64 CRITIQUES AND ADDRESSES. [in. 



exists. But is the relative imperfection which exists 

 only such as is necessary, or is it made worse by our 

 practical arrangements ? I believe and if I did not so 

 believe I should not have troubled you with these obser 

 vations I believe it is made infinitely worse by our 

 practical arrangements, or rather, I ought to say, our very 

 unpractical arrangements. Some very wise man long ago 

 affirmed that every question, in the long run, was a ques 

 tion of finance ; and there is a good deal to be said for 

 that view. Most assuredly the question of medical 

 teaching is, in a very large and broad sense, a question 

 of finance. What I mean is this : that in London the 

 arrangements of the medical schools, and the number of 

 them, are such as to render it almost impossible that 

 men who confine themselves to the teaching of the 

 theoretical branches of the profession should, be able 

 to make their bread by that operation ; and, you know, if 

 a man cannot make his bread, he cannot teach at least 

 his teaching comes to a speedy end. That is a matter 

 of physiology. Anatomy is fairly well taught, because it 

 lies in the direction of practice, and a man is all the 

 better surgeon for being a good anatomist. It does not 

 absolutely interfere with the pursuits of a practical 

 surgeon if he should hold a Chair of Anatomy though 

 I do not for one moment say that he would not be a 

 better teacher if he did not devote himself to practice. 

 (Applause.) Yes, I know exactly what that cheer means, 

 but I am keeping as carefully as possible from any sort 

 of allusion to Professor Ellis. But the fact is, that even 

 human anatomy has now grown to be so large a matter, 

 that it takes the whole devotion of a man s life to put 

 the great mass of knowledge upon that subject into such 

 a shape that it can be teachable to the mind of the 

 ordinary student. What the student wants in a pro 

 fessor is a man who shall stand between him and the 



