93
would obviously be expensive and lengthy and is outside present consi-
deration. But meanwhile some thing can be done and to this end infor-
mation has been collected on some essential points in medical education
at the schools and some of that information is given here. Certain details
have been obtained from the annual reports of the medical schools and
questions on other practical points have been sent to the School authorities
to enable this information to be enlarged. Here I take the opportunity
of thanking those authorities, whether of Government or private schools
for sending me their reports and the answers to my questions. The parts
of this information that lend themselves to tabulation are given in Table-
'G' (pages 150-151) and some explanatory notes and comments of my own
are given in the following paragraphs.
"In the comparative statement we have not tabulated replies to all the
enquiries made, though the replies on other points are also interesting.
Enquiry was made as to the cost to the educating authority per student per
annum after laying down for the sake of uniformity certain principles on
which this calculation should be made. The average cost seems to
beabout Rs. 300 per annum per student, though schools for women only
usually cost more, probably because of the fewer number of students in
comparison with the number of staff to be paid. There is, however,
extraordinary variation in the replies received. Thus in School J the
cost is only Rs. 60 per annum and 8O per cent. of the students are private,
and in School F the cost is Rs. 62 per annum and all are private : whil
e i n S c h o o l N , a w o m e n ' s s c h o o l , t h e c o s t i s R s . 9 6 0 p e r a n n u m a n d n o n e
are private, and in School V, where the sexes are mixed, the cost is
Rs. 952 for a stipendiary and Rs. 564 for a private student; presumably
reckoning without the student's fees the cost, would be Rs. 952 for every
student. This difference in cost per student is apparently reflected in
the standard of instruction, because School N certainly compares well with
others.
"Question was asked also on the preliminary standard of education be-
fore entry to the medical course. In all provinces the Matriculation or
School Leaving Certificate is the standard usually taken, though one
province is obtaining an appreciable number of Intermediate-passed
entrants. Another province accepts women students at a lower entrance
standard. I believe this to be a mistaken policy. It can be defended by
representing the need for women doctors and the lack of applicants unless
the entrance doors are widened : but it is doubtful if a woman who has
not attained Matriculation standard can take with profit a medical course,
and at any rate the time has now come when a higher demand should
be made on women entrants. We should have women doctors of satis-
factory standard or not at all. This leads naturally to the much bigger
Question whether we should try to educate a large number of students
in an inferior manner or fewer students in a comparatively satisfactory
manner; whether we should have many inferior schools or a few satisfactory
ones. Because we cannot have it both ways. There are only a few
places in each province with hospitals large enough to provide clinical
material for a medical school. Further, the cost of the school and hospital