THE REFORM OF THE MEDICAL CURRICULUM 665 



Turning now to the consideration of the future, the task 

 before us is clearly that of rendering our Universities efficient 

 as educational machines ; at present, they are almost beneath 

 contempt as such, owing to the lack of effective organisation — 

 to the lack of true ideals and of active co-operation among their 

 workers ; so much is this the case that they may be said to 

 exemplify human frailty rather than human faculty. Taking 

 London as an example, the whole of the University organisation 

 proper is practically worthless, except as a means of retarding 

 progress : the only useful parts are the individual Schools ; 

 instead, however, of recognising the importance of these and 

 facilitating, improving and harmonising their work, the Univer- 

 sity machinery is made use of mainly as a means of stultifying 

 their efforts — the attempt being made persistently to reduce all 

 to one dead level of uniformity. 



Dr. Wade is one of those who at the last senatorial election 

 took a prominent part in depreciating the efforts that are being 

 made to develop systems of training suitable to the times by 

 allowing himself to become an advocate of the policy of the 

 Graduates Association. The professed object of this Association 

 is to maintain a rigid, uniform system of examinations for so- 

 called external and internal students alike ; and its professed 

 policy is one of antagonism to the teachers in the schools. Of 

 course, the contention is that the agitation is on behalf of the 

 maintenance of a pristine standard, which is painted as having 

 been a very high one — but those who defend this position 

 forget to inquire whether the standard may not have been 

 merely one of difficulty rather than one of excellence ; they at 

 least quietly, if not advisedly, ignore this possibility. Those 

 who are behind the scenes know full well that excellence is not 

 thought of. The struggle is between two systems : the one being 

 that of the Schools — in which the attempt is being made to 

 develop practical methods of teaching, having practical ends in 

 view ; the other being that of the Coaches — whose object is to 

 secure the immediate success of their pupils at the examinations. 

 The issue will be determined by public decision in favour of 

 one system or the other : the public must determine whether 

 its interests are best served by a system which, if properly 

 administered, cannot but afford training likely to promote 

 efficiency ; or by one which tends rather to the stultification of 

 faculty, its end being the immediate, always more or less faulty 



