The Sun.
London, England, 1828-01-22 00:00:00

MEDICAL EDUCATION.

The profession has lately been agitated by
various writings and discussions on the subject of
medical education, and a pretty considerable
share of abuse and obloquy have been heaped
upon the institutions of this country, and the
whole system of instruction as at present esta-
blished among us. So much, indeed, are we
struck with the representations of the vast in-
feriority of our methods of study, which have
from onr:ani
nseke rwt
oalri tre
r,
ettl(iaite
ated physicians
art', opitiroiroilhel &yin en ,
we
dly
urgeons have been able
arepeto poured
car-
as well as throughout Eilrope, and scarcely can
believe that we have to reckon Sydenham, Fo-
thergill, Fordyce, Heberden, Baillie, and a host
of other brilliant ornaments of our profession, as
bred in their native soil. But, in truth, the source
of all this clamour is easily detected : the Con-
tinent has again become open, our medical
monkies have seen the world," and have re-
turned with the true traveller's contempt for every
thing that tastes of home. They have heard
Broussais ; they have seen .Beer and Grade ope-
rate ; they have combated inflammation with
contra stimulants ; they have witnessed public
examinations ; and they have come back again to
convince us, if possible, of our forlorn and
wretched condition, and assure us of the com-
fortable and refreshing truth, that the science of
medicine is so perfectly taught and so thoroughly
understood in those happy regions where they
have travelled or studied,
.that Death is in abso-
lute despair, and if it were not for an occasional
epidemic fever, or now and then a visitation of
Mediterranean malaria, that he would positively
have nothing to do on the Continent of Europe.
If this last assertion were proved to be the fact.,
any attempt that we might make to defend our-
selves from the attacks now levelled against us
would be in vain ; for the healing art has, or
ought. to have, the diminution of the ratio of
mortality for its ultimate object, and by this test
the superiority in point of practice will, ceteris
paribus, always be appreciated. Now, we are
prepared to show that our public charities in
England will bear a comparison in this respect
with any similar establishment on the Continent ;
and from this alone we are disposed to infer that
the practitioners in this country are at least as
effective and as well acquainted with the nature
and treatment of disease as their Continental bre-
thren, noiavithstanding the pretended superiority'
of the course of study represented to be followed
in most of the schools of France, Germany, and

In truth, however, the mode of education of
the professional men in England partakes of the
free character of all the institutions of the coun-
try. It is wanting in system, certainly ; it
is desultory ; and, it is, perhaps, left too much
to the will and inclination of the individual;
but then that individual knows and feels that
his own exertions must render him eminent ;
that he must outstrip his contemporaries in
zeal, knowledge, and general character, if he
intends to rise above the ordinary level : and the
prize for which he struggles is, certainly, much
-greater than that which is attainable elsewhere,
because the general estimation in which the pro-
fession is held is higher, and the reward is there-
fore increased in proportion. It is certainly true
that Government does little for medical science
in this country ; that in the south, at least,
we have no scholastic discipline, no sala-
ried professors, no code of college ruleri
no be adhered
fame,
et,o
established; blt t)t ,e web have
y the
s e geniusclo
school:; L of
and
rid
zeal of Hunter, Cline, and Abernethy, and these
schools have produced men whose names re-'
sound throughout Europe. In physiology,
what can Europe produce superior to the modern
discoveries of C. Bell, of Wilson Philip, and of
Brodie ? In chemistry, who will compete with
Davy, Wollaston, and a hundred others, whose
names it might be thought, invidious either to
mention or omit ? ifii surgery, if France has to
boast of Dupuytren, we have equal reason to be
proud of Cooper. And thus we might run
through a long list of :men who adorn every
i?nvethnatitoiiit ofis
branch of our profession, and who have been
bred up under the system of education repre-
sented as so miserable and effete. In short,
from all we have read andthat heard,i.nedie
inclined to believe that the Continental
al"c'educaare-
system is as little suited to the atmosphere of
England as the censorship of the press, the
s f that it is totus teres
military police, and
it is
blessed invention
travelling with passports. It may, perhaps,
be asked, are we, then, to sit down con-
far from making any
tt
ieoniti e
idnl
Englandy with tli e
hasu persuasion
obtained
ar
we know. that there are many
the highest degree
others great improvements may be
complete°f.Perfeet iinnaollfiwtsitarth
atque rotundus P
suochhisasisnertwiohnie,h•
P change is imperatively called
our Continental neighbours with great
mfoard:et;hat in
and that we might borrow some useful
ah(iinvtasnogfrof
to ourselves. But we conceive that
all this might readily be effected without bring-
ing into play all the heavy machinery of a Ger-
wan University, and without overturning that
free, independent, and emulative course of study,
which has effected -as much for the elevation of
the medical profession in this country, as it has
art.—London Medical Gazette, Jan. 19, 1828.
done in every other department of science and of

Early on Sunday morning, Mr. READ, the
chief officer
the Rev.
of Hatton-garden, received intimation that the
house of
lavrsG, situated in Claremont-
square, Pentonville, had been broken into and robbed of a
quantity of plate and wearing-apparel. He instantly re-
paired to the spot, and upon examination found that the
thieves had entered 'by means of the back-kitchen door,
which they bored through with a centre-hit. The robbers
attempted the house of a gentleman named GILLIEs, next
door, but after boring the kitchen-door, and finding it
lined with iron, they gave up the attempt. Scarce a night
passes but the above neighbourhood is the scene of some
daring burglary.