Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-03-01
MEDICINE III ENGLAND.
fBy DIP. r Z, Robinson.1

that a vast city like London, with
such vast congregation ofhuman
beings would afford excellent Op-
portunities for the study of medi-
cine Here are over 4 millions Of
people with all the ills that flesh is
heir to, increased by poverty, dis
eased ancestry, lack of room and
want of fresh air London has
hosts of sick poor in every one Of
the narrow dirty lanes and plenty
of paupers in every accessible
hospital Material to train the
observation of the physician is not
wanting. Here also are assembled
the largest body of medical men
in the world, whose mental capacity
and brain power will compare
favorably with any nation. The
very origin of medical progress
arose in London. The discovery
Of the circulation of the blood, of
antiseltic surgery, the explanation
Of the nature Of disease, the pre-
vention Of small pox by VAGINA
ton and the cultivation Of ligating
bleeding arteries took their rise in
this city English physicians Of
the past centuries have been fore
most Of all the world in progress
sive medicine. Even the very
founder of the present method of
teaching medicine was promulgat-
ed by Bacon, the English philos-
opher. He built the structure of
practical modern instruction, a
mode Of reasoning by which a
conclusion is reached by exclusion.
London is prolific in authors on
every medical subject and its va
rious schools are full Of able pro-
fessors. 1t therefore does not lack
IN clinics or sufficient patients for
observation nor medical men we'll
qualified and capable of teaching.
The deficiency of medical instruc-
ton in London lies in the lack of
method and system of teaching.
No particular effort seems to be
cultivated to become celebrated
teachers IN order, like other ma
tons to draw medical men from
different lands. 1t is quite notable
that the head and front nations
who aspire with undated ambition
80 become celebrated teachers
mainly belongs to Germany and
the United States. Teaching is a
distinctly national trait. There
are large and fine clinics and dis
pensatories held in different parts
of the city but the physician in
charge does not attempt TO instruct
the doctors who may be present.
Scarcely any system of physical
examination is demonstrated nor
any method of instruction shown.
This vast host Of patients, good
material to profit from, becomes
almost useless by way Of benefit
to doctors. The very thing that
makes a person valuable and use
full to the medical profession is
careful, systematic physical ex-
animation of a large number OF
patients and the close observation
of a great variety of disease from
its beginning to its end. This is
not made a speciality in London.
A foreign doctor is always kindly
received at these clinics but no
particular effort is made to instruct
him. 1t is true almost every ma
ton is represented but that is due
to the colossal size of the city.
Especially are seen the older doc
tors from America who wish to
visit Europe and are not familiar
with the German language and
feel to old to undertake the diff
cult task Of learning it. 1t does
not seell to be the intention Of the
London doctors mission to teach
as the attending physician OF hos
pitfalls only visit them as a rule two
or three times week, when he
passes SO quickly through the
hospital wards that but little real
information is obtained. Private
courses on special subjects are
almost impossible to. secure and
this is the very thing that foreign
and home physicians value The
hospitals and places Of treating
patients are SO very widely sep
arate that much time is lost in
travelling from one to the other.
But as there is some truth in all
forms of error so there is many a
golden nugget in the lack OF
methodical instruction to physi-
clans in the great English mesrop-
oils. The medical students OF
London are divided among some
dozen medical colleges which gen
orally take their name from the
connecting hospital. The students
III each school are quite clannish
and very charitable in praising all
the good qualities Of their own
school and condeming the weak
ness of others. The rivalry is
quite sharp between the schools
among the students but it is prob