Partly in an attempt to rid himself of the stammer that had preceded his breakdown, Lister joined the Medical Society, where he engaged in lively debates with other students over the merits of the microscope as a tool for medical research. He also led a scathing attack on homeopathic medicine, which he argued was “perfectly untenable scientifically.” Such was his oratorial heft that a year after he joined, he was elected president of the society.
