But man is a Noble Animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave, solemnizing Nativities and Deaths with equal lustre, nor omitting Ceremonies of Bravery, in the infamy of his nature. Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible Sun within us.
Bio: Sir Benjamin Ward Richardson, M.A., M.D., LL.D., F.R.S. was an eminent British physician, anaesthetist, physiologist, sanitarian, and a prolific writer on medical history.