IG E. A, Schäfer, 



I have hitherto avoided touching the subject of examinations, and 

 would willingly leave them altogether out of consideration, unless it 

 were to point out some means by which they could be avoided by the 

 student also. But I greatly fear that, under the actual conditions of 

 medical education, examinations are necessary. It is certainly essential 

 that the student's knowledge should be tested, and the only way of 

 fairly testing it, which serins at present possible, is that of public 

 examinations. I would myself rather trust the certificate of a recog- 

 nised teacher, who has throughout watched the progress of the stu- 

 dent's work, and who has had frequent opportunities of informing 

 himself regarding the knowledge which the student has acquired, than 

 the report of an examiner, who sees him on one occasion only, and 

 then under strange conditions, which, in many cases, prevent the can- 

 didate from doing justice either to his subject or himself. But it 

 must be admitted that there are many difficulties in the way of the 

 adoption of a change of this description ; and we must probably con- 

 tinue for a long time to consider examinations as a necessary factor 

 in the course of a medical education. 



Under the present conjoint scheme of the Colleges of Physicians 

 and Surgeons, five examinations are required to be passed before the 

 candidate can obtain a diploma to practise. They are : 1. A sort of 

 easy matriculation examination, to be passed prior to registration. 

 2. An examination in chemistry, chemical physics (sic), materia me- 

 dica, medical botany (sic), and pharmacy, to be passed after regis- 

 tration. 3. An examination in elementary anatomy and physiology, 

 at the end of the first year after registration. 4. An examination in 

 anatomy and physiology, at the end of the second year. 5. A final 

 examination in medicine, surgery, midwifery, and pathology. I would 

 like to see certain modifications made in the subjects of some of these 

 examinations, and in the mode of conducting others — modifications 

 which will bring the examinations into conformity with the scheme of 

 teaching which I have before propounded. I do not think an objection 

 can he taken to the number of these examinations. I do not sec any 

 harm in multiplying examinations, il you do not, at the same time, 

 increase the Dumber of subjects of examinât ion. If you reduce the 

 number of examinations, you must put more subjects into each; and, 



