Volume 1

Report from the Select Committee on Medical Education : with the minutes of evidence, and appendix.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons. Select Committee on Medical Education.
Date:
1834
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report from the Select Committee on Medical Education : with the minutes of evidence, and appendix. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    extra licentiates, is as strict as that of the candidates for a licence to practise within the precinct of London ?—^It is finished at one examination instead of three. 191. The whole examination is finished in one day.?—Yes. 192. What time does it usually occupy ?—It takes longer, of course. 193. What is the usual time?-—There is no fixed period; it takes an hour generally. 194. Is an hour sufficient time for the examination of a person’s qualification to practise physic ?—If an hour is not sufficient, they may take an hour and a half, or two hours ; there is no reason why they should not. 195. If three hours are thought sufficient to examine one claiming to practise in the precinct of London, how is it that only one hour is given to those who claim to practise in other parts of the kingdom ?—They are generally persons who have been in practice some time who are examined ; they are not generally young men. 196. Is any record kept in the books of the age of the parties who come to be examined ?—No ; they must have attained a certain age before they can receive a licence ; they must be 26. The registrar inquires into the age, and place of gra- duation, of the person soliciting examination. 197. Is there any restriction as to the age of the extra licentiate ?—I think not; but ]^ne times out of ten they are persons in an advanced period of life, persons who have attained to eminence and still are practitioners, upon which a degree is not absolutely requisite. 198. If persons claiming to practise in the precinct of London came to be exa- mined, after they had been for some time engaged in the practice of physic, are they subjected to a ^ess strict examination than younger candidates ?—I do not know that there is any difference; we satisfy ourselves of the competency of the person to practise; whether by a longer or a shorter examination, will depend very much upon the readiness with which the person answ'ers. 199. Is there a rule at present as to the admission of king’s physicians into the College ?—No ; there are as many physicians to the king who are licentiates, as there are fellows. 200. The former statute as to the admission of king’s physicians into the College is repealed ?—I believe there was formerly a rule, that they took their seats at the right hand of the president the moment they were made king’s physicians ; but that is done away now. Many are now only licentiates : there is as full an opportunity for their being selected for king’s physicians as for the fellows. 201. Have the bye-laws ever been suspended for the purpose of admitting a king’s physician to be a fellow of the College ?—No ; there was an instance, some ten years ago, of the King desiring to make a licentiate his physician, and he spoke privately to me, and said, “You had better make him a fellow of the College.” He was proposed by me, as president, and was elected. 202. It was not necessary at that period, that virtute officii, as king’s physician, he should be elected a fellow of the College ?—No, not necessary. 203. The preamble of the statute for the admission of fellows into the College by the president is this : “ Quandoquidem fieri potest ut inter permissos numeren- tur viri quidam egregii, et de re medica prasclare meriti, quos statutum nostrum de sociis in ordinera sociorum cooptari vetat.” Was the principal point in which the candidate was one of the egregii et de re medica praeclare meriti, that he was physician to the King ?—-.No ; I beg pardon ; I do not know that we have a more intelligent or able fellow of the College than this gentleman is. It might be so far a recommendation, that he was a physician of the King: he was physician of a considerable hospital at the time, and he had acquired a certain degree of eminence in the country before he came to London, and was living in the good esteem of the whole medical profession. 204. How did it happen that his qualifications had not already recommended him to attention, and occasioned his being admitted a fellow of the College, by exercise of the president’s privilege ?—There might have been others who appeared to the president, perhaps shortsightedly, even more talented than that individual; elder men. 205. Are there not many cases in which it is desirable that physicians should be acquainted with the minor operations of surgery?—Yes; and I think they acquire those at the public hospitals, and wherever they acquire their education. 206. Are those who claim the licence, examined at the College respecting their knowledge of those minor operations?—No ; if they are examined upon other sub- jects and their examination is satisfactory, it is very fair for the examiners to give them credit for these, which they do not practise themselves. 0.20. c 4 Sir H. Halfordy Eart., M.D. 18 March 1834. 207. What
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