XII ON MEDICAL EDUCATION 309 



knowledge of fundamentals; whereas that which 

 the best of the candidates, in a large proportion of 

 cases, have had to give me was a large, extensive, 

 and inaccurate knowledge of superstructure; and 

 that is what I mean by saying that my demands 

 went too low and not too high. What I have had 

 to complain of is, that a large proportion of the 

 gentlemen who come up for physiology to the 

 University of London do not know it as they know 

 their anatomy, and have not been taught it as they 

 have been taught their anatomy. Now, I should 

 not wonder at all if I heard a great many '^ No, 

 noes " here; but I am not talking about Univer- 

 sity College; as I have told you before, I am talk- 

 ing about the average education of medical schools. 

 What I have found, and found so much reason to 

 lament, is, that while anatomy has been taught as 

 a science ought to be taught, as a matter of au- 

 topsy, and observation, and strict discipline; in 

 a very large number of cases, physiology has been 

 taught as if it were a mere matter of books and of 

 hearsay. I declare to you, gentlemen, that I have 

 often expected to be told, when I have asked 

 a question about the circulation of the blood, 

 that Professor Breitkopf is of opinion that it cir- 

 culates, but that the whole thing is an open ques- 

 tion. I assure you that I am hardly exaggerat- 

 ing the state of mind on matters of fundamental 

 importance which I have found over and over 

 again to obtain among gentlemen coming up to 



