The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-23 00:00:00

TR9I.)OLIS.:

During the two last Saturday evenings, the
theatre of Guy's Hospital was crowded by gen-
tlemen of the medical profession, who assembled
to take into consideration the contents of a paper,
submitted by Dr. Hodgkin to the members of
that institution, on the defective nature of the
usual education given at present to those intend-
ed as practitioners. The meetings were nume-
rously attended by surgeons and physicians of
both public and private practice, and a large
body of the pupils of the different borough
schools. From the length of the paper itself,
and the extremely desultory nature of the discus-
sions which arose upon it, an outline only can
be presented of the chief subjects considered,
and the more prominent defects noticed, by the
speakers.
It was stated in the paper, and admitted by all
the more intelligent speakers, that the medical
education in the metropolis, compared with
that afforded by the schools on the Continent,
as well in Italy, as in France and Germany, was
miserable in amount of valuable knowledge,
though obtained at four times the expense. Pu-
pils were already beginning to go over to those
schools to obtain that proficiency which even money
would rarely enable them to obtain at home. The
corporate regulations of the Apothecaries' cOrn-
pany were generally censured, so far as regards
apprenticeships,. for, instead of insisting solely
upon the amount of knowledge which a young
man displays at his examinations, they still
(although amended) required a certain number
of years of drudgery to be endured by a young
man before he can be permitted to undertake the
duties of his profession. Both the pupils, and
the more liberal of the heads of the profession,
strongly animadverted on the ipconsistency of
compelling a youth to pass five years in an apo-
thecary's shop to learn the pharmaceutical branch
of his art, which he effectually acquired in one,
or at most two years, while two years, or often
one year, could only be allotted to the study of
physiology, pathology, and all the more con-
nected, profound, and important sciences. It
was complained that while the students in the
foreign schools were aided in their medical studies
by previous cultivation of natural philosophy, es-
pecially, and mechanics with chymistry, which
seemed to us well demonstrated by Dr. Hodgkin
to be important to a perfect understanding of the
healing art, the English student was brought
raw from his master's shop in the country to
collect enough superficial knowledge to enable
him to pass his examination at the Hall or
at the College, and then lie returned legally qua-
lified to practice upon his fellow-subjects, and
render their pains and sores incurable, if not to
destroy them. It was made pretty clear, and
not at all agreeably so to a considerable number
present, that the chief object of young men in
coming to London was, in general,'lnot se much
to render themselves profound physiologists and
anatomists, as to get their legal credentials ; which
being elegantly framed, glazed, and suspended in
their houses, might pass for the attributes of
science during these waning days of ignorance.
When in the course of discussion on the second
evening, the highest possible degree of know-
ledge was insisted upon as needful for all classes
of the profession, some physicians of the old
school, with powdered heads, &c. somewhat
amused the younger members by foreboding the
mischief which would arise from \the apothecary
having too extensive a knowledge of his art.—
He, it was said in reply, who was the physi-
cian's drudge, and whose duty it was to prepare
the medicines according to his prescription,
might perchance know more than his superior,
and be able to do more good to a poor man'sbody for ss. than the physician could render for'
his old-fashioned fee or a guinea. Dr. Birkbeck
animadverted with powerful eloquence upon this
feeling. Having previously offered some re-
marks on the pernicious effects of appropriating
the period for acquiring the elementary know-
ledge so essential to the formation of the intel-
lectual medical-practitioner, to the acquisition of
pharmacy alone, he protested with considerable
warmth against the opinion, expressed by one of
the examiners of the Apothecaries' Company,
4, that there was great danger that the apothecary
should be over educated." " Who," Dr. Birk-
beck asked, " are they whose lives in periods of
danger are to be placed under his protection ?
Are they not human beings, to whom as well as
to many surrounding dependents, life is as valu-
able and important as it can be to those indivi-
duals whose condition hi society may enable
them to command the attendance of a physician
or surgeon ? Why, therefore, ought not the
same talent and skill to be exercised in their be-
half as in behalf of the wealthy ? (Considerable
applause.) So far from fearing that apothe-
caries would be over-educated,: he contend-
ed strenuously that they ought to be com-
pelled to obtain all the knowledge relative to
their profession that was attainable ; and
lie rejoiced in the prospect of sources of know-
ledge being
so extensively opened by judicious
teachers in provincial towns, and improved esta-
blishments for education everywhere, that medical
practitioners, whatever might be their designation,
or whoever might be their patients, should uni-
versally possess the most extensive and effectual
means which science can provide, to:secure the
happiness and existence of their species."—
(much applause.)
A Dispensary physician considered a minute