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West London HospitalThe youngest medical school in London gives pref-

erence to women students. Until 1937 it was a centreof postgraduate teaching, but when the British Post- .graduate Medical School was opened the West Londondecided to become an undergraduate teaching hospital.Many of the staff were called up at the outbreak of war,but there has been time since then to rearrange teachingon a sound basis. The hospital has suffered nothingfrom raids beyond the loss of windows, and it has notbeen necessary to evacuate it or to transfer the schoolto the country. The number of students has fallen tojust over half the normal complement, and the number ofoccupied beds has also been reduced. But there is a goodturnover of cases since a group of patients are transferredevery week to outlying sector hospitals, and the effectiveteaching material is thus maintained quantitatively andqualitatively at pre-war level. One change has beenforced on the school by the destruction of the maternityblock at the West Middlesex County Hospital, wherestudents were wont to take their obstetric course ; theMiddlesex County Council has provided excellentalternative experience at their Bushey Maternity Home.The closing of the pathological department of the WestLondon at the outbreak of war made the teaching ofpathology difficult, but examination results show thatattempts to solve this problem have been successful.Thanks to the cooperation of the coroner, students havebeen able to attend post-mortem examinations at thepublic mortuary and have found the experience to be ofgreat value. It is often assumed that such autopsiesare chiefly of medicolegal interest, but in fact a, high pro-pcrtion of them provide excellent examples of commonpathological conditions. The authorities at the BritishPostgraduate Medical School have also cooperated inpathological teaching, and in addition to two annualcourses of pathology held at the West London advancedinstruction is carried out at the Hammersmith Hospital.Most of the students being women, they have suffered noserious loss of study time from defence duties, but manyof them did voluntary work in the East End sheltersduring the worst air-raid periods.Westminster HospitalUp to the end of 1940 Westminster carried on with

little change in medical education. Then the hospitalwas hit, and after this, as a precaution, no patients wereadmitted for a time. As students were faced with anabsolute dearth of clinical material plans were made forsome of them to work at Staines Emergency Hospitaland a hostel was taken there which would accommodate20 of them at a time. Teaching has been conductedby the Westminster staff and by the Middlesex CountyCouncil and E.M.S. staff of the hospital. It was soonpossible to open some of the Westminster wardsagain, and at present students are doing six months’clinical work at Staines and the rest at Westminster,where lectures, demonstrations and tutorials havecontinued without interruption. They get excellentmidwifery experience under their own teachers atRipley, attending expectant mothers transferred fromthe Westminster district. There is no lack of applicantsto the medical school, which as usual is full to capacity.Students in the final year are excused from civil defenceduties.

UNIVERSITY OF DURHAMThe medical school of the university is at King’s

College, Newcastle-on-Tyne. Before admission to themedical course students must pass or gain exemptionfrom matriculation and the premedical examination inchemistry, physics and biology. The course for the pre-medical examination can be taken at King’s Collegeor at other approved institutions. The student seekingan M.B., B.S. must spend at least three years in residencein the university and must pass, in addition to the pre-medical examination, a second examination in anatomy,physiology, materia medica, pharmacology and pharmacy;a third examination in pathology, bacteriology, publichealth and medical jurisprudence ; and finals in medicine,surgery, midwifery and gynaecology, psychologicalmedicine, ophthalmology, diseases of the skin, ear, nose,and throat, and of children. Clinical training is givenat the Royal Victoria Infirmary, the Princess Mary

Maternity Hospital, the Fleming Memorial Hospital forSick Children, Newcastle-on-Tyne General Hospital,and the City Hospitals for infectious and mental diseases.Resident appointments are available in these hospitalsfor newly qualified men and women.

The degree of M.D. may be obtained by medicalgraduates either by taking an examination or submittinga thesis. The M.S. degree is given on the results of anexamination only. A medical graduate who wishes totake the degree of Doctor of Surgery (D.Ch.) must havespent at least three years in the study of surgery, one ofthem in the university, and not less than six months insurgical study abroad ; and must present a thesis andpass an examination. The university also offers thedegrees of bachelor and doctor of hygiene ; and diplomasin public health and psychiatry. Particulars of regula-tions for all university examinations may be obtainedfrom the Dean of Medicine, the Medical School, New-castle-on-Tyne.The war has caused no direct interruption of work at

King’s College, and A.R.P., air training or S.T.C. dutiesseem to have had no ill effects on students’ studies.Several senior students have taken resident appoint-ments before qualifying, and it seems that such appoint-ments add considerably to their knowledge, the gainbeing reflected in examination results. Students’social and athletic activities have continued undisturbed.

UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM

Students at Birmingham are required to pass fiveprofessional examinations : the first in biplogy, chemistryand physics ; the second in anatomy and physiology;the third in pathology and bacteriology ; the fourth(taken at the end of five years’ work, of which two havebeen spent in hospital) in forensic medicine and toxi-cology, public health and materia medica, pharmacologyand therapeutics ; and the final, which confers the degreeof M.B., Ch.B., in medicine, surgery, midwifery anddiseases of women, mental diseases and ophthalmology.Clinical instruction is given in Birmingham UnitedHospital, comprising the General and the Queen ElizabethHospitals. Many resident appointments are available,and fees and scholarships are unchanged.An M.D. degree is granted to graduates who present

a thesis and pass an examination. Candidates for thedegree of Master of Surgery (Ch.M.) are also required tosubmit a thesis in addition to taking an examination ;if the thesis is of exceptional merit the candidate may bereleased from the whole or part of the examination.The university offers a diploma in public health, but thecourse for this examination is suspended during the war.Particulars of the university regulations may be obtainedfrom the Dean of the Medical Faculty, the MedicalSchool, Hospitals Centre, Birmingham, 15.* *The school is finding it possible to give full clinical

instruction in the Birmingham United Hospital. Severalteachers in the anatomy and physiology departmentsare now on active service, and this has meant thatteaching in these subjects is now concentrated on thepractical aspects. A reader in pharmacology has beenappointed, who will take up his duties during the comingsession. There is no evidence that civil defence dutiesare hindering students in their work ; and physicallytheir well-being has increased rather than diminished.Athletics are practised, not perhaps quite at pre-warlevel, but with relatively little falling off in the standard.

UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL

Students are required to pass the university matricula-tion or an equivalent examination before admission.They must spend three years in the university, but theremaining three years of the course can be spent at anyrecognised university or medical school. Clinical train-ing is given in the Royal Liverpool United Hospital andin five special and two municipal hospitals. Plenty ofresident appointments are available to those qualifying.To obtain the M.B., Ch.B. degree students are required

* The entrance requirements for the Universities of Manchester,Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield and Birmingham have been modifiedsince the beginning of war; they may be obtained from theSecretary, Joint Matriculation Board, 315. Oxford Road, Manchester.The faculty entrance requirements difrer in each case from thoseof the university ; they can be obtained from the Dean of theFaculty of Medicine in each university.