The Medical Committee of the Charing-Cross Hospital Medical School, London, the defects of that institution, and Edward Smith.

  • Smith, Edward, 1818?-1874.
Date:
1853
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The Medical Committee of the Charing-Cross Hospital Medical School, London, the defects of that institution, and Edward Smith. 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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    IW Medical Committee has now referred to this, resolution, I may state that I fully concur in the wishes of the students, and also with the intentions Of the Medical Committee, I believe, respecting this appointment; and further, that my ac- quaintance with the Anatomical Students has not revealed to me any qualified. person who is desirous to have the appointment, being at the same time especi- ally fitted for it. I think Mr. Simpson is the most likely to do justice to the appointment, but he cannot be qualified till after another Session has elapsed. As it respects my attendance in the Dissecting-room, I have endeavoured in all things to conform to the rules in force during the preceding Session, so far as I knew them. I have not remained in the room from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. since such was not the custom, and since, had I do,ne so, I should have been alone during, three hours daily. I learned that the attendance of my predecessor terminated at about 12 o’clock on the average* and that, he did not go at once into the room, after the termination of his lecture in the theatre, having other duties, as those connected with the Class, the Museum, &c., which usually occupied some minutes. Occasionally, he remained until about 1 p.m., but that not so much from any necessity existing in his instruction of the pupils as to prosecute certain private Anatomical investigations in which he was engaged. The course which I pursued was as follows,;—After my duties in the theatre had terminated I hastened to the Dissecting-room and there carefully examined each part then in process of dissection, questioning the dissector upon his dissection, and directing him in his next steps of dissection, and then I concluded by asking each one if I epuld be of further service to them. This I did to all, and the time occupied varied with the special stage of the dissections and the number of the dissectprs. The number of students engaged in dissection at any one time has been fewer in this than in former sessions, owing to the deficient supply of subjects —a,deficiency npt arising from lack of students to take parts, since we have had, at all times during the session, one or more subjects ordered in advance of thoSe supplied, but from a dearth of subjects, such as has been experienced in all the London Schools during the past Session. Some of the larger Schools, as St. Bartholomew’s, have remonstrated, strongly against this deficient supply, for at the beginning of the Session they could obtain but one subject for their large attendance of students. I have urgently written to the Inspector, and Wait has been to his office fifty times, probably, to express our wants. More- over, the undertaker who has supplied the School writh the best subjects refused for a time to furnish us with further supplies, (a) Thus we have scarcely had two subjects in process of dissection at the same tifne; and since it will ever be the case that many students purchase parts who very slightly, if at all, dissect them, wp have not usually had more than fotir or five persons dissecting at any one time, and on many occasions I have been alone in the dissecting-room. But it is proper that I should.state .that, whilst w.e have had fewer dissectors than formerly, the total absence of that disorder which has infested the room in previous sessions has enabled the ,industtious students to disse'ct more dili- gently and profitably. I gave all the attendance which, in my judgment, could benefit the dissectors, having in mind the plan adopted in the Schools in which I was educated, and also the fact that, since the students leave the room about 1 p.m. (having practice from 1 to 2|, then lecture to 3£, then again lecture until 4 | p.m.), they had but about one hour in which to carry out my directions. I thought, moreover, in my ignorance, that the attendance met with the appro- bation, both of the students and the Medical Committee, since not the slightest intimation to the contrary had reached me from either party, (b) Had I known that a desire for longer'attendance existed, I would gladly have given it. However, in all my intercourse with students, I have been anxious to avoid useless dallying and familiarity, knowing that, so far as I am concerned, familiarity was apt to breed contempt,,and having a strong desire to promote the true interests of the School by inculcating, strictly orderly habits in my personal intercourse with them. I doubt much if the personal digpity of the lectureship would not be lowered if the lecturer were to remain familiarly with the students during five consecutive hours daily, without engaging the attention of the students in objeots really useful to them. That no personal motives (a) On the ground that he could not obtain payment for those delivered during the preceding session. (b) Could this have been the case with a body of Medical Students, if my conduct in teaching had been generally disapproved; or would the Medical Committee have so acted (believing that such dissatisfaction really existed), except for the purpose of malting a more violent and unexpected attach ?