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RETIREMENT OF PROFESSOR COOPER FROM THE CHAIR OF SURGERY AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. — FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE SURGICAL CLASS.
459 Your correspondent also states that "Sir W. Burnett, the Council my resignation of it. This determination was forced Medical Director-General, is decidedly opposed to any change upon me nearly three months since-not entirely by considerthese being made in the present position of the assistant surgeons." ations of my health, nor by any inability to continue been conhad same the of assistance irreconcileable with the statement is this lectures, only degree utterly Why, Sir, evidence given by Sir William before the Naval and Military ceded to me which was allowed in Mr. Liston’s lifetime. It Commission, on Tuesday, the 19th March, 1839. Any one is needless to trouble you with all the little details relating to
who will take the trouble of reading the report of that evidence will find, that more than once during the course of his examination, the Physician-General recommended the removal of the assistant surgeons to the wardroom; and towards the conclusion of his evidence, he states in a paper which he handed in, "the remedy for these evils is, in my opinion, to place the medical department of the navy exactly on the same footing as that of the army,-that is, to allow the assistant surgeons to mess in the ward-room or gun-room, as the case may be,-to allow them to enjoy the rank and privileges of a subaltern officer, as given them by the order in council of January,1805." The evils for which Sir William prescribed this remedy were the difficulties he found in procuring assistant surgeons. See his reply to query 2582: part of it is as follows-" There have been erased from the list for not serving, when called upon to serve, 175 assistant surgeons." Sir, I am one of the number; I declined serving because I could not submit to endurethe humiliating and degraded condition which, as an assistant surgeon, I occupied. I know that several other assistant surgeons acted as I did, and from the same cause; I also know that very many young medical men of talent and of promise, declined entering the naval service because of the miserable condition of the assistant surgeon, and I have myself considered it a duty I owe to the profession to dissuade, by all the means in my power, from entering the navy, any young medical man who applied to me for advice and information respecting it.-" Haud ignarus mali miseris succurrere didici." Sir, I think I have made it almost certain that the Physician-General does not entertain the sentiments attributed to him; most certain it is that such were not his opinions on Tuesday, the 19th day of March, 1839; and if, since that period, "a change has come o’er the spirit of his dream," I can only say that, for his sake, I regret it. I do not think that anything can very long retard the removal of the naval assistant surgeon to the ward-room-not even the opinion of the " whole body of naval surgeons, almost without an exception;" no, nor the " decided opposition of the Medical Director-General." The concluding advice given by 11 a Captain R.N." " to avoid, in all their subsequent letters, all disparaging comparisons with the junior branches of the executive," is sound and good,-it is kind and friendly,-and it assures me that the writer is sincere in the expression of his wishes that the assistant surgeons should be placed in their proper position in the service. For my own part, I have, on various occasions, advocated the claims of the assistant surgeons, through the medium of the public press. Your columns have more than once contained letters from me on the subject; other periodicals have also done me the honour to give a place to observations from me regarding it; and I will venture to say, without fear of contradiction, that in all I have written, not one word disparaging any class in the service can be found. Hoping you will give a place to these observations, I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, MICHAEL HEALY, HEALY, M.D., Fellow of the College of Surgeons in Ireland. Ennis, Ireland, 1848.
RETIREMENT
OF PROFESSOR COOPER FROM OF SURGERY AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. — FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE SURGICAL CLASS. GENTLEMEN,—Having arrived at the conclusion of this course of lectures, I have the agreeable duty of thanking you for the respectful attention which you have invariably paid to my endeavours to convey to you correct views of the principles of scientific and practical surgery. To such of you as have now completed your professional studies, and are about to leave this medical school, I wish every possible success in the upright practice of a most useful and liberal profession; while to others who have to remain here some time longer to be qualified for examination, I reTHE CHAIR
commend the
praiseworthy industry,
the
exemplary
perse-
verance, and the good moral conduct, for which the students of
University College have always been distinguished. After having occupied this chair of surgery for the long space of seventeen years, I shall, in a few days, tender to the
this matter. Suffice it to say, that my resolution was founded upon the impossibility of any agreement between me and two of my colleagues (the two who almost rule the medical end of this institution) on certain points affecting the claims of gentlemen brought up at this school, not to be forgotten in the distribution of its patronage; and also involving, as it appears to meand a large body in the profession, the character of the College itself. This medical school has now been in operation twenty-three amongst the vast number of gentlemen who have been educated at it, there are some of the most promising and best informed men in the profession-highly qualified to perform any medical or surgical duty, however difficult. If this be true, the plan of sending for strangers to fill professional offices in this place is not only unnecessary and unfair, but a serious discouragement to those who strive hard to gain the highest honours in the school. I have therefore expressed, on several occasions, the strongest disapprobation of this system. I speak as plainly now as I would have done to the Council itself, had the occasion presented itself. Gentlemen, having incidentally mentioned the name of Professor Liston, I might appear deficient in a proper regard for his sterling and original merit, if I were to neglect this opportunity of publicly expressing the high estimation in which his surpassing abilities in operative and practical surgery were held by me; how sincerely I deplore the loss of my late colleague, and the apprehension in my mind that it will be long before another Liston will appear in this or any other medical school of the kingdom. In taking leave of you, with my best wishes for your prosperity, I have one favour to ask, which is, that you will allow me to go home quietly, and not assemble and shout at the College gate, on any account whatsoever. I shall esteem you the more for dispensing with this and every other mob-like proceeding, to which there are several objections. The poor patients in the hospital might be disturbed by your vociferations ; and, in these Chartist times, a false alarm might readily be caused in the neighbourhood, so as to bring out very unnecessarily some of the newly-sworn special constables. But, supposing not a single human being were to be frightened, my horses, I fear, might not know what to make of the years; and
business.
Gentlemen, I again wish you through life. Feb.
6,
every
happiness
and
success
1848.
*,,* We have re-published this article from the Medical Gazette of last week, although a communication of import appeared in the last LANCET, p. 428.--ED. L.
a
similar
’,
THE CHAIR OF SURGERY IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. ’1’0 the Editor
SIR,—The
0/ iHE .LANCET.
excellent observations in your last number on the retirement of Professor Cooper from the chair of surgery will be received with pleasure by every one having the true interest of the college at heart. It argues but ill for the in. ternal management of the affairs of the college, that a gentleman, respected alike for his talents and success as a teacher, and his unvarying kindness as a friend, should, after ably occupying the chair for seventeen years, be compelled to resign by the intriguing of men who have become connected with the institution at a comparatively recent period. You have only done justice to the former students in describing the kind regard which exists between them and their teacher, and I may confidently say, was more marked in the case of Mr. Cooper than of any other of his colleagues; in fact, he was uniformly looked up to as the father of the college, and I hope measures will be taken to convey to him the feelings of his old pupils, and the indignation with which they regard the insult to which he has been subjected. It is only a few weeks since--during the discussion respecting the appointment of Mr. Syme-one of your correspondents predicted the events which have so soon occurred. Although it was well known that secret influence had for some time been at work in the council, it could scarcely have been expected that its purport would so soon become evident. It will be
who will take the trouble of reading the report of that evidence will find, that more than once during the course of his examination, the Physician-General recommended the removal of the assistant surgeons to the wardroom; and towards the conclusion of his evidence, he states in a paper which he handed in, "the remedy for these evils is, in my opinion, to place the medical department of the navy exactly on the same footing as that of the army,-that is, to allow the assistant surgeons to mess in the ward-room or gun-room, as the case may be,-to allow them to enjoy the rank and privileges of a subaltern officer, as given them by the order in council of January,1805." The evils for which Sir William prescribed this remedy were the difficulties he found in procuring assistant surgeons. See his reply to query 2582: part of it is as follows-" There have been erased from the list for not serving, when called upon to serve, 175 assistant surgeons." Sir, I am one of the number; I declined serving because I could not submit to endurethe humiliating and degraded condition which, as an assistant surgeon, I occupied. I know that several other assistant surgeons acted as I did, and from the same cause; I also know that very many young medical men of talent and of promise, declined entering the naval service because of the miserable condition of the assistant surgeon, and I have myself considered it a duty I owe to the profession to dissuade, by all the means in my power, from entering the navy, any young medical man who applied to me for advice and information respecting it.-" Haud ignarus mali miseris succurrere didici." Sir, I think I have made it almost certain that the Physician-General does not entertain the sentiments attributed to him; most certain it is that such were not his opinions on Tuesday, the 19th day of March, 1839; and if, since that period, "a change has come o’er the spirit of his dream," I can only say that, for his sake, I regret it. I do not think that anything can very long retard the removal of the naval assistant surgeon to the ward-room-not even the opinion of the " whole body of naval surgeons, almost without an exception;" no, nor the " decided opposition of the Medical Director-General." The concluding advice given by 11 a Captain R.N." " to avoid, in all their subsequent letters, all disparaging comparisons with the junior branches of the executive," is sound and good,-it is kind and friendly,-and it assures me that the writer is sincere in the expression of his wishes that the assistant surgeons should be placed in their proper position in the service. For my own part, I have, on various occasions, advocated the claims of the assistant surgeons, through the medium of the public press. Your columns have more than once contained letters from me on the subject; other periodicals have also done me the honour to give a place to observations from me regarding it; and I will venture to say, without fear of contradiction, that in all I have written, not one word disparaging any class in the service can be found. Hoping you will give a place to these observations, I am, Sir, your very obedient servant, MICHAEL HEALY, HEALY, M.D., Fellow of the College of Surgeons in Ireland. Ennis, Ireland, 1848.
RETIREMENT
OF PROFESSOR COOPER FROM OF SURGERY AT UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. — FAREWELL ADDRESS TO THE SURGICAL CLASS. GENTLEMEN,—Having arrived at the conclusion of this course of lectures, I have the agreeable duty of thanking you for the respectful attention which you have invariably paid to my endeavours to convey to you correct views of the principles of scientific and practical surgery. To such of you as have now completed your professional studies, and are about to leave this medical school, I wish every possible success in the upright practice of a most useful and liberal profession; while to others who have to remain here some time longer to be qualified for examination, I reTHE CHAIR
commend the
praiseworthy industry,
the
exemplary
perse-
verance, and the good moral conduct, for which the students of
University College have always been distinguished. After having occupied this chair of surgery for the long space of seventeen years, I shall, in a few days, tender to the
this matter. Suffice it to say, that my resolution was founded upon the impossibility of any agreement between me and two of my colleagues (the two who almost rule the medical end of this institution) on certain points affecting the claims of gentlemen brought up at this school, not to be forgotten in the distribution of its patronage; and also involving, as it appears to meand a large body in the profession, the character of the College itself. This medical school has now been in operation twenty-three amongst the vast number of gentlemen who have been educated at it, there are some of the most promising and best informed men in the profession-highly qualified to perform any medical or surgical duty, however difficult. If this be true, the plan of sending for strangers to fill professional offices in this place is not only unnecessary and unfair, but a serious discouragement to those who strive hard to gain the highest honours in the school. I have therefore expressed, on several occasions, the strongest disapprobation of this system. I speak as plainly now as I would have done to the Council itself, had the occasion presented itself. Gentlemen, having incidentally mentioned the name of Professor Liston, I might appear deficient in a proper regard for his sterling and original merit, if I were to neglect this opportunity of publicly expressing the high estimation in which his surpassing abilities in operative and practical surgery were held by me; how sincerely I deplore the loss of my late colleague, and the apprehension in my mind that it will be long before another Liston will appear in this or any other medical school of the kingdom. In taking leave of you, with my best wishes for your prosperity, I have one favour to ask, which is, that you will allow me to go home quietly, and not assemble and shout at the College gate, on any account whatsoever. I shall esteem you the more for dispensing with this and every other mob-like proceeding, to which there are several objections. The poor patients in the hospital might be disturbed by your vociferations ; and, in these Chartist times, a false alarm might readily be caused in the neighbourhood, so as to bring out very unnecessarily some of the newly-sworn special constables. But, supposing not a single human being were to be frightened, my horses, I fear, might not know what to make of the years; and
business.
Gentlemen, I again wish you through life. Feb.
6,
every
happiness
and
success
1848.
*,,* We have re-published this article from the Medical Gazette of last week, although a communication of import appeared in the last LANCET, p. 428.--ED. L.
a
similar
’,
THE CHAIR OF SURGERY IN UNIVERSITY COLLEGE. ’1’0 the Editor
SIR,—The
0/ iHE .LANCET.
excellent observations in your last number on the retirement of Professor Cooper from the chair of surgery will be received with pleasure by every one having the true interest of the college at heart. It argues but ill for the in. ternal management of the affairs of the college, that a gentleman, respected alike for his talents and success as a teacher, and his unvarying kindness as a friend, should, after ably occupying the chair for seventeen years, be compelled to resign by the intriguing of men who have become connected with the institution at a comparatively recent period. You have only done justice to the former students in describing the kind regard which exists between them and their teacher, and I may confidently say, was more marked in the case of Mr. Cooper than of any other of his colleagues; in fact, he was uniformly looked up to as the father of the college, and I hope measures will be taken to convey to him the feelings of his old pupils, and the indignation with which they regard the insult to which he has been subjected. It is only a few weeks since--during the discussion respecting the appointment of Mr. Syme-one of your correspondents predicted the events which have so soon occurred. Although it was well known that secret influence had for some time been at work in the council, it could scarcely have been expected that its purport would so soon become evident. It will be