The need for reform of the medical examination system / by T. Pridgin Teale.

  • Teale, T. Pridgin (Thomas Pridgin), 1831-1923.
Date:
1896
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The need for reform of the medical examination system / by T. Pridgin Teale. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    And what was the large number of rejections that moved the concern of the Council 1 It was this, that the percentage of rejections in the Final Examination had risen from 12*4 per cent, in 1862 to 22-2 per cent, in 1876, and had become practically double. At the present time, twenty years later, they are 38 per cent. The Committee reported on Juue 5th (Minutes, XIII., p. 261), suggesting that the Executive Committee should obtain information from the licensing* bodies on several points bearing upon the question. The Executive Committee on July 7th (Minutes, XIII., p. 341) addressed a letter to the several licensing bodies on the results of professional examinations. On March 9th, 1877 (Minutes, XIV., p. 277), Professor Humphrey was requested by the Executive Committee to report upon the answeis from the licensing bodies. This report (Minutes, XLV., p. 64) was presented to the Council on May 16th, 1877. As an outcome of this report, the Council “ recommended ” that there should be three professional examinations (Minutes, XIV., p. 99), and that a committee should be appointed (p. 110) to consider the subjects of professional examinations to be required, and the limitations of the range of the subjects by schedule. Again, in 1880, after a resolution of the Council to resume the visitation of examinations, it was Moved by Professor Humphrey, Seconded by Dr. Rolleston, and agreed to : “ That it be a direction to the Executive Committee to instruct visitors to inquire into the causes of the rejections which appear in the annual returns. (Minutes, V., XXII., 152.) The percentages of rejections at the Final Examination had in that year risen to 28 per cent. Lastly, on May 24th, 1893 (XXX., 52), a resolution, Moved by Dr. Heron Watson, and Seconded by Dr. Bruce, was carried : “That the tables of rejections of the programme, May 23rd, 1895, be referred to the Examination Committee, with a view to prepare a statistical statement of the percentages reported in previous years, as well as those since the passing of the Medical Act, 1886, etc.” The primary object of this resolution was to find an explanation of the variability of the percentage of rejection in the several examinations. The outcome of the investigations by the Examination Committee was practically nil, except in one respect. A most