February 8 Thursday – At 30 Wellington Court in London, England Sam wrote to Susan L. Crane.
The small pamphlet furnished you by Underwood is the clearest & most intelligible statement of what Osteopathy is, that I have seen. I am very glad you sent it. I believe it is as good as the Kellgren system & that in some details is probably even better. There seems to be no notable difference between the two. I should not be afraid to put myself or family in the hands of a reputable osteopathist. Whereas I would not trust any of us in the hands of a physician whether he was reputable or wasn’t. …
Sam was glad he’d convinced Livy in her recent bout with influenza to summon Kellgren; she only had to stay indoors for two weeks. Commenting on the Feb. 6 death of Sir William Wilson Hunter, Sam concluded the “doctors have killed” him, “one of the least sparable men in Great Britain.”
He was one of the guests where we dined, a couple of weeks ago, at the house of a Calcutta friend. He was a stately great figure, with a winning face & manner. He said, “To come here” (meaning, to meet me,) “I have crossed my threshold for the first time in 5 weeks—a wasting attack of influenza….” …
It is a great pity about Sir William. Evidently he had a relapse. Probably he ventured abroad too soon; I am afraid that that is it.
I lit my pipe with the obituary, without noticing what I was doing. It is an interesting paper, particularly to me, because I know some of the people mentioned in it.
To hark back—I notice one difference between Kellgren & the osteopaths; he declares that he can cure any epilepsy that is not hereditary; they claim to be able to cure 4 in 10, but say nothing about hereditary.
We are having a sumptuous time with the hickory-nuts, Sue, & are very thankful to you. / With lots of love, / Saml [MTP].
Note: Sam and Livy dined with Hunter, Francis Henry Skrine, Frank Frankfort Moore and others on Jan. 24, 1900 [Life of Sir William Wilson Hunter, etc. by Francis Henry Skrine (1901) p. 477]. See also Feb. 26 entry. Sir William Hunter was a British historian and statistician, an expert on India, and in 1886 served as the Vice Chancellor for the University of Calcutta. Sam quoted Hunter’s description of the Taj Mahal in FE. See Gribben 341. The “Calcutta friends” where the dinner referred to took place and Sam met Sir William, were undoubtedly Francis and Helen Skrine. Sam met them in Calcutta during his world tour.