Republication of English Works.
PubMed · 1854
Our learned correspondent, in his remarks on reprints of English works by American publishers and their indiscriminate praise by our medical journals, is hardly just, we think, to those who have control of the medical press.No doubt the laudation is quite too general, and that the system is injurious to our native literature; but we are sure that our able correspondent has not hit upon the true explanation of it.The real cause is not selfishness, but indo lence ; it is easier to praise a book in general terms than to criti cise it intelligently, and this is the chief reason why the praise of foreign works is so indiscriminate.We take their merits, for the most part, upon trust, without thorough, much less critical, exam ination.We are free to confess our short-comings in this particu lar, and suppose most of our brethren would have to own, that, in the press of other urgent duties, they have sometimes been tempt-