Scotland 1681, and in Ireland 1692, freed also from its preceding corruption.

But what is the contrast in these several licensing bodies, as they have each succeeded to the powers previously in authority?

In olden times, when Popes made laws for the control of medicine, with that impious assumption "Heaven is my throne, Earth is my footstool," so we find "indignationem Omnipotentis Dei "* was the rod of their authority, "ubique gentium" the limit of their rule: whereas in these respective medical corporations, whose Royal Charters dared only to extend their contracted powers a few miles into the suburbs of the cities which had given birth to them, so a £5 fine was the weight of their vengeance, a seven-miles range the boundary of their

* "Nulli ergo hominum liceat hanc paginam nostræ institutionis, fundationis, statuti, ordinationis, concessionis, inhibitionis, constitutionis et voluntatis infringere, vel ei ausu temerario contraire. Si quis autem hæc attentare præsumserit, indignationem Omnipotentis Dei, et Beatorum Petri et Pauli, ejus apostolorum, se noverit incursurum." See "Bulla Fundationis Universitatis Sancti Andreæ,' 1413, and others subsequently in 'Reports of Commissioners of the Scotch Universities,' 1837, vol. xxxvi, p. 256.

† See form of diploma, University of Glasgow :- "Et his eum literis Doctorem appellamus et apud omnes haberi et appellari volumus. Eique potestatem damus plenissimam, de re medicâ legendi, docendi, consultandi, scribendi et disputandi omnesque denique

tam theoriæ medicæ quam praxeos actus, ubique gentium, exercendi ; et omnes simul honores, prærogativas omnes, ei concedimus, et privilegia quæ vero Medicinæ Doctori usquam gentium conceduntur aut concedi solent."-"Letters on the Charters of the Scotch Universities,' by J. A. Laurie, M.D., p. 18.

rule.* Long may our time-honoured Universities remain, contending only with those of modern foundation, to disseminate more liberally the seeds of light and learning which they had for too long a period withheld, or but sparingly dispensed. Whilst, however, these are rendered accessible to all, let the various contending Medical Corporations, each freed from its especial corruption, unite in one great body† (as originally purposed), receiving its individual members from all established legitimate sources— gradually extending and assimilating the studies and examinations, whereby the medical education shall be perfected in all the Universities and Colleges which now exist, or may hereafter be erected, on one uniform basis, until a full, perfect, and pure equipment for the purposes for which medicine was created shall be the one and only qualification of every member of the Royal College of Medicine of Great Britain and Ireland.

For the due attainment of these purposes, the education and frequent periodical examinations should be eminently practical, as well as progressive; practical, in that every man shall receive his educa

* See Charter, Royal College of Physicians, powers and privileges here and there subsequently extended. Appendix, 14, 15, 16. "Quod ipsi omnesque homines ejusdem facultatis

sint

in re et nomine unum corpus."-Charter, College of Physicians. Appendix, 16.

"Medicinam quam pro subveniendis humanis languoribus creavit altissimus. See Rot. 32 Henry VI. Appendix, 8.

tion through facts rather than words, impressed on his memory-that the dissecting room, the laboratory, the botanic gardens, and the museum, the out-patient room, the hospital wards, the operating theatre, and the dead house-shall be the scenes of his labours, the sources of impressions, all of which, revised and corrected, modified and digested in the lecture-room and the closet, shall systematically and gradually accumulate to each man, a treasury of facts and realities never to be forgotten; progressive, in that class examinations on every subject, under their respective heads and in their proper seasons, according to a well-arranged curriculum, shall only be preliminary to general sessional examinations, year by year advancing, till finally the admission to the practice of medicine shall no longer literally or pretendedly be to the exclusion of surgery, but that both shall be the "sine quâ non" of every qualified Physician.

Thus, in the true sense of the word, each member of the Medical profession—of this one Faculty-shall prove his title as a graduate of medicine, in having step by step progressed from the lowest to the highest round in the ladder set before him, and whereby alone he can enter the plateau of professional life.

Having attained the last step in this qualification for practice this science of medicine-so, also, by an increased staff of medical officers, and by a wellorganized distribution of labour in our Hospitals,

each man should occupy one year, or at least six months (prior to his entering on the active duties of his profession), under the eye of an experienced physician, pursuing the course prescribed by Hippocrates,* enjoined by the statutes of Salernum,† and noted among the deficiencies in the time of Harvey, that of watching and recording the cases confided to his care during the absence of their respective physicians, who shall confirm or correct the reports thus made at their successive visits. In this manner may be raised up and sent forth an adequate supply of Licentiates, well educated, not only in the science, but in the practice of medicine; who shall thus from the commencement of their career contribute to the safety of the public, and the honour of the profession, whilst at the same time most eminently advancing the purposes of the Hospital, and each his own individual progress in the knowledge of practical medicine.

What valuable records may be compiled, and what inestimable habits ensured, if for every sick

*See antè, pp. 9 et seq.

See Sprengel, tom. ii, p. 364. Antè, p. 27.

"The deficiences which I think good to note, being a few of many, and those such as are of a more open and manifest nature, I will enumerate The first is the discontinuance of the ancient and serious diligence of Hippocrates, which used to set down a narrative of the special cases of his patients and how they proceeded, and how they were judged by recovery or death.". —'Advancement of Learning,' by Lord Bacon,

vol. ii, p. 162, Montague's edition.

person entering our Hospital wards, or the outpatient room, one duly qualified graduate shall be responsible until the death or discharge of his patient for a concise record of the origin, history and symptoms of the disease; the course and effect of the treatment pursued; whereas we have now only our Guy's Hospital Reports,' and the comparatively scanty but meritorious gleanings of our medical press, where, alas, too often the successful cases only find a place, and these (as far as they go) valuable records are sometimes only made the vehicles for selfish purposes, rather than for faithfully recording the unsuccessful as well as the successful cases the defeats as well as the conquests-in these great battle fields.

That which has been effected by the RegistrarGeneral in the inestimable records of Death's work amongst us in the last twenty years, may also be accomplished as to the Physician's work, in these abodes of pain and suffering, by a similar periodical report, which shall contain, not only the victories of the "great enemy" or his occasional repulse in more rare cases, but a full, true, and faithful record of facts, whether for or against each of his deadly emissaries.

If 17 in 1000 is the death-rate to be attained by the removal of preventible diseases, what is the standard to be erected against each of the five great groups-their 17 divisions-and 106 sub-divisions