OUR NETLEY MEN. Ik
article which
leading appeared lately in the columns Englishman newspaper, and which bears internal evidence of having been inspired by a member of our profession, the writer laments over the fate of certain promising young men who have lately arrived in this country after passing through a course of medical instruction in the Victoria Hospital, Netley; the writer informed us that it can never be laid as a failing of Professor Parkes's teaching, simply perfect and truly practical as it is, that water used for drinking requires to be analysed by men specially appointed and extra paid, who are sent from station to station in this country for the purpose. Every assistant surgeon n-lio lias had the privilege of attending Netley, or indeed who possesses a copy of Parkes's Practical Hygiene,' i3 just as capable of faithfully and satisfactorily carrying out such an investigation as the Examiner of potable waters,' and it is only because the Government will not the department to encourage such an example of zeal, and assist use its scientific knowledge by the supply of ordinary apparatus and material, that the lights are thus hidden under a bushel.' Talent and special knowledge receive no encouragement. The' Herbert scholars,' men who have proved themselves superior to their fellows, after leaving Netley, are lost sight of, and relapse into the ordinary monotony of military a
of the
"
'
'
'
work." We have often felt to be conferred
by
sceptical as to the practical advantages scholarship and such like prizes
the Herbert
-
incentive to young men to work, but how few students go in for honours of this description ? The one or two crack men of the year are generally soon known, and
doubtless, they
are an
usually leave the ruck of 6tudeuts beliiud them and
they
canter
124 over
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
the course,
which they
gaining
with
comparative
doubtless entitled
are
but this very fact too often
them.
abilities,
names men
the
prizes,
to
in them
engenders
a
of
spirit
certain contempt for those about perhaps Our experience teaches us, that it is the men of moder-
carelessness, ate
ease
account of their abilities ;
on
and
a
who have received
hare perhaps
who are
never
sound education, but whose
a
appeared
'
in the
list of honours'
?
feeling that, having no on in the world, they must
devoid of self-conceit,
great natural abilities to help them
rely
upon their
men
who
and common sense?these
energies
own
are
the
the backbone of the medical and every other
are
profession. We do not of course mean to argue that prize necessarily devoid of qualities such as we have above indicated, but we are convinced that too many of them are apt to start in life surrounded with a halo of glory, which has grown over them in consequence of the honours they have gained at college, and which sadly distort their ideas regarding the world about them ; they are characterized as being eminently instructive, always ready to lay down the law upon any conceivable branch of science that may happen to be the subject of conversation; we hear these people lecturing upon geology, meteorology, mathematics, botany, chemistry, astronomy and a dozen other sciences as glibly as if they were really proficients in all these subjects: they often rush headlong into facts and men are
fiction with
knowledge
a
on
We havo
rashness which astonishes those
such
painful reminiscences
and there
scription,
who possess
the matter at issue.
are
of
of this de-
people
few among us who have not at times
been bored out of their live3
by
these
excessively clever indihearing the claims of a man put forward in consequence of the honours he has gained at college, the vision of an intolerably instructive bore at once rises before us; and we must say feelings akin to this came over us, as we read the article in the Englishman, from which
viduals, that
wo
wo
have
a
perfect
have taken the above extract.
Let those who havo had learn 4
iu libraries, are not the men for India.
their
own
are
[jraE 1}
1871.
article which
leading appeared lately in the columns Englishman newspaper, and which bears internal evidence of having been inspired by a member of our profession, the writer laments over the fate of certain promising young men who have lately arrived in this country after passing through a course of medical instruction in the Victoria Hospital, Netley; the writer informed us that it can never be laid as a failing of Professor Parkes's teaching, simply perfect and truly practical as it is, that water used for drinking requires to be analysed by men specially appointed and extra paid, who are sent from station to station in this country for the purpose. Every assistant surgeon n-lio lias had the privilege of attending Netley, or indeed who possesses a copy of Parkes's Practical Hygiene,' i3 just as capable of faithfully and satisfactorily carrying out such an investigation as the Examiner of potable waters,' and it is only because the Government will not the department to encourage such an example of zeal, and assist use its scientific knowledge by the supply of ordinary apparatus and material, that the lights are thus hidden under a bushel.' Talent and special knowledge receive no encouragement. The' Herbert scholars,' men who have proved themselves superior to their fellows, after leaving Netley, are lost sight of, and relapse into the ordinary monotony of military a
of the
"
'
'
'
work." We have often felt to be conferred
by
sceptical as to the practical advantages scholarship and such like prizes
the Herbert
-
incentive to young men to work, but how few students go in for honours of this description ? The one or two crack men of the year are generally soon known, and
doubtless, they
are an
usually leave the ruck of 6tudeuts beliiud them and
they
canter
124 over
THE INDIAN MEDICAL GAZETTE.
the course,
which they
gaining
with
comparative
doubtless entitled
are
but this very fact too often
them.
abilities,
names men
the
prizes,
to
in them
engenders
a
of
spirit
certain contempt for those about perhaps Our experience teaches us, that it is the men of moder-
carelessness, ate
ease
account of their abilities ;
on
and
a
who have received
hare perhaps
who are
never
sound education, but whose
a
appeared
'
in the
list of honours'
?
feeling that, having no on in the world, they must
devoid of self-conceit,
great natural abilities to help them
rely
upon their
men
who
and common sense?these
energies
own
are
the
the backbone of the medical and every other
are
profession. We do not of course mean to argue that prize necessarily devoid of qualities such as we have above indicated, but we are convinced that too many of them are apt to start in life surrounded with a halo of glory, which has grown over them in consequence of the honours they have gained at college, and which sadly distort their ideas regarding the world about them ; they are characterized as being eminently instructive, always ready to lay down the law upon any conceivable branch of science that may happen to be the subject of conversation; we hear these people lecturing upon geology, meteorology, mathematics, botany, chemistry, astronomy and a dozen other sciences as glibly as if they were really proficients in all these subjects: they often rush headlong into facts and men are
fiction with
knowledge
a
on
We havo
rashness which astonishes those
such
painful reminiscences
and there
scription,
who possess
the matter at issue.
are
of
of this de-
people
few among us who have not at times
been bored out of their live3
by
these
excessively clever indihearing the claims of a man put forward in consequence of the honours he has gained at college, the vision of an intolerably instructive bore at once rises before us; and we must say feelings akin to this came over us, as we read the article in the Englishman, from which
viduals, that
wo
wo
have
a
perfect
have taken the above extract.
Let those who havo had learn 4
iu libraries, are not the men for India.
their
own
are
[jraE 1}
1871.
