110 SIR WILLIAM RAMSAY 



and I make it a rule that each experiment shall be repeated until 

 a satisfactory result is obtained. The whole course occupies a 

 term of ten weeks, the student working three whole days a 

 week." 



Longer experience, however, does not appear to have 

 confirmed the efficacy of this system, for on commencing 

 work at University College, London, the book fell into 

 disuse. We have it on the evidence of one of his students 

 at this time, Mr. E. C. C. Baly, who remained at the 

 College for twenty-two years and became one of the 

 assistant professors, that the students were " thoroughly 

 grounded in qualitative analysis first of all, and this was 

 followed by an admirable course in quantitative work." 

 " Eamsay was a strong believer in the value of analysis, 

 qualitative and quantitative as a method of training. 

 He gave the proofs of theory in lectures which were 

 very remarkable for their wealth of experiments, well 

 conceived and admirably discussed." 



The days when the habits and manners of Mr. Bob 

 Sawyer represented those of medical students in general 

 have long since passed away. But down to a very late 

 period in the nineteenth century disorder was rather 

 prevalent in many classes of medical students, especially 

 in connection with purely scientific subjects such as 

 chemistry. While this was in some cases due to want of 

 firmness on the part of the teachers, it was chiefly attri- 

 butable to the laxity of the several medical examination 

 Boards in reference to chemistry. When Eamsay came 

 to University College the general chemical lectures were 



