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CANDIDATES for the TESTIMONIAL of

QUALIFICATION of ASSISTANT-SURGEON,in any Service, must have attended SixMonths, at least, the Chirurgical Prac-tice of one of the above-described Hos-

pitals ; and two or more Courses of Ana-tomy ; one Course of Surgery ; and oneof Dissections, as specified ; and must betwenty-one years of age.

By order :EDMUND BELFOUR, Sec.

Candidates are to observe that Tickets

of ADMISSION only, will not be received asCertificates or Evidence of ATTENDANCE.

We shall return to the subject of these

Regulations.

EDMUND BELFOUR, Sec.

ABUSES IN THE LONDON COL-LEGE OF SURGEONS.

To the Editor of THE LANCET.

SIR,—There are very few Corporationsthat can bear the test of public scrutiny,and whenever they are dragged beforethe bar of public opinion, they invariablyshrink from it as if conscious that con-demnation must follow. The Corporatorsof Lincoln’s-inn Fields seem to be in thispredicament. They feel that the day forrestrictions and abuses is past, and thatthe present Government is resolved nolonger to countenance the selfish andnarrow views of sordid and groveling mo-nopolists. The public is now pretty wellinformed concerning the objects which thecouucilmen of the College have ever keptin view, and they will soon have an op-portunity of estimating the manner inwhich their stewardship has been fulfilled.If these men have acted uprightlyand fairly, what have they to fear ? Whydo they shrink from bringing their actsbefore the public ? If their acts are inaccordance with the enlightened spirit ofthe age, they will be acquitted with ho-nour; if not, where will they find a mansufficiently hardy to tell the Parliament,the public, and the medical profession,that he approves of the acts of the Coun-cil, and that if he were one of theirnumber he would sanction them all, or

even a part, and therefore that thesame soirit that hitherto dictated their

measures should henceforth prevail intheir Councils. If ten men of credit canbe found in Parliament to say this, theCouncil of the College may esteem them-selves fortunate indeed. Is has been re-peatedly laid down by a patriot Minister,as one of the fundamental axioms of hispolicy, that " Knowledge is power," andthat the peace, security, and honour ofthe country are best secured by extendinginformation through every rank of society,by removing all restrictions which tendto repress energy, and fetter individualexertion, and by giving to every man freescope for the employment of his talentsand industry, in’ whatever pursuit hisinterest or inclination may lead him.This is the spirit—these are the feelingswhich now animate the great mas er mindswhich direct the Councils of the nation.They tell us that it is idle to attempt tostem the great tide of improvement whichis now flowing in every department ofhuman inquiry, and to the benighted few,who dare lift up their puny voices againstthem, they reply in words never to be

forgotten, " If you do not lead themarch of improvement you must followit." Now when the Councilmen of the

College are brought before the public togive an account of their proceedings, willit not very naturally be asked have

they been leading or following themarch of improvement ? Are they anxiousto put an end to monopoly and restric-tions ? Are they disposed to increase thefacilities for education, and lessen or re-

move the impediments which stand in itsway ? We confess that we entertain verydecided opinions on all these points, sodoes the public; but we shall reservethem for the conclusion of our remarks.Whenever we hear the term College

used, somehow or other we associatewith it the ideas of study, books, lectures,préfessors, libraries, &c. &c., and ofcourse as often as we heard the Collegeof Surgeons spoken of, we in our simpli-city, never until very lately entertained adoubt of its being a place set apart for theeducation of youth, and the advancementand diffusion of medical science. Butthis it seems is quite a mistaken notion ofthe nature and constitution of Colleges,for in Lincoln’s-inn Fields, even now inthe nineteenth century, is to be found aCollege without a single student registeredon its books, without professors, books,libraries, or any of those vulgar ingre-dients in the composition of such bodies.We have, however, very lately been toldthat there is a librarv in the College ; butthat it is reserved exclusively for the useof the Council and their friends ; thus a

I man fan onlv be admitted to the use of

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the books, when he has neither eyes toread, nor faculties to understand them,as if to verify the old proverb, " he getsbread when he can’t eat it." There isalso a Museum, but this (though a giftfrom the public) is reserved for the Coun.cil-the commonalty being permitted fora few days in each year to see it as a cu-

riosity. As to the lectures, they may, it istrup, be very good, but they are very few,being about 3u in the whole year. Theyhave in fact no reference to the businessof education, they are what is termed" flash lectures,’’ and are addressed

merely to the elders of the profession.What we have seen on a late creation arecalculated to stimulate the appetite of theCouncilmen somewhat for knowledge,but more for food. These worthy Corpo.rators it seems wish to hear the fame oftheir patron saint said or sung. accordingto the taste of the orator selected for theoccasion, and then proceed to pour outlibations to his memory. A great im.provement has recently been made in thecomposition of these discourses. TheCouncilmen it seems got tired of havingchanges eternally rung on the merits ofJohn Hunter, they had been continued adnauseam usque, which is a very bad pre-paration for dinner, as no man, not evena Corporator, can dine satisfactorily if putto sleep or nauseated before hand. Hencesome change became necessary, if evenfor variety sake, and it is but justice tothe last oration, to confess that it had thedouble merit of praising John Hunter forten minutes, and stimulating the palatesof the council for fifty.

This was all as it should be. The workdone should always be proportioned tothe fee received ; and if an orator is puton half-pay, it is quite right that heshould dock his speech and save hishreath proportionally. Where is the manthat would give full work for half-wages ?If the worthy Councilmen resolve to di-vide the fee tor the Hunterian Orations,- if they give but half to the orator whodelivers them, and reserve the rest for ajollification, thus paying him for his trou-ble for composing the speech, and themselves for the weariness of hearing it,-isit not quite fair that the orator should re-compense himself in some way ? If hecannot get the full fee, is it not naturalfor him to try and create an appetite fora full dinner? Ask any corporator whatis the best preparative for dining ? willhe not say A:’I OYSTER-the very sight ofit sets the mouth a watering, as we say,hy sympathy. What, then, is more natu-ral than that a corporation orator shouldclmose An Oyster as the subject of his lu-cubrations ? Ordinary feeders dwell on

their oysters for a few minutes only; beit henceforth the pru’i’ege of corporatorsto gloat upon them for an hour, in orderto have a full foretaste of the luxuriesthey are abont to enjoy, in gulpingdown their calapash and calapee, andthat, whilst their eyes are regaled by thesight of an oyster ingeniously tortnred,their imagination may wander over thedelights of crimped cod, and their cou-rage be roused to snap their fingers inthe face of the Saints and Dick Martin.Still, should their narrow sonts refuse tothe orator a fair remuneration, be it ourpleasing duty to requite him in famewhat they filch from him in money. andhand him down to posterity as the pinkof orators and the pride of all corporators,by the high-sounding title of Sir ANTHONYOYSTER.

Fain would we leave these learnedThebans" to the quiet enjoyment of theiroysters and their dinners; we probablywould allow them to divide the fee forthe Hunterian Oration between the oratorwho reads the speech and the caterer whoprovides the dinner. We would, in ourmeekness, merely say, that these old

gentlemen have dull wits, but keen appe-tites ; and that, for charity, we wouldleave to age and imbecility the paltryenjoyment of their few remaiuing senses ;-but this cannot be ; for, dull as theirwits are, they still have the ingenuity to bemischievous. The members of the Council,it seems, claim credit for being influencedonly by pure motives-in all their acts,in all their measures. One of the mostdistinguished amongst them, on a latepublic occasion, said, that if all the actsof the Counsit were pubiished, there wasnot one of them that wonld not redoundto their credit. Is this an attempt to

skreen themselves, by pleading honestyof intention? Do they want now to saythat their bye-laws were meant for thebest, though found to be unjust in princi-ple and most injurious in their operation?—" Suspend your judgment," said Mr.Abernethy, on the occasion alluded to.-What does this mean ? Are they about,then, to publish a defence ? If they are,we would be glad to supply them withthe heads of some of the charges againstthem ; we shall be glad to see this docu-ment, and then, no doubt, we shall havean opportunity of saying, " Oh that mineenemy would write a book!" In the meantime we will propose for the considera-tion of the Council the following ques-tions, which they can have no objectionto answer, now that they speak so confi-dently of their acts and motives, andwhich they certainly shall be forced to

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answer when this case comes beforeParliament.

1. Who first brought forward the bye-law now complained of, and what werethe special grounds and true objects of it ?

2. Who composed the Sub-Committeeappointed to report upon it? !

3. Was it really intended that it shouldhave a retrospective effect with regard toMessrs. Brookes, Carpue, Grainger, &c.?

4. If not-was it not due to these gentlemen to signify this to them directly?What caused the delays in replying totheir written remonstrances ? Was notthe reply to Mr. Grainger delayed for sixweeks ?

5. Was it intended to destroy all theprovincial Schools of Anatomy by this Ibye-law, with the view to confine the Bprivilege of teaching to certain persons Iin London?

- 6. If so-what effect was that likely to Bproduce on the COST and difficulty of cnt-tivating Anatomy?

7. If the law was rigidly enforced as

Bat first worded and intended, how many Iteachers would it have recognised inLondon?

8. What are the names of the personsthus intended to be favoured ?

9. Why was it not so enforced ?10. Has it had the effect of increasing

the number of students in London ?11. Has it not been urged, as one of

the palliatives for this measure, that asthe Hospital Surgeons give so much timegratuitonsly to the public, they ought to

be remunerated by having a monopoly ofthe profits of teaching?

t2. Do you think that the proposer ofthis measure was influenced or impelledby jea!ousy, at having his school dimi-nished by a new school being set up inhis neighbourhood ? and was not the se-conder of it influenced by fear, lest asimilar diminution should occur in hisown?

13. Look to the first section of yourregulations: is it not worded so as to in-duce apothecaries to become members ofyour body ?

14. If you thus open the door for theiradmission to the first step, why not to

every other?15. Is it so worded for their good, or

for your emolument ?16. Why do you omit all attention to

the previous, or school, education of stu-

dents ?17. By the regulations, a stndent must’be six years at the profession : do you

ever inquire how he has spent the first

five of them ?18. If not-do you think that he can,

in one year, acquire sufficient knowledgeto enable him to practise safety ?

. 19. One otyonr Presidents, some time! since, said that " the domestic schoolsdemanded the fostering care of the Col-lege:" how is this reconcileable with the

f passing of a law which tended to destroy! several of the London and all the provin-cial Schools ?

MACHAON.

LAW-MAKING SHAVERS.

The following Song is said to have been composed by that " Incomparable Wag,"Doctor G., and to have been sung a few evenings ago by him, at the President’sof the College of Physicians, with unbounded applause:-

Air—" A buxom young frog would a wooing go,Higgledy ho, says old Rowley."

I.

Old Brickbat, the star of the East, is so bright,So radiant he shines on Mechanics,

Old Brickbat, the star of the East, is so bright,The noddles of Surgeons are pierced by the light;

So cutting tooth-drawing,Bone-setting, and sawing,

They take to the trade of law-making.11

The Court of the College of Barbers then met,Ten mighty knowing old Shavers;

The Court of the College of Barbers then tnrt,And zrash’d down the solids with Coombe’s heavy wet;

(For deliberation,By a Corporation,

Is always preceded by glutting.)