THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON.

879 name ten respectable men who approve, for cellent report in your last number of the every one he can name, who disapproves of Council of the British Medical Association, the plan, and I think, too, it will be but on the present state of the Poor-Law reasonable to calculate on the approbation question, they may find out how to serve of the medical officer who had charge of themselves. I remain, Sir, your obedient the south district, as under the old system servant. JAMES MORRAH. his duties were so onerous as to throw him on a sick bed for many weeks. They will Sloane-street, Chelsea, Aug. 30, 1838. now be considerably diminished, for a considerable part of the old south district falls into the new division, notwithstanding which your correspondent asserts, that the i, THE MEDICAL DEPARTMENT OF excess of out-door labour will continue in THE UNIVERSITY OF LONDON. that district, under the new, as it did under the old division. This is not the case ; the (From a Correspondent.) new district, Upper Chelsea, contains a IN the medical prospectus of King’s Colpopulation at least one-third more than the south district, exclusive of Chelsea College, lege it is announced, that " attendance" at with a fair proportion of poor. that institution « qualifies for a degree in the of London." Now, if, by a Now, Sir, I will venture to explain my University motive for suggesting to the Board of " degree," is meant, as would be inferred Guardians the present division of the pa- from the document in which the expression rish ; fortunately, perhaps, for me, as well as occurs, a degree in medicine, the correctness the Guardians, it was not necessary that I of this statement is questionable. As far as should have to give a scientific illumination any information, that has been made of the subject ; the required information goes, there has as yet been no " recogniwas found in a recently published map of tion" of medical schools, attendance on Chelsea, which was laid on the table, this which entitles a student to examination plainly showing the distances which the even for the degree in medicine from the sick poor had to send for medical relief University, not to say " qualifies for deunder the first division. It was barely ne- grees ;" it is to be hoped, that " qualifications cessary to mention a portion of the evils of for a degree," and a "certificate of attendsuch a state of things, compared with the ance,"are not to be taken as meaning preadvantages of having efficient medical aid cisely the same thing in the new University. in their own immediate neigbourhood; the The charter by which the University is Guardians, one and all, adopted the plan, created, abstains, and for obvious reasons, and ttns- mv mntivf was certainly not tn from naming any school of medicine as beserve a medical friend, but the discharge of ing in connection with the University, and my duty as a Guardian, which is to protect we have not yet heard that the step of rethe interests of the poor both in sickness porting to the Secretary of State the medical and in health, and to do justice to the rate- institutions from which it may be " fit and payers, of whom many are scarcely above expedient" to admit candidates for medical the condition of the paupers ; and I know of degrees, has yet been taken by the Senate no way in which these two classes of the of the University. If it have, and the recommunity can be so effectually served as port have been approved by the Secretary of by providing prompt and efficient medical State, then it may be believed that King’s assistance to the sick poor. The sooner College has received a preference over other they are restored to health, the sooner will schools which have equal claims, as schools the parochial funds be relieved from the of medicine, to receive early notice of their charge of their support, and, perhaps, what " recognition;" but this prior information is of much higher importance, the sooner to King’s College is not probable. It is most will the sick poor man have the prospect of likely that the authorities in the Strand are being elevated from the degradation of pau- somewhat premature in their announcement. periem by his own labour. This is a principle which must be ere long known to and *** We publish the above remarks as we acted upon by every Board of Guardians in received them ; but the fact has not yet the kingdom. You have advocated it in been established that the barbarous system and shown some of the dire your columns, of " recognition," as relates to schools, will effects of inattention to its importance. To the charge of doing nothing for the form a feature in the scheme of the new medical men of the Union, I must plead University. The Senate might find it diffiguilty, and, notwithstanding recalling to cult to get « recognised" themselves on a my mind the most perfect reminiscences of very important occasion in the next session mess dinners, and other matters of a military if character, I am much at a loss to find out I of Parliament, they ventured to copy the in this most corrupt Medical of I state in the Corporations can affairs, present how, indefensible regulation. serve them. :Perhaps,. by reading the ex. j,

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