Inaugural address delivered by Mrs. Garrett Anderson, M.D : October 1st, 1877.

  • Elizabeth Garrett Anderson
Date:
1877
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Inaugural address delivered by Mrs. Garrett Anderson, M.D : October 1st, 1877. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by King’s College London. The original may be consulted at King’s College London.

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    to Ileal the malady, if necessary by surgery, if possible with- out it, and always with the least attainable cost of pain and time. For example our student may know very well how to cut off a limb, in his fourth year he must try to learn when this is the only thing to be advised, when it can be avoided, and how in either case to minimize the risk and suffering and permanent damage to the patient. And in learning this Art of Healing, in learning to apply with judgment and skill the weapons in your armoury, you will need chiefly two things, the first is time, and the second is a varied experience. By this I do not mean your own experience, but a varied experience of the practice of well trained masters of your art. I think it of great importance towards the end of a student's curriculum that he should see the practice of a good many of his seniors. Incidentally I may say that one of the great advantages of the Paris school is that there the students can have this; they can follow the clinique of any physician or sur- geon at any hospital, for as long as they like, taking work under each in turn, instead of being, as in London, restricted to the practice of one hospital. Till something like this is possible to all students in London, I shall rejoice to hear that those of our students, who can afibrd the time and cost it involves are arranging to take at least one year in Paris before entering upon practice. It may be said, however, this must be unnecessary as it is nob prescribed by the ex- amining bodies ; surely it is enough if we fulfil their require- ments and pass their examinations. My answer to this is, that one of the gravest mistakes a student or a school can make, is to think too much of the requirements of the ex- amining bodies. They must be fulfilled, no doubt, but hav- ing fulfilled them, dismiss them from your minds, and keep it clear that what you aim at is a sound knowledge of your art, and that all that this needs you must have, whether pre- scribed by the examining bodies or not. The real test you have to meet is not when sitting before the examiners, but
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