State medicine : resolutions of the General Medical Council, adopted July 9 and July 12, 1869; together with the second report and appendix of the Committee on State Medicine, appointed June 27, 1868. July 13, 1869.

  • General Medical Council.
Date:
1869
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: State medicine : resolutions of the General Medical Council, adopted July 9 and July 12, 1869; together with the second report and appendix of the Committee on State Medicine, appointed June 27, 1868. July 13, 1869. 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.

    44/136 (page 8)
    3. The order of study would in my opinion be best left to tbe choice of the candidate. A prescribed course of study may be desu-able as a general rule, in the case of youths who, like medical students, are commencing a profession, but I think that the fullest liberty of action in this respect should be accorded to adults, who are no longer in statu 2}U])illan. 4. It would, of covLTse, be desirable that a candidate for a diploma in any of the subjects above specified should have had opportunities of studying them practically, but I doubt the propriety of making such a condition essential. A thoroughly competent examiner (and any other is worse than useless) will soon find out whether a candidate's knowledge has been obtained practically or only from book. If the examination were made as practical as possible in all subjects, the caiTdidates would not have much difficulty in obtaining such instruction as they might requii-e in the laboratories of schools of medicine, asylums, and other similar institutions at present existing. 5. This seems to me a rather absurd question. Of course the knowledge professed by the candidates should be thorough, and the examiners and can- didates would between them soon create a standard of proficiency. There are plenty of manuals on most of these subjects, and where there are none they would soon be forthcoming if wanted. 6. Want of precision in their knowledge and inability to distinguish facts and opinions. 7. By improving their preliminaiy education, and fespecially by a certain amount of training in abstract science, such as Mathematics and the Laws of Thought; and in some cases, in those of Evidence. 8. Much as courts of examiners in other subjects are constituted, by choosing the best men who can be obtained for the office. (Signed) Francis T, Bond. (^From P. H. HOLLAND, Esq.) Burial Acts Office, 8, KiCHMOND Terrace. 2nd November, 1868. Sir ' I beg leave to acknowledge your circular letter of September 8th, in which the Committee of the Medical Council do me the honour of asking my opinion on the proper steps to be taken for granting diplomas or certificates of proficiency in State Medicine, it being already decided that such diplomas or certificates ought to be granted exclusively to such persons only whose names are or shall be entered upon the Medical Register, and who have therefore given proof of the completion of ordinary medical study. The question, therefore, now is, what kind and degree of knowledge and proficiency, beyond that necessary for passing the ordinaiy medical examina-