DENTAL STUDENT REGISTRATION

Evening Star, Issue 18048, 16 August 1922, Page 2

DENTAL STUDENT REGISTRATION

PRE-REQUISITES ENLARGED.

PROTEST DESIRED.

The effect of a new regulation passed by the Generali Medical Council of Great Britain on the working of the Otago Dental School was clearly put before the University Council at its meeting yesterday afternoon in a letter from Dr Pickerill, Dean of the Dental 1' acuity. Dr Pickerill wrote as follows : “ The General Medical Council of Great Britain has passed a making chemistry and physics pre-requisites to the registration;of dental students, I hat is to say, students must have passed m chemistry and physics l of a professional standard’ before commencing their four years’ study of dentistry. The General Medical Council evidently anticipates that boys will study these subjects at school. In New Zealand, however, this at present is impossible, and from what I can gather not likely to bo possible. It therefore means that students will have to come up to the university for five years to take the B.D.S. course. This null have several unfortunate results. It will have the effect either of killing our degree course and driving students to tho certificate or proficiency course and, thus result m a lowering of the standard of dental education in New Zealand, or it will mean carrying on tho degree course without the sanction and recognition of the General Medical Council. In tho unlikely_ event of students continuing to come in the same numbers for a five years’ course as for a four years’ course, it would further decrease our accommodation by 20 per cent. I am desired by the Dental Faculty, therefore, to request the council to protest against the operation of this regulation of the General Medical Council to dental students in New Zealand, or at least to suspend its coming into force in New Zealand until it has been definitely ascertained whether or*not both chemistry and physics can be in high schools to a ' professional standard.’ ” Mr W. J. Morrell said that the position was analogous to that of the medical preliminary examination, which was still before a committee of the Senate. Ho thought there was no urgent necessity for at once following the injunctions of the General Medical Council. Dr Fitzgerald said it seemed to him that, no matter what was said here, the General Medical Council took its own course.

The matter was referred to the Medical Committee for report.