The writer remarked on the
points of similarity which the case in the Brighton train bore to that
of the Paris pavement; insisted on the probable identity of the man in
the fur coat with the man in the cloak; and appealed to Dr Lefevre to
explain the mystery, and to the police to find the man "who has alarmed
the civilised world by a new form of outrage."
Lefevre was piqued by that article, and he went to see his patient day
after day, in the constant hope of finding a solution of the puzzle that
perplexed him. The direction in which he looked for light will be best
suggested by remarking what were his peculiar theory and practice.
Lefevre was not a materialistic physician; indeed, in the opinion of
many of his brethren, he erred on the other side, and was too much
inclined to mysticism. It may at least be said that he had an open mind,
and a modest estimate of the discoveries of modern medical science. He
had perceived while still a young man (he was now about forty) that all
medical practice--as distinct from surgical--is inexact and empirical,
that, like English common law, it is based merely on custom, and a
narrow range of experience; and he had therefore argued that a wider
experience and research, especially among decaying nations, might lead
to the discovery of a guiding principle in pathology.
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