302 
EDITORIAL OBSERVATIONS. 
the British channel, for the teachers of either can never 
become the examiners of the other. Besides this, there are 
no retired teachers to choose from, so that this clause of the 
charter virtually compels the profession to select its board of 
examiners from among those who are the least, rather than the 
best, fitted for the duty. The framers of the charter, in their 
zeal to carry out a general principle of justice and consis- 
tency, overstepped the bounds of discretion, and created a 
power having weakness, ^vhere they needed one possessing 
strength. For these reasons we would rather, as we have 
already said, that some well-devised scheme should have been 
adopted to meet the exigencies of the case, than that the 
Council should forthwith have filled up the vacancy. This 
being done, however, it remains to be seen whether the 
difficulties may not to some extent be removed by the court 
itself. If, for example, some re-arrangement of the sections 
cannot be made, or some member transferred from the patho- 
logical to the anatomical division of the board. Something 
of this kind we would recommend to the consideration of the 
court; and, if a transposition of the members be effected, 
then we do not hesitate to state that the gentleman so 
chosen must remember that the eyes of the profession, and 
the country also, are upon him, and that they will rest satis- 
fied with nothing less than his becoming a practical anato- 
mist, as quickly as circumstances will permit. Day by day 
he must toil in the dissecting room, as well as in the study, or 
he may be assured he will not be able to long hold the proud 
position he has been raised to. Rumour, we find, has already 
fixed on a member who is to take his seat in the anatomical 
chair. Should this be well founded, we believe we may congra- 
tulate our readers on the change. No one knows better 
what is expected from him, and none, we think, will labour 
more earnestly to surmount the difficulties which beset his 
path. We shall watch with some anxiety, and no little 
solicitude, the course which is adopted. 
