Hunterian oration : the Hunterian oration, (February 14th, 1851,) that would have been delivered by a Member of the College of Surgeons, of London, if permission had been granted to him by the President and Council.

  • Edwards Crisp
Date:
[1851]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Hunterian oration : the Hunterian oration, (February 14th, 1851,) that would have been delivered by a Member of the College of Surgeons, of London, if permission had been granted to him by the President and Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    King’s, £6. 4s.; Queen’s, £12. 7s.; Cath. Hall, £15.; Jesus, £10. 6s. 8d. ; Christ’s, £8. 2s.; St. John’s, £10.; Magdalen, £8. 6s.; Trinity, £14. 18s.; and Emanuel, £8. The same at Oxford; so if I were disposed, I could greatly increase the number, and in addition to the above, the University of Durham is about to confer medical diplomas. I am now, Sir, anxious to direct the attention of his Lordship to the number of diplomas sold at the London examining boards during the past year, and the money received exclusive of stamp duty. Univer- sity of London, 48 admitted—cash, £305. College of Physicians, Country, 5, London, 16,—£769. 12s. Apothecaries’Company, 258,— about £199. 12s. College of Surgeons, members 371,—£7,420. Fellows 12—£126. I, first, Mr. President, speak of the condition of this college. I might refer to a hundred blots in its history. Hunterian manuscripts— tyrannical acts—smuggled charters—back-door entrance—closure of the museum and library—sale of examinerships, but taking the advice of Bacon, which I have just quoted, I will confine myself to the present time. As the money paid for diplomas is the best test of the prosperity of an institution, I place before you the receipts and expenditure during the last sixteen years, according to your own published accounts, an inspection of which you have refused me. The receipts in these sixteen years, ending in 1849, were £234,322. 19s.; the expenditure £247,935. 9s. 9d. In 1834 the permanent income from government stock, &c. &c. was £2,034. 4s. 4d; in 1849, £951. 3s. 3d. In 1843 the Court of Examiners received £14,093. 11s. ; in 1849, only £7,508. 7s. For the four years preceding the obnoxious charter the receipts were for diplomas £54,214. 14s.; for the last four years they have been only £31,441. 8s. exclusive of £1,176. for the fellowship. Again, the library expences in 1840 were £1,945; in 1849, £422. 13s. lid. ; and during eight months, only four books, exclusive of periodicals, were purchased. Lectures, orations, Jackso- nian prizes, &c. £3,320. 14s. College department, including examiners’ fees, £97,336. 6s. 4d. Miscellaneous, £11,514. Is. 8d. But the most curious item in these confused figures is £83. for the release of members—gentlemen who have paid to get absolution from surgical knowledge. I am anxious that the members present should not suppose that by these accounts anything like a correct estimate can be formed; they only supply the large sums—not the items. But why, Mr. President, should not a member be allowed to see how this quarter of a million of money has been got rid of? Is this the morality that some of the coun- cillors boast of? and, as I am speaking of morality, let me at once correct an important error in your communication to Sir George Grey (Aug. 20th, 1849), the statement is as follows: that “ there are some, and the Council believe that they are not numerous,” who are merely members of the Apothecaries’ Company. I find, from a careful analysis of the Medical Directory, that more than one thousand are practising with this diploma only. I have also obtained the qualifications of 10,974 practitioners of England and Wales, and including the army and navy, and those who have not returned their qualifications, the number will amount to about 14,000 or 15,000, exclusive of unqualified practitioners. Of this number I find that 1,663 members of this college are practising without any medical
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