CHAPTEE XX 



SCIENCE TEACHING : EXAMINATIONS 



Though neither lecturing nor teaching in person, Hooker 

 found a useful educational lever put into his hand by his 

 twelve years' examinership. In the autumn of 1854, thanks, 

 he presumed, to the influence of Sir James Clark, ^ he was 

 appointed to examine in botany the candidates for the medical 

 service under E.I.C. He was already examiner to the Apothe- 

 caries Company, and writes of the special standard in the 

 papers set by him in a letter to Huxley. 



I should certainly give a very different examination to the 

 E.I.C. candidates to that for Apothecaries' Company Medal. 

 The latter, you see, is competed for on Bot. grounds solely, by 

 * all England,' and should be a right good tough affair in my 

 opinion, and very different from a Pass, or Matriculation Ex- 

 amination. It was not to be expected that you should have 

 answered half the questions. I did not expect one candidate to 

 answer 2/3 of them, but just see. There was only one question 

 that no one answered and that because misunderstood : and 

 three answered nearly all. I had 6 men, and by far the very 

 best men I ever tackled ; there was not one bad paper, and 

 the first three were excellent — the worst answered 2/3 of 

 the questions (better or worse). You may remark that I 

 did not put one catch-question, or one that did not involve 

 general principles. There was not a man amongst them 



^ Sir James Clark (1788-1870) began as a naval surgeon, and after suc- 

 cessful private practice abroad and at home, became Physician in Ordinary to 

 Queen Victoria on her accession. He served on various Royal Commissions, 

 on the Senate of the London University and the General Medical Council. 

 Without adding much to science, he possessed considerable official influence. 



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