[Circular letter. Begins] Dear Sir, For some years past the College have required from every candidate.

  • Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Date:
[1835]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: [Circular letter. Begins] Dear Sir, For some years past the College have required from every candidate. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    1/4
    Dear Sir, For some years past the College have required from every Candidate for a Diploma, not merely a Ticket of Admission to the necessary Lectures, but a certificate of actual attendance upon these Lectures. The College have judged it necessary, that before any one shall be considered qua¬ lified to practise Surgery, he must submit himself to examina¬ tion, and must satisfy his Examiners as to his acquirements ; but at the same time, they consider regular attendance on a pre¬ scribed course of study to be indispensable for obtaining these acquirements, and hence they insist upon evidence of such at¬ tendance. The whole value of these Certificates must depend upon their correctness ; and if they can be obtained by Students who do not merit them, not only will the intention of the College be frustrated, but one important motive to diligence and industry will be withdrawn. I am aware that, in the opinion of some, Certificates of Attendance are not considered of much import¬ ance. It is argued that the Teacher ought to make his instruc¬ tions attractive to the Student; that if they are so, no additional motive will be necessary to secure his regular attendance; and that if they are not so, the best contrived expedients will fail in obtaining it. I am far from undervaluing the truth which is contained in this remark, and I trust that the Lecturers will per¬ severe in their attempts to make instruction as attractive as is consistent with their duty. But we ought never to forget, that while some Students are possessed of virtuous principles and studious habits so strong as to make other motives unnecessary, and while others are so incurably indolent or unprincipled as to make our efforts for their good nearly hopeless, the great bulk of young men attending Classes are so constituted as to require for the successful prosecution of their studies, all the motives which can be brought to bear on them. One of the most influ¬ ential of these is the fear of rejection on their final examination, and hence there is active exertion, even with the most indolent, ^ ^ c O’LlC- &-£• ^ ^ R m S