Students Guide

Medical SchoolsPLANS for the-future have no doubt progressed greatly

in all our medical schools since last year ; but manyteachers are still scattered abroad with the Forces,many buildings are still disorganised or out of date, andmedical faculties are waiting to hear the pronouncementsof the Government on the future of the medical services,and of the General Medical Council on the curriculum.We have now seen almost the last of the ebb : this isslack water when boats swing uncertainly at theirmoorings ; but once the tide begins to flow we mayexpect it to sweep medical education towards newhorizons. It seems a good moment to jettison uselessmaterial and stow the cargo afresh.At OXFORD UNIVERSITY, where there are staff and

accommodation to deal comfortably with some 50-60students yearly, the actual entry has been maintainedat over 70-to the limit of the Ministry of Health quota,in fact. Hitherto, most prospective students havecome straight from school, but Service men and womenare already inquiring about places. The faculty canaccept such students within or without the quota, butowing to lack of space and staff, they will have to acceptthem within the quota ; thus competition for placeswill be greater than ever, and the faculty is thereforediscouraging the acceptance of foreign students for thepresent.CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY, having speeded the guests-

Bart’s and Queen Mary College-to whom it has shownsuch friendly hospitality during the war years, will nowhave room to stretch to its full dimensions. Whatplans are being made for the future are still obscure, butno doubt the leaven of Goodenough is working, here aselsewhere.

London SchoolsLONDON UNIVERSITY bears a different relation to its

medical faculty from other universities : where theyhave one school of medicine each, London has the twelveautonomous schools of the teaching hospitals, as well asUniversity, King’s, and Queen Mary Colleges, all of ’whichtake medical students for some part of the course. Inaddition, external students of the university may taketheir clinical training at the West London Hospital,which is not a university school. Since last yearpharmacology has again been made a separate subjectin the second examination for medical degrees, as it wasin 1939. The clinical course is still 30 months andduring the coming session will not be extended to itspeace-time length of 36 months. The additionalexamination will again be held in January. During thepast year the University has arranged that both the firstand second MB examinations shall be conducted intern-ally : that is to say, students from now on will beexamined in their own schools, working at the benchesand with the equipment with which they are familiar.The examinations will be conducted by an internaland a,n external examiner ; and the man who knows thedaily work of the students can help to correct theimpression made by a normally good student who ishaving a bad day with the apparatus and showing topoor advantage. The external examiner’s opinion has,if anything, more weight, however; so there is no fearthat favouritism might bias the issue. The effect ismerely to give the student the best possible chance ofdoing himself justice.Premedical students of UNIVERSITY COLLEGE have

now returned from evacuation to Gower Street. Thosetaking the preclinical course will, by October, havereturned from their evacuation at Leatherhead. Owingto continued occupation, despite many protests, of thegreater part of the useful territory at Gower Street byGovernment departments, the school reports that thework by the faculty of medical sciences will be seriouslyimpeded. KING’S COLLEGE is one of the largest schoolsfor medical studies in London, supplying students to fourhospitals-King’s College Hospital, Charing Cross, St.

George’s, and Westminster. Arrangements are made by

which patients attend the college for clinical demon-strations in applied physiology, by clinicians. Thescientific departments fortunately escaped serious dam-age, though the refectory arrangements have been muchimpaired. It is hoped to be able to reopen the students’hostel at Champion Hill in October. Q-crBBN MARYCOLLEGE, after a long and pleasant exile in Cambridge, willreturn to its London buildings next October, and willrevert to its pre-war customs. It will prepare LondonHospital medical students for the first MB and pre-medical examinations, and with greater accommodationat its disposal will accept numbers of students compar-able to those in pre-war years.

St. BARTHOLOMEW’S MEDICAL COLLEGE will returnduring the year 1945-46 to many of its peace-timearrangements. Temporary repairs to the war-damagedpreclinical school are being carried out now, and pre-clinical students will again be housed in their own collegeearly in 1946, after more than six years’ hospitality fromthe University of Cambridge. By that time most ofthe clinical teachers will have returned from the sectorhospitals. Throughout the war some clinical studentshave worked at the parent hospital. From October,1945, a greater number of beds will become available inBarts, with a corresponding reduction in the numbersin use outside London. By the end of the academic yearall but a very small part of clinical studies will be carriedon in the hospital itself. Plans have been made toprovide additional registrar appointments for menreturning from the Forces, whose education has beeninterrupted. The hospital authorities hope to arrangean increase in-the whole-time teaching staff. They arealso planning towards the founding of two new chairs,one in radiotherapeutics, the other in pharmacology andexperimental medicine.CHARING CROSS HOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL will re-

assemble as a complete unit in October. In the comingyear it is hoped to repair -bomb damage and to completethe departments of anatomy and physiology. In that*event the departments would be reopened in October,1946, when women would again be admitted to the school.For the more distant future plans are under considera-tion for the rebuilding and enlargement of the school andhospital on the new site at Harrow and for the creationof a medical teaching centre along the lines of theGoodenough report in cooperation with Middlesexcounty council.At St. GEORGE’S HOSPITAL arrangements for’ clinical

teaching have in the main been unaltered during the.current year. Midwifery, fevers, and insanity have beenthe only subjects conducted extramurally. The Atkin-son-Morley branch has continued to provide specialcourses in neurosurgery and gastric diseases. There havealso’been 12-20 beds for paediatrics there. In conformitywith the decision of the University of London and of theGoodenough report a few women students, the numberbeing strictly limited by the accommodation available,have been accepted for clinical studies this October.The London surveyors’ report on hospital services inLondon has recommended that the new St. George’sbe built south of the river. Negotiations have naturallybeen active throughout the year, and it is hoped that asite will be acquired which will be large enough toimplement all the recommendations of the Goodenoughreport and leave ample space for future developments.There are advantages in being attached to a hospitalwhich fate has decreed should be moved, for despite thesentimental wrench opportunities should arise of pro-viding one of the finest hospitals and medical schools.

GUY’s HOSPITAL is making every effort to get teachingon to a peace-time basis. Already several members of Jthe teaching staff have been released from the Servicesand more are expected during the next few months.Once an adequate staff is again available the greatproblem will be to provide sufficient beds at Guy’s ornear it to replace the EMS beds now used for teachingat Farnborough, Pembury, and Orpington. Already thewards in the old surgical block are being reconditioned

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and it is hoped to open one or two of them this month,.but it is not clear yet how many beds will eventuallybecome available at Guy’s. The preclinical school hasbeen working to capacity during the year and owingto enemy action at the London School of Medicinefor Women facilities were provided at Guy’s during thespring and summer terms for about 100 preclinicalwomen students. Applications for admission here, aselsewhere, are numerous, but the quota maintainsadmissions at the pre-war level.

KING’S COLLEGE HOSPITAL at the end of the Europeanwar is in the fortunate position of being only slightlydamaged by enemy action, and from that point of viewwould soon be able to resume its full activities as ateaching hospital. There is, however, a great deal ofrepair and redecoration to be done which is being heldup, as with other places, owing to shortage of labour,and even if this were put right, there is still the difficultproblem of being able to fully run all the beds that mightbe available owing to the shortage of domestics. It ishoped during the coming year that the school willgradually move back from the outlying hospitals ; andit is proposed as a start that students in their- firstclinical year should do their elementary course in clinicalmedicine and pathology at King’s College Hospital,later going for their second year to Horton and afterthat back to King’s for their outpatient and specialdepartment work. Great stress has always been laidon the tutorial classes, taken by tutors in the variousaspects of medicine. Industrial medicine has latelybeen brought into the curriculum, a course of lecturesbeing taken by the medical officer of a large industrialfirm ; this course includes visits to a factory..

During the coming academic year the LONDON HOSPITALMEDICAL COLLEGE hopes to have access to 600 beds at theparent hospital as well as 300 beds at the Brentwoodannexe, which is to be retained for the next five years.More beds will thus be available than there were beforethe war. Cases which are not specially suitable for theteaching of students will go to Brentwood, and theparent hospital will thus have as many effective teachingcases as there are beds. Children will mainly be treatedin the annexe, and students will make frequent excursions to the annexe to see these and other cases. Other-wise they will work at the London Hospital for generalexperience, and at nearby hospitals for midwifery. Thecourse in mental diseases will be taken at Claybury Hos-pital, and that in infections diseases at the Eastern. It ishoped that arrangements can be made for students tolive at the fever hospital for a time and so get experiencein diagnosing early cases of infectious disease.At ST. MARY’S HOSPITALS, the centenary celebrations

have brought a considerable sum towards the fund forrebuilding the hospital, and it is expected that by theautumn a quarter of a million pounds will have beenbeen collected. The school and the pathology institutewere recently rebuilt completely, and some parts of thehospital were put up only a few years ago ; thus when theolder parts have been rebuilt the entire hospital will beup to date and well equipped for its task. Teaching islikely to develop along the lines set out in the educationalreport of the Royal College of Physicians ; thus, thoughmore use will be made of films and other technical aids,the primary aims will be to strip the curriculum ofunnecessary detail and to find ways of making studentsthink out things for themselves.The preclinical school of the MIDDLESEX HOSPITAL

returned to London two years ago. Students in theclinical years do most of their work at the parent hospital,but spend three-month periods in the sector hospitals atAylesbury, Northwood, and the Central Middlesex CountyHospital. Some have taken part of their training at theRoyal Hospital, Wolverhampton. These arrangementshave worked well on the whole, though the students havebeen a little hampered by being out of touch with theirown library and museum. No important changes havebeen made in the past year, but in the coming session it ishoped that more appointments at the parent hospital canbe offered to students in the clinical years, and that intime all the students will be able to do their full coursein town. War damage will soon be repaired, but short-age of domestic staff is preventing the opening of morewards, and hence reflecting on the training of students.

During the past session, the LONDON SCHOOL OFMEDICINE FOR WOMEN has been full. Though the work of’both the clinical and preclinical students was disturbed bybomb damage at both the Royal Free Hospital and theschool, work was not interrupted. In July, JU44, thehospital was hit and one wing of the hospital was com-pletely demolished by a flying bomb. The day after, theschool had a generous offer of help from the CentralLondon Ophthalmic Hospital, which lent 22 beds forteaching while the European hostilities lasted. TheMinistry of Health allowed the school to use more civilianbeds at Arlesey Base Hospital. Some of the students werealready working at Wellhouse Hospital, Barnet, andOster House Hospital, St. Albans, so the urgent need forbeds for clinical students was met. In February theschool buildings in Hunter Street were considerablydamaged by a rocket, and there is little hope that thebuilding will be ready for teaching purposes by thebeginning of next session. Again generous help wasoffered quickly, and in a few days Royal Free studentswere being taught at St. Mary’s and at Guy’s Hospitals,and at the Examination Hall Queen Square. Arrange-ments have been made for students to continue to work atthese centres until the school buildings are in use again.An acute problem has been presented during the lastfew years by the large number of applicants for admissionto the school. Last year more than 500 women appliedfor the quota of 100 places allowed by the Ministry ofHealth, and the selection was difficult. This year a newplan was tried: an entrance examination, on the lines of ageneral knowledge and intelligence test, was held, and aselected number of the best candidates were interviewedby members of the staff. In this way 100 candidatesfor entry next October were chosen. The difficulty isthat there are not enough places for women desirous ofstudying medicine at the present moment. s

In January the wartime premises of ST. THOMAS’SHOSPITAL MEDICAL SCHOOL at Godalming were evacuated,the premedical and preclinical departments returning toLondon where their old home had been restored wellenough for full teaching to be resumed on the pre-warscale. The clinical periods, early and late, are centred onLondon; the inpatient dressing and clerking appointmentsat St. Thomas’s Hospital, Hydestile. The 200 beds atSt. Thomas’s in London will be increased in the nearfuture ; meanwhile the necessarily rapid turnover allows

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students to see a greater number of cases than they couldin peace-time before the war. This is a great advantagein view of the shortening to 30 months of the clinicalstudies by the examining bodies-particularly as theexamining bodies seem unable to agree on a schedule ofstudies applicable to all. Every effort is made to usemechanical methods-such as epidiascopes and films-to help students to absorb knowledge, without allowingthem to think learning can be merely mechanical. Inclinical teaching it is held to be fundamental that thestudent must learn how.to record the notes of cases underhis care, realise that physical signs are the all-importantfactors in the examination of a patient, and that inaddi-tion to and in spite of ancillary investigations, the doctorshould " develop eyes in his finger-tips." There is eyer-growing correlation between preclinical and ’clinicalteaching, based largely on the obvious fact that illness isnormal physiology gone astray.UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL AND MEDICAL SCHOOL

are profoundly thankful to report that they have comethrough the European War with little to show in theway of structural damage. The school has been back inLondon so long that the inconveniences of evacuationhave almost been forgotten. Shortage of personnel inalmost every sphere of hospital activity is, however, aconstant reminder that the world war is only just over,and it is not possible for the moment to proceed very far3ivith those readjustments of medical education whichare envisaged for the future.With the close of the war in the European area

WESTMINSTER, HOSPITAL students returned to their ownschool and now receive the whole of their clinical instruc-tion at the parent hospital, except for their midwiferypractice which is still undertaken at Walton-on-Thames.The hospital authorities hope that the Emergency Medi-cal Service beds will soon be returned to them, so that themedical and surgical units and the special departments

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can take up their full duties. The hospital in its presentform had only been open for two months before thedeclaration of war, and has never had the chance to fulfil 1the purpose for which it was designed. The school takes120 clinical students and is not prepared to increasethese numbers until further clinical facilities are obtainedby affiliation with neighbouring hospitals. One or twoof the senior honorary staff are returning, but there isstill great difficulty in providing the full complement ofstaff. Until the balance between teaching staff andstudents is restored the authorities are not prepared toadmit large numbers of students and thus sacrificequality for quantity. Applicants are more numerousthan ever ; and each candidate is given opportunity tocompete. for a pisfce. It is hoped soon to establish aprofessorial unit in pathology, since a thorough know-ledge of this subject is essential to progress in all branchesof clinical work. The clubs of the Students’ Union arehighly active now that all the students have returnedfrom the periphery and social life can be resumed.The WEST LONDON HOSPITAL continues to serve a

useful purpose in training women medical students inLondon. Unfortunately it has not so far been made aschool of London University, so that its students stillhave to take an external degree. With a 3-acre site forrebuilding and valuable associations with local municipalhospitals, this school might well develop considerablyand continue to do good work at a time when opportuni-ties for the medical training of women are so inadequatethat many yearly give up hope of becoming doctors.The amenities of the school, even with the accommoda-tion already available, are better than those in some ofthe more central London teaching schools, where space isat a premium. Much of the hospital has been rebuilt inrecent years, and further development will follow whenplans become something more than a blueprint. Ulti-mately it is hoped that this will become a mixed teachingschool with a complement of 450 beds on the spot, andaccess to many more in neighbouring hospitals. Duringthe war, teaching-here as elsewhere-was handi-capped by lack of staff, but teachers have made up inkeenness for their lack of numbers, and a high proportionof successes in examinations have rewarded theirexertions and those of the students.The SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY of the ROYAL DENTAL

HOSPITAL of London admits students who have passedtheir science examination in zoology, botany, physics,and chemistry. They take courses in dental mechanics,metallurgy, and special anatomy for the first two years,and during this time they’ also study general anatomyand physiology. The anatomy and physiology courses areheld at King’s College in the Strand. For general medi-cine and surgery the students attend clinics at CharingCross Hospital. There are also dental schools at Guy’s,University College Hospital, King’s College Hospital, andthe London, but the other London medical schools offerno organised teaching for dental students ; medicalstudents of those schools, however, who wished to studydentistry could, of course, be credited with the generalcourses they had taken there.

Other English SchoolsThe UNIVERSITY OF Dult,rar2 has appointed a whole-

time professor of surgery, and hopes to build up thedepartment of surgery under his direction. At themedical school-which is situated at Kings College,Newcastle-on-Tyne-courses have been little affected inthe past year. The final examination is still being heldsix months earlier than usual, but there is every hopethat the full curriculum will soon be resumed. Thedemand for entry is still very high, and many studentsfrom overseas are seeking admission ; they come notonly from the Dominions and Colonies, but from Euro-pean countries ; and it seems possible that the numbersof entrants to medical education may increase con-

siderably now the war is ended. "

At BIRMINGHAM UNIVERSITY * there have been no- outstanding changes in routine work of the medicalschool. This, like other schools, has been carrying onwith a much-depleted overworked willing staff. Duringthe coming session it is hoped that teachers returningfrom the Services will restore the strength, and that itwill be possible to develop the school on a new post-war

pattern, embodying many of the suggestions of theGoodenough report. An early step will be to establishchairs in medicine, surgery, gynaecology, and paediatrics : -,but this, like other fresh developments, must dependon the help the school receives from the Treasury, sincethe university has no funds to finance these departments.

There have been no notable changes at LIVERPOOLUNIVERSITY,* except that the courses and examinationsfor the DPH are to be restored next session. TheM Ch Orth course will also be resumed in October, butthe DMRE as originally constituted will not be availableto students in the coming session, and it seems unlikelythat the DTM and DTH courses will be held this year.At MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY * a new department of

Industrial Medicine has been established, and a chairwill be founded in association with it next October. Ithas not yet been possible to resume any of the diplomacourses, but a dean of postgraduate medical studies hasbeen appointed, with a committee to help him, and plansare being made for refresher courses for demobiliseddoctors. The university has shown its interest in thenursing situation by instituting a certificate course forsister tutors, which will begin this autumn.

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In the past year the most noteworthy change in the °

medical course at the .UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS* has beenthe reversion to the 3-year clinical period. The shortenedclinical period of 30 months, introduced as a war-timemeasure, has had fair trial but has proved to- be so farfrom satisfactory that it has been given up at the earliestpossible moment. The preclinical course has beenunchanged during the past 4 years, but the 3 months’course in pharmacology, pathology, and bacteriologywhich was to have been interpolated between the secondMB examination and the start of clinical work is not tobe introduced yet, since plans for a more drastic revisionof the curriculum are under consideration. The teachingstaff is in the main in sympathy with the proposals ofthe Goodenough Committee, and many of these proposalswere in fact already embodied in’the university’s post-war plans before it appeared ; but some little time mustelapse before they can be put into effect. Additionalbuildings and increased staff will be needed. The

principle of instituting full-time chairs in clinical subjectshas been accepted, and appointments will be made assoon as convenient. Thanks to the generosity of theNuffield Trust, an early step will be the institution of acomplete psychiatric unit with a whole-time professorin charge. Meanwhile the DPM course is still in abey-ance ; and the DPH course is also suspended, but willbe resumed as soon as conditions permit. Plans havebeen made to provide postgraduate courses for medicalpractitioners released from the Services and will be heldin the teaching hospitals and in other hospitals in thearea. During the war, the honours degree in science,taken in addition to medical degrees, was in abeyance.Approved medical students will now be permitted totake an honours science course and B Sc degree inanatomy, physiology, pharmacology, and biochemistry.The university has also agreed to provide science coursesfor students of dietetics preparing to take the diplomaawarded by Leeds General Infirmary. The first coursewill begin in September.At the UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD* the summer-vaca-

tion term, introduced as a war measure, will be givenup this year. No changes have yet been made in the ..

curriculum, though staff and students have been busilystudying the Goodenough report. The appointment of afull-time professor of medicine has been approved andapplications for the post invited, and the development ofa comprehensive department of medicine will follow. Thenext move is the establishment of a department of childhealth, in which the municipal authority and the SheffieldChildren’s Hospital have agreed to cooperate with the

The entrance requirements for the Universities of Manchester,Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, and Birmingham are laid downin the pamphlet Qualifications for entry upon a degree courseincluding the TVar Emergency Regulations, copies of which maybe obtained from the Secretary to the Board, 315, OxfordRoad, Manchester, 13. The War Emergency Regulations willbe withdrawn on Dec. 1, 1947, but any candidate satisfyingthose regulations before that date will be qualified to enter

- upon a degree course at any time. Additional faculty require-ments may be imposed ; details can be obtained from the deanof the faculty of medicine in each university.

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university. Extensive plans for further improvementshave been drawn up, but lack of accommodation and ofstaff prevent their development at present.At BRISTOL 13 NiVERSlTY conditions are much the same

as they were last year. The clinical part of the cur-riculum is still compressed owing to the continued needof medical officers by the Services. The course andexaminations for the diploma in public health are stillin abeyance. The- university is already beginning toreceive applications for admission to the medical coursefrom those leaving the Services and from returningprisoners of war, and the pressure, on accommodationis expected to become severe in the next year or two.

. Other Schools in the United KingdomThe WELSH NATIONAL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, like other

Medical Schools’, is still labouring under staffing diffi-culties, but these have not been allowed to interfere withthe instruction of students. It has not been possibleto increase the number of admissions owing to lack ofaccommodation, and the number of students in eachyear of the medical course varies from 40 to 50. Of 37students entering for their final qualifying examinationsthis year, 26 completed the degrees of MB, B Ch (Wales).There were more than enough to take the vacant houseappointments in the teaching hospitals associated withthe school ; about half of them were able to get postsin hospitals outside Cardiff. During their final year,6-10 students are posted to teaching hospitals as studenthouse officers, with* benefit to both parties. The patho-logy and bacteriology courses now extend over the wholeof the fourth and fifth years of training. During thesixth year, a special course in clinical pathology isprovided. It is hoped that eventually funds may be pro-vided from the Government and from private sources, fora new fully equipped medical school suitable for modernteaching. Additional accommodation "will be neededin all departments. The school will cooperate in thescheme of postgraduate education for demobilisedmedical officers. It is hoped that the postgraduatecourses in public health and tuberculosis will be resumedas soon as possible.A chair in mental health is about to be established at

ABERDEEN UNIVERSITY, and plans are being laid toensure that the holder will work in association with all the,hospitals in the teaching centre. The special problemat Aberdeen, as in other Scottish schools, is not so muchto establish whole-time professorships as to provideadequate numbers of lecturers and assistants. Theseare not likely to be forthcoming until demobilisation iswell advanced. As elsewhere, plans have been made toprovide refresher courses for doctors returning from theServices, and an effort has been made to prepare for theneeds of the two groups-the young practitioners whowent into the Services soon after qualifying, and thosewho have had some years in practice before they werecalled up.At EDINBURGH UNIVERSITY many plans are maturing.

The whole question of the curriculum will be reconsideredin the light of the recommendations which the GeneralMedical Council will make in due course following thepublication of the Goodenough report. The diplomain medical radiology is being continued this year underthe old regulations, but in 1946 it will probably bedivided into two parts-radiodiagnosis and radio-

therapy. So far no arrangements have been made torestore the other diploma courses. The faculty realisethe importance of resuming the DPH as soon as possible,and had hoped to do so in October. But lack of staffmakes postgraduate teaching difficult ; and the regula-tions for the DPH are being reviewed by the Society ofMedical Officers of Health, and their recommendationswill have to go to the General Medical Council for con-sideration. It seems unlikely that any new curriculumwould be agreed on in time to be introduced in October.Large numbers of candidates still apply for admissionto the medical school ; this year there were 900 applica-tions, almost entirely from those just finishing theirschool education. Former students, now on Service,will be reinstated when they are released, and if inaddition large numbers of demobilised men and womenwish to begin n. medical training the position is likely tobe difficult. ’..

SURGEONS HALL, the school of medicine of the RoyalColleges of Edinburgh, is a teaching body only, andholds no professional examinations of its own ; it offerscourses for the qualifying examinations of the Scottish,English, and Irish Conjoint Boards. The school is nota part of the university.At GLASGOW UNIVERSITY, despite the absence of

many members of the staff on Service, and the additionalload which has to be borne by those who remain, it hasbeen possible to continue teaching on normal lines. Theshortening of the curriculum by 3 months, instituted in1943 in response to Government requests, is achievedwith little disturbance of formal instruction. A notableevent during the year has been the-establishment of a,subdepartment of industrial health. This has beenpossible owing to the generosity of the Nuffield Founda,-tion, and in view of the opportunities offered by thisdensely populated industrial district, and the promisesof cooperation received from industry, the new ventureshould develop rapidly. The course for the DPH, stis-pended since 1942, will be restored as soon as permissionis granted, and arrangements have been made for thepostgraduate training of demobilised medical officers.The numbers of fresh applicants for undergraduateinstruction show no signs of diminishing.The extramural schools at Glasgow, ANDERSON COLLEGE

and ST. MUNGO’S COLLEGE, offer courses in preparationfor the examinations of the licensing boards and theuniversities.

Every final-year student of the UNIVERSITY OF ST.ANDREWS has held a resident hospital post. Hospitalshave applied for many more of these clinical clerks thanthe dean was able to supply; and only favourableaccounts have been received of their work in hospital.The university reverted to the peace-time pattern in itsexaminations last year, and since then students havebeen taking their final examination after 33 months ofclinical study instead of the war-time 30.

During the past year there have been no major changesin the courses and examinations leading to the degreesin medicine, surgery, and midwifery in .TRINITY COLLEGE,UNIVERSITY OF DUBLIN, nor is it probable (pace Good-enough) that, in the near future, the time required toobtain a medical qualification will be reduced. Problemsof staffing will remain acute until Director-Generalscan be persuaded to release members of the staff now-serving in Germany, Italy, India, and elsewhere. A fewstudents whose careers were interrupted by otheractivities have returned, and many others are expected.Courses for the DPH, which have not been held forfive years, will not be resumed until the new curriculumis available, but courses for the DGO and DPM are stillin operation.The SCHOOLS OF SURGERY, including Carmichael and

Ledwich Schools, are attached by charter to the RoyalCollege of Surgeons in Ireland. Students are admittedby competition in the preliminary examination, and theschools accept women as well as men. The preclinicalstudy of physiology now includes special practicalclasses in which students, working on each other, aretaught the use of instruments and methods used in theexamination of the peripheral neuromuscular, cardio-vascular, respiratory, digestive, and central nervous

systems, of the skin, eye, and ear, and of the effects ofexercise. An electrocardiograph and a small X-rayscreening apparatus are among the equipment used.At the operative surgery class a course in the practicaluse of splints, plaster, and bandages has been included.

There has been, since before the war, a steady increasein medical entrants at UNIVERSITY COLLEGE, DUBLIN.This increase has been accentuated during the war, andthe problem of meeting the needs of these students, forwhose services on graduation there will be ample scope,is not easy. It seemed at first that this might be merelya temporary difficulty, but it shows no sign of abatingand it has become necessary to limit admissions.University College contemplates this policy with someregret for the quality of students seems to improve, andsome are bound to be excluded who would make veryuseful members of the profession.At the UNIVERSITY COLLEGES OF CORK and GALWAY

the work of the medical schools has proceeded a.s usual.