31G ON MEDICAL EDUCATION xir 



must it be the case in those branches of physics 

 which are the foundation of physiology; although 

 it may be less the case in chemistry, because for 

 an able chemist a certain honourable and indcT 

 pendent career lies iu tlie direction of his work, 

 and he is able, like the anatomist, to look upon 

 what he may teach to the student as not abso- 

 lutely taking him away from his bread-winning 

 pursuits. 



But it is of no use to grumble about this state 

 of things unless one is prepared to indicate some 

 sort of ])ractical remedy. And I believe — and 1 

 venture to make the statement because I am 

 wholly independent of all sorts of medical schools, 

 and may, therefore, say what I believe without 

 being supposed to be affected by any personal 

 interest — but I say I believe that the remedy for 

 this state of things, for that imperfection of our 

 theoretical knowledge which keeps down the 

 ability of England at the present time in medical 

 matters, is a mere affair of mechanical arrange- 

 ment; that so long as you have a dozen medical 

 schools scattered about in diff'erent parts of the 

 metropolis, and dividing the students among 

 them, so long, in all the smaller schools at any 

 rate, it is impossible that any other state of 

 things than that which I have been depicting 

 should obtain. Professors must live; to live they 

 must occupy themselves with practice, and if they 

 occupy themselves with practice, the pursuit of 



