PRESCRIPTIONS FOR EXAMINATION. 
759 
the Atlantic. I live in hope that cities like New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, 
Boston, Washington, and many others, will shake hands witli us in this under¬ 
taking. Our excellent President might be induced to write to Canada, and I 
am certain that Mr. Albert Ebert of Chicago will give his warmest support. 
There can be no good reason why the ocean should separate otherwise than geo¬ 
graphically, two great countries such as America and England. 
Seeing the abundant willingness to assist, I felt justified in commencing fif¬ 
teen volumes, to be placed under the direction and superintendence of the Board 
of Examiners. These are already in hand and will appear with all convenient 
speed. The shape, paper, and binding, have been arranged by a London artist 
firm and I hope, the minor bookmaking details will meet with your approval. 
I cannot proceed fast as that would be to risk the nature of the work. Pur¬ 
posely, the most difficult and the simplest formulae have been intermingled. 
It remains to offer an explanation, answer an objection and to endeavour to 
upset a theory, revived to my blank astonishment, to which, this night as al¬ 
ways, I offer uncompromising opposition. 
Amongst these collected formulae will be found specimens of cabalistic writing 
—apparently there is some reason why a physician does not fear inserting in a 
recipe caligraphy on which he would hesitate to venture in his private corre¬ 
spondence. Foreign prescriptions in abundance are included. These are tests 
of the student’s skill, and gauges of his experience. But let it be clearly un¬ 
derstood that no candidate ever is rejected simply from failing to unravel these 
mysterious documents—a mass of usual formulae is presented to his observation 
—these, should his aim be not merely to pass an examination but to succeed in 
after life, he must be prepared to read with accuracy and facility—while a 
knowledge of the more difficult will hereafter be of great importance. An ob¬ 
jection has been raised that the advantage thus offered is limited to London, a 
difficulty which at this moment is under serious consideration. Yet it exists 
for London, the great business and intellectual centre, will always be the me¬ 
tropolis ; and as Rothschild said that there was money under every stone in 
Frankfort for those who knew how to find it, so there is a sense in which London 
is paved gold. There is an undeniable advantage in a town residence else 
why should students leave green fields for bricks and mortar ? Therefore shall 
we close the books or abandon their collection. Surely the same argument 
which is not contained in Whately’s Logic would close the Museum and shut 
our doors. 
This leads to the vexed question of the utilisation of our Library of Reference 
—I would claim your consideration when I state views which are definite and 
settled though they may not be in accordance with your own. I would make 
these receipt books, under proper regulation and supervision absolutely free. I 
would allow those interested, and specially kindred associations, to extract, copy 
or trace as much or as little as they please. This would but be to follow the 
example of our national institutions ; nor must we forget that in the magnificent 
Art Library at South Kensington, any, professional or amateur, for the sum of 
sixpence weekly, may read, extract copy or trace even the costliest specimens ex¬ 
hibited in that unrivalled collection. 
Let me offend no one while unhesitatingly I condemn a certain idea against 
which I stand out resolutely as a rock. I should deem it waste of every mo¬ 
ment spent in this present work were the books locked up for the special benefit 
of the examiners. But the notion I dislike the most is that the student should 
not be allowed to gaze on the same documents, as his examiner. 
Why are those young men tampering with the drawers of Materia Medica? 
Perhaps they want to know more than print and cram books will tell them. 
Imagine the despair of a well known examiner receiving answers from a man 
who had never seen a root or bark. Might he not be expected to retire to some 
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