34 ANDREW JACKSON HOWE. 



the brain becomes "a way from the third to the fourth 

 ventricle." Again, levator labii superioris alcegue nasi 

 becomes a " lifter of the upper lip and a wing of the 

 nose." Dactus communis choledochus becomes common 

 bile duct, which is as good as the scientific form. 

 Yet a translation is sometimes flat or spiritless take 

 corpus luteum for instance. Its classical meaning is 

 simply " yellow r body," but there are so many yellow 

 bodies in the world we need something more dis- 

 tinctive. I cite these examples to show how useful 

 becomes a smattering of Latin to the student of an- 

 atomy. Without a classical training the novice in 

 medicine is a slave to his dictionary. He wastes so 

 much time in consulting lexicons that he would do as 

 well to begin his studies anew, giving a year to Latin 

 before entering upon a medical career. 



At a recent meeting of the British Medical Asso- 

 ciation the president, Dr. Francis Wade, delivered an 

 address on the "Prsetechnical stages of a Medical 

 Education," making some timely remarks on the 

 amount of Latin a student of medicine should pos- 

 sess before registering as such. He said, "We need 

 not trouble ourselves about the fortunate few who have 

 the taste, the time and the money to pursue classical 

 studies; and are able to pay their way in foreign seats 

 of learning, including schools of science and unri- 

 valed hospital advantages they can and will take 

 care of themselves they are outside our solicitude ; 

 but w r e are to devise ways for the mentally capable, 

 though pecuniarily restricted. I hold that a pro- 

 tracted study of the classics, such as is now demanded 

 by the General Medical Council, is not within the 

 reach of many otherwise qualified to enter upon the 

 study of medicine. The problem now is to forward 



