Minutes of evidence taken by the Royal Commissioners appointed to consider the draft charter for the proposed Gresham University in London ... / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty.

  • Great Britain. Parliament. House of Commons.
Date:
1894
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Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Minutes of evidence taken by the Royal Commissioners appointed to consider the draft charter for the proposed Gresham University in London ... / presented to both Houses of Parliament by command of Her Majesty. 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.

    1311/1410 (page 75)
    Service. They were allowed under a former regula- tion to enter for 10 years, and then to retire with a bonus. That fell to pieces and they did not come. But it is now, I believe, put forward and urged very strongly, that men might be induced to enter the service if they were enlisted, or if they were appointed for five years, and then at the end of five years to retire again with a bonus, say, of 500L So far as you can judge, do you think that that is likely to be successful ? —I have not formed any judgment upon that; you must not question me upon it; 1 really could not answer it. 1-186. {The Chairman.) Is there anything else you would wish to say to the Committee ?—I was going to supplement what you have asked me by these remarks. I have taken pains to ascertain, since the new system of the Apothecaries' examinations came into operation, what number of persons have registered as their sole primary qualification, the Licentiateship of the Apothe- caries' Society since June 1887, when the system was changed. I find that 121 persons have been put upon our register with the Licentiateship of the Society of Apothecaries only to begin with. But now I want to point out what happens. Of those 121, already 47 have added some other qualification, and it appears to be the fact that the Apothecaries' license still continues to be used for the purpose of enabling young men to obtain speedily a qualification which entitles them to practice. And this is a very important matter for the profession at large and for the public, because the Medical Council is trying to put a stop to the employ- ment of unqualified assistants, and any machinery by which men can become qualified more rapidly (be- cause that after all is the point, they get the license of the Apothecaries' Society at les^ cost tban other dip- lomas) will enable us to get rid of the evil of unqualified assistants. That is one advantage of preserving the Licentiateship of the Apothecaries' Society. And yet out of 121 per sons who have taken that license alone to start with, already 47 have obtained other qualifica- tions. Of those 47, 27 have obtained the additional qualification of Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, 14 have obtained the double qualification of the two Royal Colleges, two have obtained the degree of Bachelor of Medicine of London, and two others have acquired University degrees in Ireland. Accord- ingly some of the candidates who go in for the Apothe- caries' license in our days, are men who aim at getting a further title or even a University degree. It shows, I think, that they do this under pressure. They are men probably of very moderate means, perhaps left, without father or mother, to fight their own way in the world; and they get the least expensive qualification they can, but with a full intention of getting a higher- one. Therefore I think this is an additional argument why one should not stop these men from the competi- tion to get into the Army Medical Department. ] think in fairness one should admit them ; and I believe that large numbers of them will obtain some additional qualification. As already 47 out of 121 have obtained additional qualifications, I believe that if we could follow them another year, we should find a larger pro- portion than that acquiring other qualifications. I may add this, that although I think it is only just to admit the Licentiates of the Apothecaries' Society to enter for the Army competitions, yet when one came to dispense important posts in the higher grades of the Service, one would naturally take into consideration the additional qualifications which an Officer might possess. This would be quite fair and proper ; but I think that the Licentiates under the new system should not be excluded from the competition; they cannot cl.vim any right; but in point of fairness, I. think now it would be proper and desirable that they should be admitted to the Army examinations. 1487. From the point of view of efficiency and use- fulness to the Service, you do not see any reason why candidates holding the license of the Apothecaries' Society only should not be admitted to the Army examinations ?—I do not, any more than that they should not be admitted to practice in civil life. 1488. Is there any remark which you would like to make to the Committee with reference to the position and status of Medical Officers of the Army ?—In reference to this part of your enquiry, I a,m of opinion that Medical Officers in the Navy and Army should have suitable Brevet ranks, with due relation to the several combatant ranks, and appropriate privileges. But I think it would be no real advantage to give to the Medical Officers titles which belong properly to combatant Officers. The title of Surgeon is so APPeri(l>* distinctive, distinguished, and honourable, that it is, in 39 and my opinion, better not to go beyond such adjuncts as Surgeon-Major, and Surgeon-General, and Surgeon of the Fleet, or others now in use. I think there would necessarily arise obvious disadvantages to the Medical Officers of the Navy and Army, from their acquisition of combatant titles, in the mode which has been suggested by some. These disadvantages are, I think, very clearly indicated in some of the replies of the Medical Officers themselves. With reference to the claim of Apothecaries to be allowed to become candi- dates for the Navy or Army Medical Service, I wish to add that my evidence, of course, only relates to the claim to become a candidate at the examinations, aftei special study at Netley or elsewhere. It occurs to me that it may be said, that in appointments under the Local Government Board, under special sanitary autho- rities, at asylums, and especially at private institutions, such as charitable infirmities and all kinds of hospitals, there is a restriction as to the qualifications to be held by candidates for medical appointments. But in such cases there is no subsequent special examination. The appointments are given on testimonials. But in the case of Naval and Military medical appointments, it is always provided that special tests are applied. Now, in these, not only should medical and surgical know- ledge and experience count; but it is perfectly easy at the examinations to test the educational status of a candidate, especially in reference to his fitness to draw up intelligible and well-expressed reports, to his capa- city in the use of statistics, and to his culture generally. Ali subsequent promotions would assuredly be governed by considerations of this kind. APPENDIX No. 40. Paper handed in by Sir Henry Roscoe, M.P., on Friday December 16th, 1892. {See Question 17,810.) Memorial to the Right Honourable the Earl CowrER, Chairman, Royal Commission on the Gresham University. The undersigned desire hereby respectfully to record their strong opinion that the foundation of a Teaching University for London, without due provision being made for higher Education and original Research, would be unworthy of the Metro- polis, and would entail the neglect of an admirable opportunity for promoting the advancement of Science and Learning. Presidents of Learned Societies, &c. Kelvin, President of the Royal Society. Archibald Giekie, President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Rosse, President of the Royal Dublin Society. Douglas Maclagan, President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. P. A. Abel, President of the Iron and Steel Institute. Geo. Fras. Fitzgerald, President of the Physical Society. W. E. Ayrton, President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers. W. A. Anderson., President of the Institute of Mecha- nical Engineers. Alex. Crum Brown, President of the Chemical Society. Trevor Lawrence, President of the Royal Horticultural Society. M. Carteighe, President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. J. William A. Tilden, President of the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain and Ireland. T. H. Huxley, Ex-President of the Royal Society. Jos. D. Hooker, Ex-President of the Royal Society. William Huggins, Ex-President of the British Associa- tion. Henry E. Roscoe, Ex-President of the British Associa- tion.