160 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ANATOMICAL AND ANTHROPOLOGICAL 



ON THE ANATOMICAL EDUCATION OF THE MEDICAL 



STUDENT. 



By F. G. PABSONS, F.E.C.S., Examiner in Anatomy to the Universities of 

 Cambridge, Aberdeen, London and Birmingham, and to the Society 

 of Apothecaries of London ; Lecturer on Anatomy at St. Thomas's 

 Hospital and the London School of Medicine for Women ; late 

 Examiner in Anatomy for the Fellowship of the Eoyal College of 

 Surgeons of England. 



(Presented 12th May, 1906.) 



As time goes on, and science is continually widening her bounds, 

 the question of what a student shall be taught becomes more and 

 more important, and more and more difficult to solve. 



It is generally agreed that the man who has had an education in 

 the scientific groundwork of his profession the man who has learnt 

 not only what to do but why he does it is in a better position to 

 surmount difficulties, and to add to the discoveries already made, than 

 one who is a mere empiric and who does certain things under certain 

 conditions without knowing why. This is generally the case, though 

 we all know examples of men who unite with a consummate know- 

 ledge of the theory of their profession an utter inability to practise it 

 successfully ; while, on the other hand, many very successful practi- 

 tioners are quite ignorant of the scientific reasons underlying the 

 actions which experience has taught them to adopt. It is not, how- 

 ever, a question of science versus experience in our profession, or I 

 liavc very little doubt which would win, but simply whether science, 

 combined with experience, is a better equipment for a medical man 

 than either alone. Unless it can be shown that either is disadvan- 



