474 



NATURE 



[December 31, 1914 



THE LONDON HOSPITALS AND THEIR 

 FUTURE. 



Historical Account of Charing Cross Hospital and 

 ■ Medical School {University of London) Original 

 Plan and Statutes, Rise and Progress. Founded 

 1818. With which is included some Account 

 of the Origin of the other Hospitals and Schools 

 in London. By Dr. W. Hunter. Pp. xx + 

 309. (London : John Murray, 1914.) Price 

 21S. 



THE rise and development of the "teaching-" 

 hospitals of London is intimately associated 

 with the progress of medical science in England ; 

 besides being the homes of medical education, 

 much excellent research work, particularly on the 

 ♦ clinical side, has emanated from their walls. 



In a sumptuous volume, embellished with a 

 wealth of illustrations and reproductions of old 

 prints, Dr. William Hunter, its "Dean," reviews 

 the history of Charing Cross Hospital. He classi- 

 fies the modes and motives of origin of the 

 London hospitals as follows :— (i) The Monastic 

 (afterwards charitable), e.g. St. Thomas's and 

 St. Bartholomew's; (2) the Charitable, e.g. 

 Westminster, the London, St. George's, etc. ; 



(3) the combined Charitable and Educational, for 

 which Charing Cross Hospital was founded ; and 



(4) the Educational, University and King's College 

 Hospitals. 



Founded by Dr. Benjamin Golding in 1818, 

 the fortunes of Charing Cross Hospital were 

 directed by him for a period of well-nigh fifty 

 years. Of its many distinguished students, the 

 name of Huxley is the most prominent, and his 

 memory is perpetuated in the biennial Huxley 

 Lecture delivered at the school. 



The Charing Cross Medical School has con- 

 tinued to progress, and one of the latest develop- 

 ments is the housing of the Public Health Depart- 

 ment of King's College within its walls — a form of 

 concentration in one branch of medical education 

 which to some extent falls into line with the 

 conceptions of the Royal Commission on Univer- 

 sity Education in London. 



Although the report of this Royal Commission 

 foreshadows many changes in medical education, 

 there seems little prospect of State control of the 

 hospitals — indeed, the voluntary system of support 

 appears to be in a stronger position than ever. 

 When the first Employers' Liability Bill came 

 into force many came to the conclusion that this 

 was the thin end of the wedge for State control, 

 and the second and more far-reaching Act seemed 

 to confirm this opinion. As a matter of fact, 

 however, the voluntary hospital system has gone 

 NO. 2357, VOL. 94] 



on, and as the public became accustomed to 

 these Acts, the hospitals continued not only as 

 well as before, but most of them with improving 

 revenues. Even the appearance of the National 

 Insurance Act upon the scene has made no differ- 

 ence — most of the hospitals receive better support 

 than ever from the public, and the King Edward's 

 and other funds are thriving beyond all expecta- 

 tion. On one hand, it is true, the voluntary 

 system has disadvantages. It is the generous and 

 sympathetic portion of the public that supports 

 the hospitals, and others shirk their responsi- 

 bilities. On the other hand, the poor obtain 

 better treatment than they could probably obtain 

 in State supported hospitals. There is a blaze of 

 light on the British voluntary system that is 

 entirely absent from the continental State hospitals 

 and in hospitals under the Poor Law. Even if 

 the present voluntary hospitals were taken over 

 by the State, it is almost certain that new ones 

 would immediately be founded, as has been the 

 case in Paris {e.g. the Hertford Hospital). 



There might well be some modification of the 

 hospital system in London. The sick should so 

 far as possible be removed jFrom the densely 

 populated centres more into the country. That 

 large blocks of wards should be erected on costly 

 sites in the heart of London is a mistake — both 

 financially and from the medical point of view. 

 All that is required at the centre is accommodation 

 for receiving rooms and for a suflSciency of beds 

 for the reception of accidents and emergencies 

 and for the treatment of the very ill. AH the 

 other cases, and the serious cases as they con- 

 valesce, should be removed to hospital wards 

 erected more in the country. In these days of 

 motor transport and improved road surfaces this 

 would be an easy matter, and the staff by the 

 same means could minister to the sick almost as 

 readilv on the slopes of Hampstead as at Hyde 

 Park Corner. R- T. Hewlett. 



SCIENCE AND METAPHYSICS. 

 (i) Henri Bergson: An Account of his Life and 

 Philosophy.' By A. Ruhe and N. M. Paul. 

 Pp. vii + 245. (London: Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 1914.) Price 55. net. 



(2) The Idealistic Reaction against Science. By 

 Prof. Aliotta. Translated by A. McCaskill. 

 Pp. xxii + 483. (London: Macmillan and Co., 

 Ltd., 1914) Price 125. net. 



(3) Berkeley and Percival. By Benjamin Rand. 

 The Correspondence of George Berkeley after- 

 wards Bishop of Cloyne, and Sir John Percival 

 afterwards Earl of Egmont. Pp. x + 302. 



