316 ON MEDICAL EDUCATION xn 



bookishness of the knowledge of the taught. 

 And if this is the case in physiology, still more 

 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 inde- 

 pendent career lies in the direction of his work, 

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

 what he may teach to the student as not 

 absolutely 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 practical remedy. And I believe and I 

 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 different 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 



