INDIA. 



MADRAS MEDICAL COLLEGE AND GOVERNMENT GENERAL 



HOSPITAL. 



India, with its 300.0U0.000 inhabitants, has only four 

 medical colleges, located at Madras, Calcutta, Lahore 

 and Bombay. All of these medical schools are in affil- 

 iation with the respective universities. On recommenda- 

 tion of the medical facilities, the universities confer the 

 degrees, but the medical schools receive no financial aid 

 from the universities and set their own standards of 

 requirements for admission and graduation. All the 

 medical schools are patterned after those of the United 

 Kingdom as to requirements for admission, graduation 

 and methods of teaching. From information obtained 

 from different sources I find that the great stumbling 

 block of the Indian medical student is language. A 

 knowledge of Latin is a rara avis and the meaning of 

 ordinary English words is hard for them to express 

 and comprehend. The teachers find this imperfect 

 knowledge of the English language the greatest drawback 

 in ingrafting their ideas into the minds of the students. 

 The number of medical students in the different in- 

 stitutions at the present time is about 2,000. Very few 

 Mohammedans study medicine; the great majority of 

 students are Hindus and Parsees. The Hindus are said 

 to be the brightest students. The classes have increased 

 in size very rapidly during the last few years, so rapidly, 

 indeed, that space and equipment in all of the schools 

 have become entirely inadequate. From what I have 

 seen of the students in the different medical colleges I 

 have become impressed with their lively, cheerful dis- 

 positions and their earnest devotion to their work. The 



