Star.
London, England, 1828-08-27 00:00:00

WEDNESDAY EVENING, AUGUST 27,T528.,

PARLIAMENTARY PAPER.

. . .
The Select Committee appointed to inquire into the mann,
obtaining Sobjecte for Dissection in. the Schools of Anatomy,
and into the State of the Law affecting the Pascals employed MI
obtaining or Dissecting Bodies; and to whom several Petitions
for the removal of Impediments to the cultivation of te Selma
of Anatomy were referred; and who were empoweredto report
the Minutes of Evidence taken before thern;—Have, pursuant to
the Order of the House, examined the matters to them referred;
and agreed to the following Report : .
. The peculiar nature of the Subject which the Com.
mittee were appointed to investigate, has induced them
to inquire principally into the practice of the Anatomi.
”calsSchools of London, where, by personal communi-
cation with the most eminent stageon‘ and with the
students and ptincipal teachers of Anatomy, it could
be fully ascertained that no detriment toltheir interests
was to be apprehended from the publicity to arise out
of the present inquiry. With regard. to the practice' of.
the provincial- schools, to avoid- the expense of ..-'
Sunning witnesses from a distance, they
,have been • is-
fied with written carndiumlitionS from resident proles. .
son or practitioners of eminence, which will be 'found
in the Appendix. '
The Committee have inquired into the nature of .the
difficulties "which the Anatomists have here to contend
with, whether arising out of the state of the law, Or, an
adverse feeling on the part of the people; and. into the
evil conselpiences thenceensuing, as well tolhe sciences
of Medicine and Surgery. as to ill Who study, taeh
and practise theta; and eventually to the nietdber# e
.the vihole community. They have callarteitnifia' eavtin
-*tow in whit manner the wants of the 4.n atOtaist, are
provided for in setter al foreign sthoci. Iti;_eit.iNi..ll4oo
Alias. opinion; Whether similar methodsdoofolio .
.ged
with advantage in this•cotititry ;**ihcfilleol3lo4, . Id.
be adequate to remove the presenitifteultis.? ; ~...
_*.
• . . ~ ..
The 'first origin of these dif#cutties isebvilm
.. teals.
treceirto the natural feeling , wilich leitalii leien..tsi pain
'with reverence the remains of the deed; .and 401t,gyne
feeling has prompted. theta;
.in "Wink all timee „and
countries, to regard with reptigninee,. And: to,peseecute
anatomy,. . • • .;.;;" :- ' *
As theimporiance of the science to the itellAcmor
maolcioaArisilisccivesed, the Governments Of divot
Statestrocaase its piOteitors; and in this country, petit
ceArly, by the Statute of Henry VIII. protection, fa s
*fain este" sins giien, end intended to be .giseNt is
it; bat that piOtectiOnt which at first, perhaps,. max
fully 'deviate, owing to the rapid progress .0(..4e
science, has long since become wholly insufficient.;,,.
How. Araiteii were the wants of the science in„iha
former part oldie lait century, may be !earnt frniathe,
leetures of William Homer, who describesthavo.
*son of.tbe most celebrated schools, both at, home
and abroad, as employing, *in seaCkcourse Of.jecxav
not more than one, ,or et etiost,twq, aiifiject‘ nectiiss
extiilsitiag the perfornianee *As 'operetiontof .susgerwr."
not on hunian bodies...but Ois -those ef inlroals.. ilje
represents the stodenta in medicine mid singer y as never
exercising themselves id the ntaCtisinf dissection,..)se?
cause f(ir soos.Fpitice they h4sl no opportunities., :
For such * ',stria l'O inetritioa the provisions .3ei
tbe: Statute of kienrY,lll. might a ell be adecamkte,
'enitthese penititinds . indeed may now be..earaidetest,of
impnite, eanky..4Sis distinct a4mission of the. pfincii,de
that cite eittiiis of this coantry outfit .to ptolq.t
191.1
apipsmsv. 1c- . !elation of this antinitated .andisp-..
perfect system 1 . . place in' thist country in the ,r,
1746whenDr.W ter,.tiiiing a singular enihuaiiikilit
iR
for the science, .estaialished.cmaputte courses cif,enajp.
niicallectui es, and omed:,,!rps ..r,,,.sclionl f'*o:r. dialect
'tints. The reform thin introduced ryas complete, tqd,
its, author exulted befote his deeifirn.hay.ing.raiseckant
diffused such a spirit for dissection, that he should iffiest
behind him many better anatomists thanbisnself. .• —.,
Under his immediate pnisil;,indthiiilly.--..e.sors,' this
school has gone on increasing. *lli par ielst 'ilecount:
that the 'Committee have met 'Veifhi'of the number df
anatomical students resorting to London is that given'
by 'Mr. Abernethy, who states that sluatli after life.
breaking out of the-compares.war .with France they amotintedtsi
200. One of the witnesses, Dr. Macartney-compares.
their number, in the year 1798,, at SOO; end t:
Brookes, a teacher of anatomy, in a calcuLtion siibielil2
ted to Sir Astley Cooper, in the year IB2s,then reckoned
their number to be 1,000. It appears firm the 'skarn}
now furnished by the teachers of the different Scliolil
an London that their number at present is sOnieWili*
above 800; the diminutiOn in the number since thele**,'
1823 being the consequence, probably, of litiftli
resorting to foreign schools, the advitinges Or which
were less known at the former period than they 'aii.at.
-:... 5.
present.
.. .ir
• When it is considered what •deMind grieve is
practitioners, as well to meet the:wants of an inCriat
poPulatiOn at home as of an extended' empire of 040..
in
niei and dependenciel abroad, this rapid increase of
students will not appear surprising; and if it .4 cans!.
dered also that not only is' that demand inn increistrit:
one, but that every practitiOner, boivever huinblej fie
that laudable desire for intellectual improvement which
characterises the present age, endeavours, if be can af-
ford it, to obtain a good education, and anise regard
,himself as ill educated if he has not gone throngh a
course of dissection, the eve teal increase of dissecting
students can hardly be calculated, shoUld their wants be
supplied abundantly and at a cheap rate.
Although the students ~ow atteoditig the schools of
anatomy in London exceed 800, not more than 500 of
this number actually disseCt. The duration of their
studies in Loudon is moan sixteen jacinths, and during
that time the nember of suljecti with which every 'ato-
debt in Surgery ought to be sitiplied appears, from the
evidence talthOugh there h.. snare digerepce on this
point) to be not less thin three ;,..:tio being required for
learning the strecture of theleitti of the body. and be
the mode of operating. "The total 'number of subjects
actually Iliisected in the schools of London, in one year.
is stated to be not greater than from 450 to 500, which
is after the rate of 'less than one subject for each dis-
secting student—a proportion 'wholly insufficient for
the purposes of complete education. ,
Disstction on an extended scale began in this enabVy
before there eiisted any Such generatteeling in its favour;
founded on an opinion -of in utility;,that that. Britiirh
Government, after the e.saniple*of..,K444.(oteiS4ll9
verobseuu, woolillvenieri elimity to pitioniie it. roc.
4 ordingli when, in 1763, Dr. tinnier proposed to build
an Anatomical Theairk, and to endow it with his 607
scum and a salary for a professor, provided the Goer*
Mint would giant lam 'a "of nod lot . 40'
me ground