Postscript to Dr. Simpson's memorial on the propriety of continuing the Chair of General Pathology / [Sir James Young Simpson].

  • Simpson, James Young, 1811-1870
Date:
[1841]
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Postscript to Dr. Simpson's memorial on the propriety of continuing the Chair of General Pathology / [Sir James Young Simpson]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    o Pathology imperative hut consider, “ in concurrence with the senti¬ ments of the Faculty [of Edinburgh], that substantially a Course of Lectures on General Pathology is equivalent to a Course of the Prac¬ tice of Physic. (Dr Christisoir s Statement, p. 21.) Dr Christison endeavours by these remarks to fix upon the Boards in question a degree of professional ignorance and confusion of which they are happily guiltless. For if the Army and Navy Boards had committed the strange error of considering these two Courses as “ substantially” the same, would they not have further taken two Courses of General Pathology as equal to two of the Practice of Physic ? This they certainly do not. In their Regula¬ tions, such as they now stand, these Boards evidently offer all the en¬ couragement within their power to the study of General Pathology. If they had made the Pathology absolutely imperative, what would have been the effect? Only Students from the Edinburgh, or from the Edinburgh and Manchester Schools, could have presented them¬ selves before them. As the matter stood, the rule was one that decid¬ edly tended to promote, rather than otherwise, the attendance at Edin¬ burgh, of Medical Pupils studying for the Public Services. CONSTITUTION OF GERMAN MEDICAL SCHOOLS. It has been zealously argued by Dr Christison, in the Statement which he has submitted to the Patrons, that no reason in favour of our Chair of General Pathology can be deduced from the analogy of foreign Universities,—from the existence of similar Chairs in Ger- many,—or the recent founding of one in the University of Paris. “ They? Dr Christison observes, “ who advance these facts as an ar¬ gument, must be little acquainted with the subject they talk about; for the whole organization of Chairs, the manner of teaching them, the mode of attending them, and the means of supporting them, are so different in Germany and France from what is the case here, that an analogy in regard to any particular part of the respective systems cannot be formed without great risk of error.” (P. 16.) Dr Christison, unfortunately for himself, descends into specialities in support of this assumed and sweeping general statement. He begins with Germany, and observes,— “ The Medical School of Berlin unquestionably contains Professor¬ ships of General Pathology. Last year no fewer than Jive distinct Courses of Lectures, by five different Teachers, were given on its various departments.” (Dr Christison’s Statement, p. 16, 17.) The Patrons will, I believe, consider it as important to have the additional information stated to them, that four of these Courses of