The Express.
London, England, 1862-02-17 00:00:00

ST. THOMAS'S HOSPITAL.

The following memorial Las been addressed by
the medical and surgical offices. sad lecturers of Fit. Thomaa's
Hospital :
"To the President, Treasurer, Grand Committee, and
other Governors of that Institution.
"1. We, the undersigned, the physicians, surgeons, and
other teachers of St. Thomas's Hospital, respectfully desire to
address the governors of the hospital on the approaching
crisis in the &Mike of this noble charity.
"2. We learn that before the end of next July the
ground now occupied by the hospital will have become the
property of a railway oompany, and be applicable to other
than its ptaasnt "
i. We may be excused for referring with pride to the
history of the establishment inch is to be displaced. Not
merely from three centuries age, when King Edward VI. en-
riched it, but from more than six dietaries ago, St. Thomas's
L osigaya ustaciding on its present site, has men a source of
good to the suffering poor of the neighbour-
hood, and of the metropolis, and of the mites. The vast
direct SerViolll which it has rssdered to the sick treated
wlthia tin mile, are not the only benefits which it has con-
ferred on meakind. It has always been a school—sad, in
latter times, a most infiumtial school—of medical and
surgical science. In its wards, profiting by its almost un-
surpassed materials for study, thousands of medical prat-
titian:lre have acquired their qualifications for practice ;
and, among our of predecessors, trained and ripened in
the same school, there have perm, in large proportion, men
whose amass are stall honoured throughout the medical
profession, and whose discoveries and achievements have
bean a bleating to the human race.
" 4. Having these recollections, we cannot without deep
concern be aware that the present time-honoured edifice is
to make way for other establishments ; that a new St.
Thomas's Hospital is to be raised in some yet undetermined
place ; that where the new hospital shall stead, and on
what plan suet scale it shall be constructed, are Moues which
the governors now have open for dedsioo.
" 5. We feel indeed that, in the impending chnnge. there
is a singular and splendid opportunity for increasing the lust-
fulness of the institution. We see that our hospital may
be made the very first hospital, and our school the very
first school, in Ragland. Knowing that, since the hewn-
sing of the present century, the income of the hospital has
(mainly through the falling-in of lessee) increased from
about 12,000/. to about 32,000/. per A 1109113 ; knowing that
further increase at the same rate is still in constant pro-
gram, and that soon the annual income of the hospital must
oe very largely in excess of the preseet scale of expendi-
ture—we are glad to believe that, within reasonable limits,
considerations of cost will not be an obstacle to the desired
result.

" 6. On the other hand, we feel that the occasion has its
dangers. And the fact which, above all, impresses us is,
that the course which must now very speedily be decided
upon will be one from which there an be no return. If,
unhappily, any considerable error were made in the placing
or planning of the new hospital, the consequences of that
error would remain for many generations beyond remedy.
" 7. Especially, the intentions of the founders and bene-
factors of the charity would be almost irreparably defeated,
and the priceless public boon of a great school of medical
and surgical science would at the same time be socrifieed, if
the new hospital were to be planted in any locality where
physicians and surgeons of high metropolitan stmeiing could
not be expected to serve it with assiduous attention, or
where masses of the labouring population would not have
easy access to it for the relief of all their emergencies of
sudden illness aad injury.
"S. Appointed by the governors of the hospital to the
offices which we respectively fill, we venting to hope that,
without presumption or impropriety, we may submit these
considerations to those also have honoured us with their
confidence, and may earnestly entreat each individual
governor to give his time and attention to the subject.
" 9. We of worse refrain from anticipating iu detail the
questions which will come before the governors for deer
mon. We would merely beg leave to assure the governors
that, if they should deem it expedient to ask our opinion,
either on the sites which are offered for their choice, or on
the plane of building and establishment which are proposed
for their approval, we should feel it our duty to consult
conscientiously with ens another, and to lay before the
governors the results of our most careful joint delibera-
tions.
10. One general suggeation, however we would ven-
ture, even now, most respectfully, but niost, earnestly, to
submit. We feel it to be of paramount importance that
everything possible should be done to ensure a fres and full
discussion of the important issues which will be raised.
And it, seems to us that this object cannot be attained,
unless the several issues are made public for some raven-
able time before the day when the general court of governors
will have to decide on them. _ _ _

-7.ll.iViibll;i;;ieiv,WoiWould beg leave to express to
the govevoors our unanimous and earnest hope that, when
the grand committee reporta to the governors on the several
tenders which shall have been made of land for the site of
the new hospital, the governors, before deciding on the
choice of • site, will came the report of the committee to be
Pent
and published, and will then allow an interval of at
least a meth to elapse, during which the merits of the
respective proposals may be open to public criticism ; and
similarly the., when the governors have it ut view to deter-
mine on what plan the new hospital shall be built, they
will, for at least a month before they purpose to decide this
question, permit public exhibition to be undo of all plane
which shall have been proposed for their acceptance.
" 12. Finally, we trust that the peening of the hospital,
knowing us, end knowing the 'dram of the circumstance*,
will *muse whatever irregularity there may be in the
manner of our premed address. That the large mourns
which they, by our hands, administer for purpose* of
charity and of enema. should be made in the utmost pos-
sible degree fruitful is, to our minds, an object of supreme
interest. And we hope that the governors, haring ruadens
their instrumeete fee spelt important feneSions, will receive
with favour the ocatidustices which we have ventured to
submit.

A. Barker, M.D., Jr R. Bennett, /LD., R. H.
Gooidea, M.D., Thos. R. Penesak. M.D., J. S. Eris.
tows, M.D., William Briatoo, Y.D. John F. South,
Gilbert Maekmardo, Samuel Solly, F. Le Gros Clark,
John Simon, Albert J. Beta!, MD., Edward
Qaaptoe, M.D., Sydney Joan, M 8., Henry Gerris,
Y..,tisc Rainey, William M. Ord, KB., Wil-
liam H. Stone, ILB., Edmowd lioatiumery, 3ILD,
Join Groh.
" Louisa, Feb., DM.'