaacs as a con- 
tributor to the advancement of his profession, and as a benefactor to 
his race. Another anatomical fact to which he first directed atten- 
tion was, that the recto-vesical cul-de-sac extends downwards much 
nearer to the base of the prostate gland in the negro than in the 
white subject, and that it receded from the prostate in a regular ratio 
as the admixture of white blood with the negro increased. The value of 
this observation will be appreciated by you, gentlemen, and its impor- 
tant practical bearings duly estimated by those of you especially who 
come from the South. 
It were not surprising that Isaacs, like Morgagni, Yesalius, Hun- 
ter, Godman, Physic, and Horner, should have been an enthusiast in 
that department of our profession in which he was consummately 
skilled, the structure of the human body; nor that he should have 
constantly urged upon the attention of his pupils the importance of a 
knowledge of anatomy; not the names, or general forms, but the inti- 
mate structure, the connections and sympathies in the normal forms 
and functions, and the more frequent diseased conditions of the vari- 
ous organs and tissues of the body. The men whose names have sur- 
vived, or are likely to survive, their natural lives, have been true to 
their professional studies, and enthusiasts in their art. 
As a Surgeon, Dr. Isaacs occupied a prominent position, and his 
reputation was rapidly increasing. His profound knowledge of anat- 
omy and surgical pathology, his skill in diagnosis, his clear and com- 
prehensive judgment, and his undaunted moral courage, all combined 
to fit him for the responsible duties of a surgeon. He possessed a 
thoughtful, contemplative and conservative cast of mind, which in- 
duced him to deliberate carefully upon all the circumstances of his 
cases; and having satisfied himself what course was best for his pa- 
tient, he honestly aud fearlessly pursued it, never shrinking from the 
performance of the most hazardous operation when the welfare of his THE LATE CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
9 
patient demanded it; nor jet was he tempted by the vain and dan- 
gerous passion for applause, the ephemeral eclat which a formidable 
operation sometimes brings, to waver between duty and expediency. 
He was not what is sometimes called a brilliant operator. Calm, 
collected, and cautious, his incisions were made with accuracy and 
deliberation, with no desire to excite the plaudits of his spectators, 
or to charm them into an opinion of his superior skill by dangerous 
and rapid manipulations. John Bell has well remarked: “This pas- 
sion for applause, so natural to us, so subservient to our interests, so 
flattering to our self-love, so apt to be excited by the presence of 
strangers who are never to see us again, and are to judge of us by 
one single act of skill and courage—this selfish and dangerous pas- 
sion, which every ingenuous man must confess he feels lurking within 
his own breast, cannot be guarded against too much! If it is ever 
to be extinguished, it must be by a thorough study of the principles 
of the science, for a perfect education will carry a man’s thoughts 
beyond this poor ambition. A man perfectly educated, who is accus- 
tomed with dissection, and has fairly cultivated his natural powers, 
is occupied with higher thoughts. He looks inward for approbation, 
and cares not for the ignorant applause of those who estimate his 
talents by the rapidity of his strokes—by the movements of a stop- 
watch. * * * He affects no masterly turns of his knife 
or hand, no rapidity of execution, no airs of self-approbation to ex- 
tort applause; but performs his operation in that calm, solemn and 
impressive manner, which persuades his patient most eloquently of his 
deep regard. * * * If he operates with confidence, it is 
not of that rash and headlong nature which arises from a vain as- 
sumption of natural abilities, of native courage, of address and dex- 
terity inherited from his birth, but such as proceeds from a rational 
and modest study of that knowledge which is essential to success.” 
As a Medical Practitioner, he was remarkable for his judgment in 
the selection and application of remedial agents, and for boldness and 
decision when circumstances demanded it. He possessed a memory 
remarkably retentive of facts which he had observed or learned from 
others, and had thus acquired a fertility of expedients such as I have 
rarely known in any one. With a due regard for the vis medicatrix 
natures, his therapeutic resources sometimes seemed almost illimita- 
ble; and those of us who were accustomed to hear him detail his 
cases, were often amused as well as instructed by his enumeration of 
the variety of remedial agents he successively resorted to in treating 
his obstinate chronic cases. In such cases especially his perseverance 10 
ADDRESS ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
when others would have been discouraged, and his fertility in apply- 
ing remedies, sometimes bold and often novel and striking, were con- 
spicuously shown. Without being captivated by visionary theories, 
or heedlessly adopting new modes of practice of questionable utility, 
he was’always among the first to make himself practically acquainted 
by cautious experiments with the reputed powers of such new articles 
of the materia medica and novel therapeutic suggestions as were rec~ 
ommended by reliable authorities. In all the departments of medi- 
cine, the elementary as well as the practical, he was remarkably well 
informed. In the discussions in our medical associations he was made 
almost the final umpire, whenever questions involving recondite and 
abstruse investigations were considered. He expressed his opinions 
with modesty and a degree of diffidence almost amounting to reluc 
tance, even upon subjects on which he was universally regarded as an 
authority. 
The estimate in which he was held as a practitioner of medicine and 
surgery was exhibited by the extent to which his medical brethren 
availed themselves of his services as a medical counselor. No one 
among us was called so frequently as a consulting physician, not by 
the tyro alone, but also by those of mature years, ripe experience, and 
rare professional skill. He was scrupulously correct in all that rela- 
ted to the ethics of the profession, and his intercourse with his pro- 
fessional brethren was marked by great suavity of manner. Whe n 
called to consult with other practitioners, however humble or exalted 
their positions, his conduct was such as to secure their confidence and 
affection. There was no assumption of superiority, no attempt at dic- 
tation, nothing in his manner that could excite jealousy; but on the 
contrary, he manifested the most delicate regard for their opinions 
and professional rights, and was careful to avoid doing anything that 
would prejudice them in the estimation of their patients. He was 
ever ready to assist his fellow-practitioners by his advice and experi- 
ence, whether the information desired had special relation to them- 
selves or those under their charge; and whenever he had it in his 
power to render a service to a member of the profession by a word of 
commendation, it was cheerfully bestowed. 
As a Lecturer, Dr. Isaacs was simple, natural, and unaffected; his 
delivery was not impassioned; he wanted more energy and vigor in 
his voice and composition; he aimed not at the graces and elegancies 
of diction, or soared into the regions of theory or fancy, yet his lec- 
tures were always interesting, abounding in stores of facts and cases, 
and enriched by illustrations drawn from his own experience and ob- THE LATE CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
11 
servation. lie possessed the liappy faculty of enlivening the tedium 
of dry matter by some stroke of wit, a happy pun, an anecdote or 
quotation. His lectures upon anatomy were remarkably perspicuous 
and accurate; indeed, we have never listened to any teacher of anat- 
omy whose demonstrations were so .clear and impressive. So skillful 
and dextrous was he in performing dissections, that he often made 
them in the presence of his class, demonstrating, while lecturing, the 
different structures in succession as they were unfolded by the knife. 
Ur. Isaacs fully appreciated the benefits and importance of Medical 
Societies, and participated largely in their proceedings. He was an 
active member of the Medical Society of this County, whose records 
abound in the results of his experience, and at the time of his death 
was one of its Censors. He was one of the founders of the New York 
Pathological Society, and contributed largely to elevate it to its pres- 
ent high position. In this Society he held successively the offices of 
President and Vice-President. Of the New York Academy of Medi- 
cine he was a zealous member; was at one time one of its Vice-Pres- 
idents, and no papers that have ever emanated from that learned 
body have contributed more to give it its wide-spread scientific repu- 
tation than those which lie presented. He felt a deep interest in the 
elevation of the profession. To this end, he strongly urged the im- 
portance of elevating the standard, both of preliminary education and 
of the professional attainments required of candidates for graduation. 
Thus far I have considered the character of Dr. Isaacs in its pro- 
fessional aspect; but I should do injustice to his memory did I not re- 
fer to*the brilliant qualities of his heart, which so endeared him to all 
who were admitted into the favored precincts of his private friend- 
ship. He was my friend; but I utter not the language of friendship 
when I speak his praise. It is difficult to particularize excellencies in 
a life and character so rich in all that was noble and beautiful in hu- 
man nature. He was a man without guile, affable and accessible to 
all; the native simplicity of his manners and his gentle feelings excited 
profound respect and conciliated universal esteem. He was never 
provoked to use a harsh expression under the most trying circum- 
stances. He had it not in his heart to do so. An annoying circum- 
stance which would cause others to manifest undue excitement, would 
call forth from him a playful, ironical remark, and then be dismissed 
from his thoughts. And yet his soft and gentle nature never sub- 
jected him to the imputation of weakness; in mind and eye he was 
every inch a man. “ Experience demonstrates/’ says Dr. Gregory, 
“ that a gentle and humane temper, far from being inconsistent with 12 
ADDRESS ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
vigor of mind, is its usual attendant; and that rough and blustering 
manners generally accompany a weak understanding and mean soul; 
and are indeed frequently affected by men void of magnanimity and 
personal courage, in order to conceal their natural defects.” 
He was in a striking degree unpretending and modest. These 
characteristics gave him a great repugnance to being brought before 
the non-professionalpublic under any circumstances. • When urged-lto 
make the microscopic examinations in the celebrated Burdell murder 
case, the darkest crime that has marred the calendar of the criminal 
courts of this country, he unhesitatingly declined, notwithstanding the 
prospect of a large fee, because, as he subsequently stated to a friend, 
he did not want his name paraded in the newspapers or bandied in 
the courts of justice. His modesty made him reluctant to promulgate 
his opinions, or to insist upon their correctness or importance when 
they conflicted with the opinions of others. And yet to those who 
enjoyed his friendship, the correctness of his sentiments and internal 
convictions, and his discriminating knowledge of men and things, were 
too conspicuous not to be appreciated. Selfishness and personal am- 
bition was not a part of his nature. This was evinced by the moder- 
ate competence with which he always contented himself. His utter 
disregard of his pecuniary interests is not to be commended; for it 
often deprived him of the comforts, and even the necessaries, of life. 
While acting as Demonstrator of Anatomy in New York, he often 
had chronic cases requiring careful investigation placed under his 
charge by his professional brethren, which he frequently turned over 
to others whom he considered more competent to treat them, than 
himself, often against the protestations of the patient. This was at 
a time when his annual income was less than a thousand dollars. He 
had not time to make money. He was at this time wholly occupied 
in making investigations into the most interesting and secret depart- 
ments of our science, and he pursued them with a steadfastness of pur- 
pose and industry rarely equaled. 
He was eminently benevolent in his feelings, and exhibited a warm 
and generous sympathy for the afflicted and suffering, which at once 
engaged their affections and confidence. This is, in many cases, of 
the utmost consequence to the recovery of the patient. He had a 
rare fund of humor and ready wit, which, with anecdote, happily told, 
was judiciously used in the sick-room. His patients loved him as a 
personal friend. I have been surprised since his death to discover the 
sincere affection which was entertained for him by all—the poor and 
humble as well as the rich and influential, who enjoyed the benefits THE LATE CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
13 
of his professional skill. Few persons possessed in so large a degree 
what Shakspeare so emphatically calls “ the milk of human kindness.” 
When he had a suspicion that his patients were poor, he would, by 
the most delicate means in his power, and in a manner least offensive 
to their feelings, endeavor to avoid receiving compensation for his ser- 
vices, without leaving behind a sense of obligation. As an illustra- 
tion of this noble trait of his character, I trust I shall be pardoned 
for introducing here, even at the expense of brevity, a copy of a let- 
ter which has fallen into my hands since his death. 
Bbooklyn, March 12th, I860. 
Dear Miss II.—I have just read your letter containing a draft for 
$100, for which please accept my thanks. You remember some 
months ago I told you that I would never render you a bill for medi- 
cal attendance on your father; on the contrary, that you were a 
thousand times welcome to anything which I had done for him, and 
that I only regretted that it had not been in my power to have done 
more. I have now hesitated whether I should accept your kind pres- 
ent, but as you state you can send it without the slightest inconven- 
ience, I have concluded to do so, more especially as otherwise you 
might perhaps (although wrongly) feel under too much of an obli- 
gation. I shall, however, devote at least the greater portion of this 
sum to the relief of those whom we so often meet with, who are op- 
pressed both by poverty and disease. I beg leave, in conclusion, not 
only to return my sincere thanks for your very excellent present, but 
also for the kind expression of feeling which my poor services have 
elicited. I hope you will always remember that I feel a deep interest 
in your welfare, and that, with the highest regard and esteem, I re- 
main most truly your sincere friend, C. E. Isaacs. 
May I not ask, in the language of Voltaire, “Is there anything in 
the world more estimable than a physician, who, having in his youth 
studied nature, and known the springs of the human body, the ills 
which torment it, the remedies which may relieve them, modestly 
practices his art; takes equal care of rich and poor; receives his fees 
reluctantly, and employs them in succoring the indigent ?” Do not 
infer, gentlemen, that I have alluded to the benevolent principles of 
Dr. Isaacs because they are rarely met with in our profession. No, 
no; the exercise of the healing art by a man of noble mind makes 
“man approach nearer to the gods,” for “of the Most High cometh 
healing.” “I believe,” says Dr. Johnson, “every man has found in 
physicians great liberality and dignity of sentiment, very prompt eflfu- 14 
ADDRESS ON THE LIFE AND CHARACTER OF 
sion of beneficence, and willingness to exert a lucrative art when 
there is no hope of lucre.” And who that is familiar with the biog- 
raphies of physicians, from Hippocrates to those of our own time, 
canuot attest the justness of the compliment enunciated by the great 
moralist ? 
While he fully accepted the maxim of the great Boerhaave, that 
“ the poor are the best customers, because God will be the paymas- 
ter,” with those who were able to pay a pecuniary compensation for 
his services he deemed it a point of honor to adhere to the rules 
adopted by the Medical Society of the County of Kings relative to 
pecuniary acknowledgments, with as much uniformity as varying cir- 
cumstances would admit. It was not the love of money, but “ a 
strict sense of justice and honor towards each fellow-member of the 
profession, which prevented him from undervaluing his services by 
charging beneath the customary rate, with a view to draw patronage 
by exciting comparisons.” He acjted on the principle that “ a prac- 
titioner may settle his demands with his patrons on whatever terms 
he pleases, but he has no right to make the law, or change any estab- 
lished usage to the prejudice of his brethren. The reputation of a 
cheap doctor, after all, is neither dignified nor enviable.” 
Dr. Isaacs was eminently social in his feelings. There was a pecu- 
liar charm about his character, which drew around him admiring and 
steadfast friends, and made him the delight of the social circle. With 
a genial nature he united wit; a jocose disposition, “for many a joke 
had he,” and a rich and varied fund of anecdote, which made him a 
most agreeable companion. But never did he permit the society of 
his friends or the festive board to detain him from the couch of sick- 
ness, when he should be there. The faithful discharge of the duties 
of his profession was a part of his religion, and paramount to all other 
considerations. 
His literary acquirements were of a high order. He possessed a 
knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages, which unlocked to him 
the rich stores of information contained in the classical writings of the 
Grecian and Roman fathers, and he read them in the languages in 
which they were originally conveyed. He read and spoke the Ger- 
man and French languages fluently, was familiar with most of the 
standard works in history, romance, and poetry, and sometimes wrote 
verses of no mean pretensions. Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, Shak- 
speare, Burton’s Anatomy of Melancholy, and the Bible were favor- 
ite books, and he knew them almost by heart. This taste for litera- 
ture served to keep his mental faculties in wholesome exercise, by re- THE LATE CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
15 
lieving him from the tedium of professional studies, and in enabling 
him 
“ To respite his day-labor with repast.” 
Well has it been said, “ that literature and science, far from injur- 
ing society, are the great instruments of ultimate refinement and ex- 
altation, and should be universally cultivated. They lift the mind 
above ordinary life, give it respite from depressing cares, and awakeu 
the consciousness of its efficacy with what is pure and noble. In 
their legitimate and highest efforts, they have the same tendency and 
aim with Christianity—that is, to spiritualize our nature. They 
carry the mind above and beyond the beaten, dusty, weary walks of 
ordinary life; they lift it into a purer element, and breathe into it a 
more profound and generous emotion. They reveal to us the loveli- 
ness of Nature, bring back the freshness of early feelings, revive the 
relish of simple pleasures, keep unquenched the enthusiasm which 
warmed the spring-time of our being, refine youthful love, strengthen 
our interest in human nature, expand our sympathies over all classes 
of society, knit us by new ties with universal being, and, through the 
brightness of their prophetic visions, help faith to lay hold on the 
future life.” 
Dr. Isaacs never made a public profession of religion. But if 
Christianity consists in a just conformity of our actions to the rela- 
tions in which we stand to the Supreme Being and to our fellow-crea- 
tures, few persons were, or endeavored to be more diligent in the dis- 
charge of its essential duties. In his latter days, he expressed a 
cheerful confidence in the providence, grace, and promises of God; 
and when the love of life ceased to be an active principle, he rejoiced 
in a pious trust and humble hope of mercy at the Throne of Grace. 
He remarked to a medical friend, “I am not anxious to live, but I 
would like to do some good to my fellow-men. God’s will be done! 
He is good, and more wonderful than all we have learned here!” 
I have thus endeavored, gentlemen, in a plain, unvarnished, but 
imperfect manner, to present the lights and shades of the character 
of our departed friend; it needs no rhetorical embellishments. It is 
an observation of the younger Pliny, in his epistle to his friend Taci- 
tus, that history ought never to magnify matters of fact, because wor- 
thy actions require nothing but the truth. This rule I promised my- 
self to observe at the outset, that the hand of partiality might not 
color his excellencies with too much warmth. What failings he had 
may be forgiven for the sake of his virtues. “ His defects were spots 
on tlae sun.” I present as an example worthy of your imitation his 16 
ADDRESS ON LIFE, AC., CHARLES EDWARD ISAACS, M.D. 
love for the profession; his keen relish for its studies, and high esti- 
mate of its character; his habits of industry; his steadfastness of 
purpose; his kind affections, and the goodness of his heart. I know 
not that I could have placed before you a more encouraging example 
of what devotion to scientific pursuits, under the most adverse circum- 
stances, is capable of accomplishing. Do you sit down in despair and 
tell me “ that you are less gifted, and it is useless for you to exert 
yourselves in competition with such a man?” Had John Hunter, when 
a cabinet-maker; had Charles Bell, when a watchmaker; had Dupuy- 
tren, when an apothecary’s assistant in the army; had Velpeau, when 
a working blacksmith; had our late lamented Francis, when a print- 
er’s boy, thus thought, think you they would have so distinguished 
themselves, not only in our own science, but in almost every department 
of literature and art ? Labor omnia vincit. Science will claim from 
you more than a mere enjoyment of the treasures which belong to her 
temple; she will demand that you also shall bring gifts to her altars. 
Go forth, then, aiming at knowledge deep and varied; cherish senti- 
ments of the largest and loftiest liberality, for the character of the age 
demands it. Take with you the blessings of those whose delightful 
duty it has been to instruct you. May your return to your homes— 
to those who are anxiously waiting to clasp you to their bosoms—be 
safe and joyous. May no domestic affliction intervene to mar the fe- 
licity of that reunion; and may your many privileges fill you with 
gratitude to your God, and stimulate your devotion to the thrice sa- 
cred cause of science. 
Farewell !