The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-10 00:00:00

University College, London,

The presentation of prizes to the students of the
Faculty of Medicine who stood the best in the class
examinations at the close of the Winter Term took
place yesterday in the Botanical Theatre of the
College. Lord Wodehouse presided. There were
also present :—Mr. Grote, Sir Francis Goldsmid,
Mg., Mr. Fowler, Mr. Frederick Wood, &c. Lord
Belper, theVice-President, was unavoidably absent.
being engaged as chairman at a meeting elsewhere,
Professor. Sharpey, M.D., Dean of the Faculty, read
his report. He announced that the number of en-
tries to classes exceeded that of the former session,
expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the stu-
dents. He drew attention to a new system of in-
struction in clinical medicine introduced at the hos-
pital byProfessor Reynolds, and said it was the con-
stant care of the council, in concert with the Faculty
of Medicine, to make provision from time to time for
such improvements in the methods of tuition as
appeared to be called for by the progress of medical
science. The following were the principal prizes
distributed :—Anatomy and Physiology (Professor
Sharpey, M.D., F.R.S., Dean).—Gold medal and
first certificate, J. Pearson Irvine, 8.A., of Galgate,
Lancaster; first silver medal and second certificate,
James S. Cluff, of Kildare, Ireland ; second silver
medal and third certificate, Thomas Bailey, of Lon-
don.yer Anatomy (Professor Ellis).—Senior Class—
Gold medal and first certificate, G. 0. Spencer;
first silver medal and second certificate, F. B. Nun.
nerley ; second silver medal and third certificate
first Hen reyerCti'fioothatiee,r.G Juniorsbt H C. lma s
as a—s
dSoi
rl
pv Class—Silver
of medal
Capealand
of Good Hope. Chymistry (Professor Williamson).
—Gold medal and first certificate, Mr James
S. Cluff; first silver medal and second certificate,
Russell Forbes Carpenter, of London ; second silver
medal and third certificate, Charles Graham, of
Berwick-upon-Tweed. Practical Physiology and
Histology (Professor Harley, MD) Silver medal
and first certificate, W. A. Stuart. Comparative
Anatomy (Professor Grant, M,D.)—Gold medal and
first certificate, J. S. Cluff. The Principles and
Practice of Medicine (Professor Semler, M.D.)—
Gold medal and first certificate, William Snow, of
Barnstaple; first silver medal and second certifi-
cate, B. H. Allen, of London ; second silver medal
and third certificate, M. Beck. The Principles and
Practice of Surgery (Professor Erichsen).—Gold
medal and first certificate, Charles Bradley, of Not-
tingham; first silver medal and second certificate,
George Grewcock, of Folkingham. Dr. Fellowes
Clinical Medals.—Gold medal and first certificate,
Bryan Holme Allen ; silver medal and second cer-
tificate, Alexander Bruce, of London. Special Class
of Clinical Medicine (Professor Reynolds, M.D.).
First prize (microscope), William Snow; second
prize (Guide du 111edecin Praticien, par M. Valleix),
Mr. John M. Wiaitevell, of Kendal; third prize
(Todd's Clinical Lectures), Bryan Holme Allen.
Lord Wodehouse, after the distribution of prizes had
been made, expressed his high sense of the honour
which had been conferred upon him by the invita-
tion to preside on that occasion, an honour of which
he did not consider himself in any respect
worthy, except from his connection with the Uni-
versity of London as one of their senators. He was
glad to learn from one of the Professors that the
system of requiring the students to make reports on
hospital cases had been attended with great suc-
cess. Such a system must tend to promote accurate
observation and careful reading. lie also rejoiced
at the steps which had been taken in the last two
years to carry out the recommendation of the
General Medical Council for an improved liberal
education for all persons who were entering on the
important studies of medicine and surgery. Three
influential bodies had concurred in this recommen-
dation—the General Medical Council, the College
of Surgeons, and the Society of Apothecaries—and
had taken measures to secure that a liberal
education should be passed through by all
persons entering on medical studies. Every one
must see that while they were more and more
sensible of the necessity of making our education
a useful one, we were in no danger of forgetting
that we must also make it a sound one. While
taking care that those special studies were pursued
which were useful in the profession, they also re-
membered that there was something more impor-
tant than those—that education of the mind which
could only be secured by general studies. All must
admit that in no profession were such general at-
tainments moon required and more useful to society
in general than in the medical profession. This
was evident from a consideration of two or three
prominent subjects which now occupied the public
mind. Owing to the progress of civilisation and
the immense aggregation of people in certain places
more :and more attention to sanitary science was
necessary. We were continually collecting facts
for future use; but to make use of them it was ne-
cessary to have men capable of making proper
inductions from those facts ; add it was to the
medical profession that society mainly looked for

the proper discharge of this important duty. Upon
the question of the origin and progress of epi-
demics it was necessary that a large number of
observations should be made on the state of the
atmosphere, drainage, food, the density of the
population, and other matters; and who were so
well fitted to make those observations and draw
appropriate conclusions as the members of the
medical profession ? Another subject, peculiarly
interesting at the present day, was the study of
mental disorders, and here again the members of
the medical profession were called upon to exercise
their skill and acquirements. The question of the
treatment of criminal lunatics was now before a com-
mittee of the House of Lords, and the subject was
one to which public attention had been much turned
of late. If the public had not perfect confidence in
the medical profession on that point, it was to the
latter only that we should look for the information
necessary to remove all doubts. Ou these grounds
he argued that it was the most important that those
entering on the medical profession should receive a
sound and liberal education.-0a the motion of Mr.
G. Grote, the thanks of the meeting were cordially
voted to Lord Wodehouse.