The Ebbing Tide

Charles Bell spent his final days in the chair of surgery at the University of Edinburgh. He was not well off and was disappointed that his reputation did not bring more referrals and requests for consultation. Despite his good intentions, however, he could not get back fully into an academic way of life. He had lost his sense of urgency and purpose, and he preferred to spend much time fishing and painting. He developed angina pectoris and, on 29 April 1842, died suddenly of a heart attack in the arms of his wife at Hallow Park, near Worcester, while on his way to London. He died a poor man, having been more concerned with teaching, writing, and advancing knowledge than with the acquisition of wealth, and his wife was therefore granted a civil pension by a grateful government.