. Some points in the surgery of the brain and its membranes . d sweats after that they choose to that to I, I lets em. Lettsom undoubtedly earned a handsome pro-fessional income, but the extent to which hisprivate fortune must have been injured by hisgenerosity to others may be gathered from oneof his letters, dated i8th February 1783. Reply-ing to an intimate friend who had upbraided himfor neglecting to take any adequate relaxation,he says, * I have a weakness which I cannotovercome. I hope and believe it does not resultfrom ambition or from vanity ; but so it is, how-ever, t
. Some points in the surgery of the brain and its membranes . d sweats after that they choose to that to I, I lets em. Lettsom undoubtedly earned a handsome pro-fessional income, but the extent to which hisprivate fortune must have been injured by hisgenerosity to others may be gathered from oneof his letters, dated i8th February 1783. Reply-ing to an intimate friend who had upbraided himfor neglecting to take any adequate relaxation,he says, * I have a weakness which I cannotovercome. I hope and believe it does not resultfrom ambition or from vanity ; but so it is, how-ever, that if I hear of want, I often distressmyself to obviate that want. In looking overmy expenses since January last, I find I have DR. LETTSOM 7 expended above six hundred pounds in donations;and, like a necessitarian, I have no power to con-trol this extravagance. Thus with an income of^5000 per annum I am always involved ; andwhat is still more alarming, my pensionersincrease daily. I mention my extravagance asan excuse for my perpetual application to busi-. FiG. 3.—Garden view of Dr. Lettsoms house at Camberwell. ness ; for since the year 1769, when I firstsettled in London, I have not taken one half-days relaxation, and I cannot get to Grove Hillabove once a fortnight. Though there were no death duties in histime, he distributed his wealth during his life—a form of charity much more real than thatcommonly practised of distributing after deathwhat can no longer be retained. The story of the rescue of a starving familyas the result of an early morning walk is typical 8 REMINISCENCES OF of Lettsoms life. This family was saved fromstarvation, and with the co-operation of thechurchwarden of I>ittle Greenwich in Bishops-gate Street was given a new start in life. Lettsom writes that he has experienced how 3^6»,
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