The Sun.
London, England, 1826-02-20 00:00:00

ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS.

On Saturday cvoning as public meeting WWI
held at Freemasons TaVern, for the purpose of inquiring into
and devising the heat means of redressing. several grievances
which were alleged to operate in a most oppressive manner upon
the general body of the members of this corporation, and which
were supposed to arise from certain regulations recently made
by those who preside over anti have the management of the
affairs of the College.
Mr. LawitEXcE having, in compliance with the general
wish of all present, taken the Chair, opened the business of
the meeting by observing that the objects'for which they were
assembled did not merely concern the medicOl. profession
alone, but were of moment to every individual in the king-
dam; for who was there who might nut at some time of his
life have occasion to seek aid from the science of medicine ?
Surely, then, it was a matter of great and general importance,
that every impediment in the way of acquiring this science
should be removed. Even the Legislature had viewed the
matter in this light;. 'for at a very great expense they had pur-
chased the museum of the late 1)r. 1I tlliatn Bunter, and
presented it to this institution. This was a most munificent
donation, but the advantages which ought to have resulted
from it bad been in a great measure rendered abortive. by the
conduct of those who had the government of ,the college, in
permitting this museum to be so very ,seldom accessible to
the general body of the members. As some might be pre-
sent who were not acquainted with the constitution of the
college, he would now state who were the component mem-
bers of it, 'and how It was governed. The corporation
consisted of a president, vice-presidents' council, and com-
monalty; the government of the college rested entirely
with the three first--viz: the president, vice-presidents,
and council—who had numerous and very extensive pri-
vileges ; as for the commonalty, flair privileges might
be summed up in a very little compass ; indeed they wore all
of a negative nature. This part of the Corporation, had no
voice in the eleztion of those by whom they were to be go.
vernal: they had no controul over the funds ofithe College, and
a very limited access to the museum. A recent regulation of
the governing hotly had given 'a great extension to what he
had made bold to call the negative privileges of the common-
alty, for by it the court of examiners had resolved to recog-
nize no certificates of attendance ,upon the surgical practice of
an hospital unless such hospital were situated in London,
Dublin, Edinburgh, Glasgow, or Aberdeen; anti that no cer-
tificates of attendance at lectures on anatomy or surgery should
be received by the Court, except from the appointed professors'
of Anatomy and surgery; and that all candidates for the diplo,,
ma should be required to produce certificates of having regti.
larly attended three winter courses of anatomical, and one. reinter
course of surgical lectures. This regulation was calculated to
establish a monopoly Mahe teaching of anatomy and surgery,
in favour of a very limited number of individuals; it cast a very
unjuut stigma upon all the provincial hospitals, inasmuch as
it implied that in none of them could proper instruction be oh.
tained ; he need only, however, Mention the name of Mr. Kay'
of Leeds, to'eonvince all present that there were surgeons in
the provincial hospitals who were as capable of lecturing on
this branch at' the profession as any London 'surgeon wirats,o
ever. Why, also, he would ask, should not an attendance on
a summer course of lecture be equally available as an attend-
ance on a winter course ? There were sonic members of the
college, and amengat, these the celebrated Mr. Brooks, who'
were in the habit of lecturing more particularly during the
summer. The chairman they went on to observe, that the
conduct of those who presided over the college had been very
illiberal in shutting rip the museum during eight months in the
year., and during the other four months, suffering it to be open
only two days in the week, and for only four hours on each of
these days. These regulations were calculated to discburage
emulation, and to throw very great impediments in the way of
students;
or surgeryiinlvrenacned anatomy.adt n
taken
his seat, Mr. Tyrell and four
After
or five other members of the college successively proposed some
very wordy resolutions, declaratory of the existence of the
grievances which had been alluded to by the Chairman, which
reaolutions were all of them seconded, and agreed to unani-
mously. One of these resolutions, when it was first proposed,
excited a little merriment in the audience, but it was ultimately,
like the rest, unanimously carried; it stated, that whenever a
lecture was giVen at the theatre of le college, the members at
large were made to enter at a seperate and inconvenient door at
the back of the building, whilst the 'counsel and their friends
entered by the Portico to Lincoln's-inn-fields.
The resolution's as to the existence of these grievances having
been all med,
proposed that a committee should be appointed'
jn
to .spirre.plalrrem4Y
a remonstrance, grounded on such resolutions, to
those who had the government of the college, praying for re-
gress ; hut this prepoaition was opposed by
Mr. ‘VAXI.EY, who moved as an amendment, that a peti-
tion, founded on thelutopted resolutions, should be immediately
prepared and presented to the [louse of Commons, praying for
andi
the appointment of a Committee to inquire into the abuses of
the said college, with a view of ultimately obtaining from his
Majesty a new charter, which provideshouldiu
thatst
fife
officerscarriel
of the college should be annually chosen by all the -members.
This emendment having been seconded, wets
and .thanks
were
by a considerable majority. A committee wa
for carrying the resolutions into effect, and it was- resolved that
subscriptions be entered into for that purpose.
Mr. LAWRENCE: then quitted the chair, ttsd then
ha
unanimously voted to him for his able and impartial conduct
as Chairman ; and the meeting adjourned until that day fort-
night, at the seine hour and place, when the report trate
read.

trrtt Es.—The misunderstanding which existed
between the Rev. War. Ilor.stEs, the Vicar of St. Giles's
Without, Cripplegate, and his parishioners, on the subject of
Tithes, has been at length amicably adjusted. The Terms
proposed to Air. llot.ams were to accept the sum of I,BODI.
per annum, free of all charges in lieu of Tithes, to commence
from Christmas last ; to which as far as he was himself into.
rested, he at once acceded; and obtained the concurrence of
the Rev. the Clean and Capter of St. Paul's.