HOSPITAL ACTIVITIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19015, 10 November 1923, Page 17

HOSPITAL ACTIVITIES.

CLINICAL DEMONSTRATIONS: “What is the University town doing?” is the anonymous question written oil the back of an article in an Auckland paper which has been lor warded to us. The extract runs to the length of half a column, has four headings—one of them in th© words ••The Latest in Medicine,” implying that a novel x»'ocedure had been adopted and details what is being done by the Auckland Clinical Society in post-graduate work. The “clinical demonstrations”—the first of their kind in Auckland —were, it was said, largely attended by city and country doctors, ami proved most successful. Dr Drennan, sub-dean of the Otago Medical Faculty, was asked by a member of our reporting staff to state what the “University town” was doing in the matter of “clinical demonstrations.” He prefaced his remarks by slating that he considered the movement an excellent one, and that it enabled medical men to keep themselves up-to-date in the latest methods. Dr Drennan went on to say that two postgraduate courses on the line adopted in Auckland had already been hold in Dunedin. The last occasion was in 1912. Then the war broke out. and upset the activities of the, Medical School in that direction. It bad to be remembered. Dr Drennan said, that there was a very large number of medical students in Dunedin at the present time, and that the teaching staff was kept working steadily for nine months of file year. It would bo a hardship if these tenchers were to be deprived of their vacation in order to conduct post-graduate courses. The teachers certainly reeptired a respite* from leaching at the end of (he year. The point he would like to emphasise, said Dr Drennan. was that a large number of doctors in Dunedin took advantage of (he up-to-date methods adopted in (he Dunedin Medical School and the Dunedin Hospital, and engaged in post-graduate work all the year round. Many country doctors also came to Dunedin, and studied the latest- methods in medical science. In fact, they constantly had doctors visiting Dunedin and going round the Medical .School and the Hospital. Dr Drennan pointed out that when tho numbers of students at present taking (ho medical course in Dunedin slackened off a little—and ho thought that thpv had now reached “(he peak.” as was the case in other countries—(he teachers here might Vie enabled to conduct straight-out postgraduate courses again. It: was not fair to compare the conditions in Auckland with those in Otago, but even so, the conditions were all in favour of Otago. The Otago medical men realised (he value of pnstgraduide work lust as fully as the doctors in Auckland. Tho point was, however, that the post-graduate work here was pot confined to three days. It lasted practically from year's end to year's end.