THE REFORM OF THE MEDICAL CURRICULUM 647 



"the ground covered must be limited, and that it should be 

 11 carefully chosen with regard to the special needs of the student. 

 " It seems to me that the principles you have laid down are 

 "indisputable, and indicate clearly as a minimum some such 

 "curriculum as is at present in force in the University of 

 " London ; remembering my own case, and judging from my 

 " own experience of students in London and Cambridge, I cannot 

 " well conceive of less being efficient. 



" I understand it is being urged that the physiological 

 " or pathological chemist, from his superior knowledge of its 

 "points of application, is a fit and proper person to assume 

 " responsibility for chemical teaching at an earlier stage than 

 " has hitherto been usual. My own feelings and experience lead 

 " me to doubt the correctness of this view. The current literature 

 " of biological chemistry is enormous, and as it is necessary for 

 " the physiological chemist to keep himself also well informed in 

 " the progress of general physiology, his time is well filled. It 

 " is well-nigh impossible that he should keep his knowledge of 

 "general chemistry in a condition which will equip him as an 

 "efficient teacher of the subject. As a chemist he must remain 

 "highly specialised, and therefore should not be allowed to 

 " intrude too early on the student. My very definite opinion 

 " is that the specialised physiological chemist is seldom able to 

 " teach the groundwork of chemistry efficiently, and can only 

 " hope to teach his own subject well when his pupils come to 

 " him already well versed in fundamental principles." 



Stronger support than this is scarcely possible. Despite 

 the attitude of a certain section of the clinical teachers, chemistry 

 is an integral part of the medical curriculum, which for 

 University men, at all events, must be arranged with the view 

 of securing that the student shall not merely learn empirically 

 the methods obtaining at the time of his pupilage, with which 

 the ordinary licentiate perforce remains content, but shall also 

 understand the underlying scientific principles. For this 

 purpose a training in scientific method is essential, and can 

 only be given by men whose daily work is in the domain of 

 the science they teach. In framing a University curriculum 

 the voices of all the teachers must be heard, the teacher of 

 science equally with the clinical teacher who applies his 

 methods ; no difference in status can be recognised. It would 

 be an evil day for University education if the statutory 



