UNIVERSITY COUNCIL

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 105, 28 January 1929, Page 12

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL

MEETING CONTINUED THE MEDICAL COURSE DISCUSSED By Telegraph. —Press Association. Dunedin, January 26, The University Council continued its meeting this morning. The third report of the General Committee was presented by Professor Hunter. The committee recommended that the University Council be asked to amend the regulations governing bur saries so as to permit their payment to medical students for a fifth year.’ This recommendation was adopted. The commmittee advised that the Academic Board protests against tne action of the council in referring baen to the board (without any reason being given) prescriptions (French 11) un animously agreed upon by the prol’essorts and approved by the board. The committee recommended that the pro- - test be noted and that the office be advised that when any matter was referred back to the board, the purpose for which the reference back was made by the council should be clearly indicated to the board. This was adopted. In connection with the length of the medicine course, the Academic Board stated that for many reasons it was necessary and desirable that one year be devoted to consolidating the foundation sciences of physics, chemistry, and biology, before specialised medical study was undertaken. A six years’ course for the M.B. degree was therefore obligatory if the status of the degree was to be maintained. It was probable that a certain amount of confusion existed in the minds of the. public through the English practice of dating medical registration from the time when the specialised medical course began (five years), whereas tlie New Zealand practice dated registration from the time of entering on the medical intermediate course, i.e.. one year’s medical in termediate plus five years’ specialised course, or six years in all. The com niittee recommended that the statement should be sent to the Education Department in reply to questions it hud asked, and this was agreed to. The Chancellor gave notice to move that Parliament be requested to alter the name of the council to senate as formerly. ' - '; In the afternoon aii “at home” was tendered to the visitors by the Hon. T. K. Sidey, Chancellor of the Otago University, and advantage' was taken of the occasion to present to the Chandelier of the New Zealand University (Professor Macmillan Brown) the Royal Colonial Institute medal for his most recent work, “People and Problems of the Pacific.’! .