IRISH MEDICAL SCHOOLS

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professor of physiology. That implies an endowment of;S10,000, or, what is the same thing, a, guaranteed incomeof jE300 a year. Considering what we have done already,it is not too much to expect tint in the course of a fewyears this endowment will be supplied as so manyothers have been.

In the evening the annual dinner of the Medical Facultywas held in the Adelphi Hotel. One hundred and fiftv-fiveguests sat down, Professor Banks presiding. Sir JamesPaget was again most enthusiastically received, his healthbeing drunk with rounds of applause and musical honours.Sir Dyce Duckworth was also present, and many of theprofessors of Owens College, the Leeds School of Medicine,and the Liverpool University College.

THE OPENING OF THE SESSION.DISTRIBUTION OF PRIZES, RÉUNIONS, ETC.

THE’ following is a continuation of the record of thef-estivities which have been held in connexion with the

opening of the medical schools.CHARING-CROSS IIOSI’I1’AL MEDICAL SCHOOL.

The annual dinner of the past and present students ofCharing-cross Hospital will take place on Friday evening,the 17th inst., in the Holborn Restaurant, at 6.30 P.M.,when J. W. Hare, Esq., F.R.C.S., will preside, and not onthe date erroneously notified in our last issue.

ST. GEOIWE’S HOSPITAL.At the conclusion of Mr. Augustus Winterbottom’s

interesting oration on Oct. lst, Mr. Timothy Holmes, in afew earnest words, addressed the students, and finallydistributed the following prizes: To Mr. Hubert Higgins,the William Brown £ 100 Exhibition; to Mr. G. E.Hale, the Acland Prize in Clinical Medicine and theTreasurer’s Prize; to Mr. Charles Wild, the Brodie Prize inClinical Medicine and the Thompson Medal ; to Mr. A.Russell Wells, the Pollock Prize in Physiology; to M. J.W. Dickson, Sir Charles Clarke’s Prize; to Mr. G. A.Clarkson, the First Year General Proficiency Prize ; to Mr.H. Scott-Elliott, the Second Year General Proficiency Prize.In the evening the annual medical school dinner was heldat the Hotel Metropole, Dr. Cavafy in the chair. It wasthe largest and most successful of any gathering for manyyears past. After the usual loyal toasts, Dr. Dickinsonproposed " The Governors of the Hospital, to which Dr. Dukareplied. The Chairman then, in a few happy words, gavethe toast of the evening, "The Medical School." " It wasenthusiastically received. Then followed that of "ThePast Students" by Sir Prescott G. Hewett, and respondedto by Surgeon-General Cornish and Surgeon-MajorHartley. The toast of "The Present Students," to whichDr. W. P. Davis, the senior house physician, replied in anexcellent speech, and also that of "The Orator of theDay," were heartily welcomed. Finally, Mr. Holmes gave" The Chairman," which called forth a humorous reply.

LONDON HOSPITAL.The annual dinner of the old students of the London

Hospital Medical College was held in the Library onWedesday, lst inst., at 7 P.M. The chair was taken byMr. Rivington, who was supported by many members ofthe staff, and about 130 sat down to dinner. After theloyal toast, the Chairman proposed "The Hospital andCollege." He pointed out that both institutions owedtheir oligin to the exertions and liberality of formermembers of the staff and their friends. Each was de-endent on the other for its full elliciency and prosperity.Yet, notwithstanding its origin, the hospital did not admitthe medical staff to any share in its management, whilstthe staff had freely accorded to the lay governors an equalshare in the administration of the College. He was infavour of reciprocity, and would be glad to see the com-mittees of all hospitals containing an infusion of themedical element. The College was fortunate in possessingin Mr. Munro Scott a warden of marked administrativeability. An anniversary dinner of old students was firstinstituted in 1792, when it took place at 4 P. M. There werenineteen toasts, a large consumption of small beer, and muchbroken glass. The celebration of this dinner lasted till 1837,when the London Hospital Medical Club capiiie into exist-ence in its room; then, in 1867, a biennial festival was estab-lished, and now this had been replaced by an annual dinner. i

If The toast was responded to by Mr. Mahomet, the chap-e lain, on behalf of the hospital, and by Dr. Sansom, a, member of the College lioard, on behalf of the Medicalv College. Dr. Stephen Mackenzie, in a eulogistic speech,yproposed the "Health of tha Chairman." Mr. Treves pro-

posed "The Old Students," coupled with the names ofy Mr. Peter Gowlla,nd and Mr. Mercier. During the dinner3 musical selections were rendered loy a string band, and thiss very pleasant and successful meeting terminated abouti eleven o’clock.’ LONDON SCHOOL or MEnJCIXE FOR WOMEK.

The opening of the winter session of the London School’ of Medicine for Women has been signalised by the enlarge-

ment of the premises. An adjoining house has beenutilised, where two chemical laboratories have been pro-vided, the museums and library having been moved intolofty, well-lighted rooms. Additional accommodation hasbeen provided for the students, and the anatomical depart.ment has been enlarged. The garden front of the building

, has been much improved by the erection of a new verandah,

which forms a convenient covered way from one part of thebuilding to the other.

WESTMINSTER HOSPITAL.

. The winter session was opened on Oct. 1st with an intro-

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ductory lecture by Dr. Colcott Fox, a report of which hasalready appeared. The Dean, Dr. W. H. Allchin, thenread a report of the school for the past year, which was ofa most satisfactory description. The prizes were dis-tributed by the Rev. Canon Prothero, who afterwardsmade some pertinent remarks on preliminary education.After stating the various views on the subject which hadrecently been discussed in the public press, he asked,"To what class of men is more entrusted of a delicateand diflicult nature ? Who is Ho often an arbiter betweenIffe and death as a doctor ? :’ Who can better aid or defeatthe ends of justice by his skill or his ignorance thana do-ctor? Who is more invaluable as a public servant thana doctor, seeing that he discharges duties every day onwhich the utility and happiness of hundreds ever afterwardsdepend? ‘? Hence it is that more general iuterest is feltoutside the medical profession in this apparently limitedquestion of a doctor’s education." He admitted thatin this discussion the victory seemed to be tending towardsearly specialisation ; still it seemed to be admitted, even bythe leaders of early specialisation, that the older system wasthe better and the wiser training. It bad been said thatmedical training should be treated on different lines for tworeasons : (1) that many poor men sought to enter the profes-sion, and (2) that it was pre-eminently a practical profession.It seemed to him that to legislate in educational questionsfor the few was false economy. Was it wise to lower thestandard of a profession for the sake of a few? Makingfull allowance for the practical training required, he feltthat the man who had had his faculties quickened, hismemory and observation strengthened, and his reasoningpowers developed by a good genera.1 education would makethe best use of his opportunities. Education, if it wasworth anything, helped a man to acquire fresh knowledge.That was its value and its object. The educated medicalstudent who waited till he was twenty-four before he com-menced practice might not "get off" so quickly as theyouth who had specialised since he was sixteen, qualified attwenty-one, and at once began practice. But wait tenyears, and the parts were reversed. Yes ! and everysncceeding year the gap widened. The one would belearning all his life, because he had learned howto learn ; the other would be forgetting all his life, orwould bf powerless to acquire new facts outside his ownnarrow individual experience, because he had never beeneducated in the acquisition of knowledge.-Many additionsare being made to the museum, and especially in itsanatomical section, and the catalogue of the pathologicalmuseum is in the press, arranged in a form that will be in-valuable to the students. The school buildings have beenpainted and renovated throughout, and the new dean, bysome rearrangements of work, has put the school in mostsatisfactory working order.

IRISH MEDICAL SCHOOLS.ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

Last week the winter session of the schools of surgerywas inaugurated by a distribution of the prizes obtained bythe successful candidates at the recent examinations.

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Mr. H. Gray Croly, President of the College, havingconferred the prizes, addressed the students present, andurged them to be earnest in their work and early in theirhabits of study. With regard to the boycotting of theirFellowship Examination in parts of England, he could onlysay that it was not second to the Fellowship of any othercollege. A vote of thanks to the President for his addresswas proposed by Mr. Rawdon Macnamara, seconded bySir Charles Cameron, and carried unanimously.The Barker Anatomical Prize for 1890, value twenty

guineas, has been obtained by Mr. R. H. Kennan.THE MEATH I1051’IT11L, DUBLIN.

The 138th session was opened at this institution on the6thinst. by an inaugural address by Mr. Philip (JramptonSmyly,F.R.C.S. He congratulated the" Old Meath" uponthe progress made during the year, and upon the greatimprovement which had been effected in its working andin the care of the patients, which he attributed to the careand attention shown by the members of the medical andsurgical staffs and by the Red Cross Nursing Sisters. Heconcluded an interesting address by recommending thestudents present to study carefully the results achievedby different men, more especially in the Listerian system,in order to find out "what is truth." " A vote of thanks tothe lecturer, proposed by Sir George Porter, Bart., andseconded by Sir William Stokes, was carried unanimously.The annual dinner for the reunion of old students and

governors was held in the evening at the Shelbourne Hotel,the chair being occupied by Professor Rawdon Macnamara.

SIR P. DUN’S HOSPITAL.This institution was opened for the winter session last

week. Dr. E. H. Bennett apologised forgiving an introductoryaddress, his excuse being that it was on the occasion ofopening a large addition to the hospital. His main object,he said, was to direct the attention of the students to therecent improvements made in the hospital and to its enlarge-ments-changes made with the object of making it moreefficient for the treatment of disease, and for the teachingof medicine, surgery, and midwifery. The changes nowmade removed the danger of the infection of fever to patientssuffering from other diseases, inasmuch as the fever wardswere altogether isolated from all other parts of the hospital.The hospital was opened in 1808, and from that date to1865 only medical cases were admitted, a large numberbeing fever patients. A wing was built some time ago ; butas the position was considered unsuitable by the corpora-tion for infectious cases, another had been erected free fromall objections, provided with disinfecting chambers and aseparate and complete laundry; while the other wing hadbeen utilised for non-infectious cases and also for the gynfcco-iogical department of the hospital. The mortuary had beenrebuilt, and a theatre suitable for pathological demonstra-tions had been added. Dr. Bennett pointed out that Sir P.Dun’s was the only hospital in Dublin where a portion ofthe students’ fees paid for clinical instruction went to supportthe institution. One-fourth of the fees was utilised for thispurpose, and it would be well if the medical and surgicalstaffs of the other Dublin hospitals would follow the exampleso generously shown them by the staff of this hospital, andthereby add a very considerable sum to those institutions,which appeared almost always to be in a condition of chronicimpecuniosity.

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THE MEDICAL SOCIETY OF UNIVERSITYCOLLEGE.

AT a meeting of the Medical Society in connexion withthe University College, Mr. Jonathan Hutchinson, F.R.S.,delivered an address to the students, choosing for his sub-ject, "What? When ? and How? " Commencing, he saidit was pretty well agreed that the early part of the adultlife of man was spent upon education, and the second andgreater portion on the accumulation of experience. Educa-tion he defined to be the sum of that which fits a manto make good use of the experience of life and of thevarious events which come under his observation, and toprofit by his experience. His title was rather vague, but hewould lay before them some remarks upon what he thoughtshould be the education of the medial &bgr;wd&lt, how heshould get it, and lastly, when he should get it-thoughthis mattered very little, provided lie got it. A tendency

had existed in some quarters to minitnise the subjectswhich rank as preparatory to a medical career, andto say that the number of the subjects was too large.He wished to put this question very earnestly, Whetherthey would be doing wisely in reducing the numberof preliminary subjects ? :’ They all desired the promo-tion of the honour of their profession and the reputa-tion for knowledge, and not only that, but for thereality and usefulness of the knowledge it possessed.He thought it would be most unwise to exempt thestudent from the study of subjects which ho wouldfind useful when lie was further advanced in life,and which would tell to his advantage then. Herapidly reviewed some of the subjects of teachingand education which it had been of late suggested toleave out of consideration. He did not think the educationof a medical student should difl’er from that of a gentlemanwho is adopting any other career. Greek, he thought,ought to be known, by no means a scholarly knowledge,but a knowledge of the Greek vocabulary. Of coursethere was a learning which was a luxury and a learningwhich was a necessity. He was no advocate for pedantry,and did not intend for one moment that a man should spendhis time in acquiring knowledge which would afterwards beof no use to him. Perhaps he would be told that John Hunterknew no Latin or Greek, and that after all he wrote Englishvery badly ; but they should not try to establish generalrules from isolated examples. John Hunter’s early educationhad been very much neglected, but still it was possible fora man who had an intense aptitude for zoological study toacquire such knowledge independently of any classical learn-ing, but at the same time he acquired it under great disadvan-tages. As regards learning the method of these languages,he proposed that the student should acquire a knowledge ofwords rather than of grammatical constructions, just as

he learned English when he was a child. He wasnot speaking in the least of their value as a means

of mental training, because a man might train hismind to anything. He set forth the method of ac-

quiring these languages propounded by John Locke. Indealing with modern languages he thought they werebest acquired in the country in which they were spoken.Everyone who aspired to be considered well educated oughtto know French and German. He advised that the medicalstudent should throughout his career keep up his acquaint-ance with general literature as a means of helping him inhis medical pursuits, and also of intensifying the feelingsupon which motives for professional study might befounded. The object of literature was to induce a generalsympathy with the wellbeing of mankind. If any mancould read the poetry of Crabbe or Wordsworth or Browningor Tennyson without gaining something of interest in lifeand increased impulses towards devotion to his duty, hethought there must be something wanting in his organism.The study of poetry would supply a man with whatMacbeth wanted, "A spur to his intent," and he would goback to his medical studies feelmg that they had acquiredfor him a new charm. Geography was another subjectwhich demanded their attention, and history wa.s most

important for a medical man to know. As to algebra.and mathematics, he did not see their bearing uponmedical pursuits, and he thought they might be con-

sidered as luxuries in education rather than absolute neces-saries for a medical man. Zoology was absolutely essential,even fundamental. Students should begin with that cer-

tainly, and use every opportunity of acquiring a knowledgeof animals and even of their diseases as a preliminary totheir study on the human frame. Of course he includedcomparative anatomy and comparative pathology. Medicalmen manifested great ignorance on the subject of botany.As a boy he had held a certain physician in highregard, but on discovering that this medical man could notdistinguish between a belladonna lily and belladonnaatropia, he lost all reverence for him. Another, with whomhe was travelling, mistook a large group of equisetumsgrowing in a bog for young fir trees. After describing theobjective method of instruction as being the correct modeof teaching this subject, as well as geology, human anatomy,and physiology, he referred to the proposals for the limita-tion of medical studies as of perennial recurrence, andspoke of the proposal made nearly a century ago toestablish in Berlin a species of medical men known asRoutiners. He dwelt at some length on the method of culti-vating the power of the memory. 11 Wisdom," he concluded," was the hereditary result of knowledge, and the priceless