The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-06-16
MEDICAL EDUCATION.

PROFESSOR HUXLEY ON THE STUDY OF PHYsIo-
LoGY-Irs NEGLECT BY MEDICAL STUDENTS
THE ELEMENTS OF PHYSICAL SCIENCE TO BE
TAUGHT IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS.
From the London Daily Necs.
Professor Huxley distributed the prizes
yesterday at the University College to the
medical students The reports of the profess
sors having been duly read, he delivered an
address to the audience. Success, he said,
upon an occasion of this kind, valuable as it
was, in reality was but putting the foot upon
one round of the ladder which led upwards,
and that was never intended to be rested
upon longer than was necessary to assist in
moving to the next rung. He did not forget
the vanquished, however, and he hoped,
though borne bleeding from the field, they
had been cured by the ministratioDs of some
fair maiden daughter r)-and in these days
when every fair maiden was to be a fully
qualified practitoner-( Kisses, cheers, and
loud misses. which drowned the remainder
of the sentence) The quarter of a century
which had elapsed since he occupied posi-
tion similar to theirs took him back to a time
when he himself was exceedingly we'll beaten
in anatomy and physiology by member of
University College, and he accepted the defeat
with the comfortable assurance that he had
thoroughly earned it. Oaughter) After all,
it did not matter how many troubles man
had in his career, so long as they did not
to wash and be clean after every such expe-
rience must of necessity lose much time and
opportunity. Patience and tenacity of pur-
pose were more than worth twice their weight
of cleverness Speaking of medical educa-
ton. he said he had for twelve or thirteen
years been an examiner in the University of
London. Although the men who came up
there were the pick of the London schools,
he had found them all laboring under certain
HICod nyVln
system of education now pursued. What had
struck him during his long experience of the
best instructed of the medical schools was the
singular unresity of their knowledge of
physiology. He did not complain of the
quantity for there was, if anything, too much
of it, but he did quarrel with the quality. He
had invariably found that the men who came
up for examination did not know their
physiology as they did their anatomy. While
anatomy was properly taught as science,
physiology was taught as if it were a mere
matter of books and hearsay. This was not
desirable state of things, and his earnest
conviction on the point had led him to the
somewhat bold course of publicly stating his
opinions. (Cheers.) The saying that every
question in the world was a question of
finance only was, to great extent, true with
regard to medical education. The number of
schools in London rendered it almost impos-
sible that competent men could confne them
selves to the teaching of the theoretical
branches of the profession. Anatomy, which
lay in the direction of practice, might
be thoroughly taught, but this was not so
with physiology. From the very nature of
the case the occupant of the physiological
chair remained there until he had achieved
professional success and then he left it, he
was clothed, but physiology was bare.
(Cheers.) The remedy he suggested was the
Capitalization of the teaching of the theoreti-
cal branches of the profession in not more
than three central institutions, where able
professors could be maintained He would
cut down these theoretical branches to a con-
siderable extent, and would have the elements
of physical science taught in the primary
schools-physics chemistry, botany, and the
like. (Hear, hear.) Comparative anatomy
ought to be absolutely abolished, although
it would involve the putting back
of such branches as zoology and botany
to the students early education in ordinary
schools. He would also abolish Materia
Medica. (Cheers.) He could not under
stand why gentlemen who had to practise
medicine should be obliged to learn all about
drugs, and where they came from; they might
just as well be required to know all about
cutlery because they used knives. Oaugh-
ter and cheers.) If his views were adopted,
there would be left for the four years study
the following nine subjects: ts:-Physics applied
to physiology, chemistry applied to ply
siology, ply siology, anatomy, surgery, medi-
cine, obstetrics, hygiene, and medical juris-
prudence, which would be quite enough for
the mans pursuit. cheers land this course
would not oblige medical student to occupy
his time with what would not be absolutely
useful in his future life. (Cheers.)