Inaugural address / delivered by Edith Pechey, October 1st, 1877.

Date:
1878
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inaugural address / delivered by Edith Pechey, October 1st, 1877. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    Now I think I may take for granted, considering present circumstances, the difficulties with which this School has had to contend, and the fact that as yet the medical woman can hardly be said fo be a popular person ;—considering all these things, I say, I think 1 may safely take for granted that all present are bond fide students, with a strong interest, so far as they can at present j udge, in the profession of medicine ; and that they are all here of their own free will and con- sent, and by their own direct and responsible choice— that there are no unwilling daughters driven here much against the grain by the commands of inexorable fathers to learn a profession, who must be admonished upon the duty and necessity of fitting themselves to earn an honest livelihood, and who must be warned against the distractions of beer and billiards. There is no need, then, to remind you that the choice of a pro- fession brings with it a solemn responsibility both with regard to yourself and others, for you have probably weighed the pros and cons repeatedly and carefully before taking your places here to-day as enrolled stu- dents of this School. And it is well you should feel this responsibility now at the outset, that it may serve as a goad and incentive to earnest study, so that when the anxieties of professional practice come upon you, they may find you prepared to meet them with a well- founded confidence in your own powers, and an honest determination to do your best. And let me remind you for your comfort, that though the responsibility which the practice of medicine brings with it is great, it is as nothing compared to the