MEDICAL SCHOOL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22751, 11 December 1935, Page 15

MEDICAL SCHOOL

THE YEAR'S WORKING REPORT BY THE DEAN Sir Lindo Ferguson, director of the Otago Medical School, dean of the Medical Faculty, submitted the following report on the work of the Medical School for the year 1935 to the meeting of the University Council yesterday afternoon:— NUMBER OF STUDENTS. The number of students in the school is 380, as against 364 a year ago. These numbers have been increasing steadily tor some vears past. In 1930 the number of Serfs "a? 247; 1931, 260; 1932, 297; 1933, 345; 1934, 364; 1935, 380. STRAIN ON TEACHING RESOURCES. In my last year's report I indicated that the increase was straining our teaching resources very seriously, and that trie numbers entering on the class of physiology and anatomy for this year had been limited after much negotiation witn the Senate of the University of New Zealand to 60 last March. This restriction ot numbers caused considerable discontent among those who were kept back, but under the conditions then existing was unavoidable. Since then the senate has sent a committee, down to go into the question as to how the limitation of numbers could be removed and the matter has been under very careful consideration during several months. It was finally decided that if increased facilities were provided for clinical teaching in connection with the hospital and out-patient department, and additional staffing was provided for the laboratory departments, the limitation might be safely removed tot next year; and if the necessary expenditure is faced bv the Government to enable us to make greater use of the out-patient material for teaching purposes and additional teaching strength is given on the laboratory side we confidently expect that the school here will be able to take any number of students that are likely to otter for many years to come. EXTRA EXPENDITURE.

The extra expenditure that the Government will be called upon to face involves a. contribution of possibly £15,000 towards building lecture theatres and reorganisation of the out-patient department;, and involves co-operation of the Hospital Board to the extent of perhaps another £IO,OOO. The extra stalling required in the laboratory departments will involve an expenditure, which comes solely on the school, of perhaps £3OOO a year, calling for increased Government assistance. This increased Government aid does not mean much more than the restoration ot the statutory grant of £6OOO a year, which the school had for some years, and £OOOO a year does" not represent anything like the total amount which the Government ought to provide for medical- education. The British Government provides grants to medical schools throughout Britain aggregating a very large sum, probably well-over £200,000 a year, and gives grants to individual schools very ruucn in excess of the £3500 which is all we are promised by the Education Department next year. The grant to bt. Bartholomew's School is £16,400 a year; to the London £13,950; the School of Medicine for Women, £11,750; to St. Mary s, £10,660; St. Thomas's, £13,480; School ot Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, £37,500; University College Medical .School, £15,500. I quote these figures to indicate what expenditure is looked upon as being essential on schools in the Old World, and can quote figures if necessary showing that our total budget, including revenue from endowments and students' fees, is, not more than about 60 per cent, of the annual budgets of schools doing the same work as we are doing in the Old Country, and dealing with classes of students not much in excess of ours and several of them smaller than ours. TEACHING FACILITIES.

I cannot emphasise too strongly the urgency for pressing on the necessary additions to our teaching facilities in the Hospital, as the entering class will in two years' time, be entering the Hospital wards, and the necessary facilities must be provided before then unless the standard of the teaching is to suffer. We shall not know for some time yet what number of students will have to be dealt with next March, as the results of the intermediate examination will not be available before Christmas, and the results of the special examination in February will not be available until the end of that month, while classes begin on March 2. Presumably with the passes of the intermediate and those who have dropped back a class, the classes in anatomy and physiology next March will be somewhere in the neighbourhood of SO for the junior year. The council during the last year has recognised the necessity for increase in staff in the departments of anatomy and physiology, and by the appointment of Dr Edson as biochemical assistant in physiology has taken a step which had "become absolutely essential. Dr Edson will not be able to take up his duties during 1936, and temporary arrangements have been made to carry on with two juniors during the coming year, but the work falling on the head of the department will be exceedingly heavy, and the staffing on a permanent basis ot a first assistant on the experimental side, a position held by Dr Muriel Bell, a first assistant on the biochemical side, to which Dr Edson has recently been appointed, each with a junior, should be arranged as soon as suitable occupants for the positions can be found. In anatomy Dr Gowland requires extra assistance at a cost he estimates about £3OO a year. FIRST PROFESSIONAL EXAMINATION. The number who this month, have passed the first professional examination is 71. These, with 13 who have.failed at the second professional examination, and some others who have failed in one subject, will bring the class to 90 in bacteriology, and nearly as many in pathology. These departments should have immediate addition to their teaching strength. The Department of Bacteriology and Public Health requires similar staffing to the Department of Physiology, a fulltime responsible assistant in public health and one in bacteriology, each with a junior. The number of students will render triplication of classes necessary, and this matter should be dealt with by the co.uncil without delay. DEMAND FOR HOUSE SURGEONS. The number of graduates during the 12 months has been 25 at the examination just completed and six at the special last May, a total of 31, as against 36 the previous year. Of the 26 recent graduates, four are being retained for teaching positions in the Departments of Anatomy and Physiology, leavingonly 22 available for house 6urgeon appointments throughout the Dominion. Aa there are requests for nearly 40 house surgeons from different hospitals, we obviously cannot supply the demand in this direction, but with the large classes coming on we shall in a couple of years be unable to find house surgeon appointments for the numbers graduating, and in view of the fact that the General Medical Council is urging the necessity for resident appointments being held before entering on practice, it is quite conceivable that in the next few years we shall be asking the hospitals to take a larger number of men than they are doing at present. It is eminently unsatisfactory that fluctuations in numbers should create either a dearth or a plethora, but these fluctuations which are so embarrassing to us and to other schools are due to economic conditions beyond our control. This year, I take it, will be the last in which the acute shortage of house surgeons will make itself felt, as the class entering on their sixth year in March numbers 45. MATERNITY HOSPITAL.

Last year I referred at some length to the delay which had taken place with regard to the erection of the Maternity Hospital and to the holding up of the plans in Wellington. The Hospital Board has acquired and cleared the site for the new building, and is ready to proceed with its erection, but 12 months have elapsed since I last reported to you about the position, saying that the sketch plans had. in the main, been approved in Wellington, and the final approval of the plans and specifications which are necessary before tenders can be called has not yet been received. Twelve months ago we hoped that by next March the hospital would be fit for occupation, but the best we can hope now is that by

February the tenders may be let. The building, instead of being in use next year, cannot be completed before probably the middle of 1937. The teaching of obstetrics is being carvied on by Dr Dawson and his staff under considerable difficulties, and the completion of the new hospital cannot come too soon. GENERAL. The postrgiaduate scholarship of the Obstetrical Society has this year gone to Dr Peter Riley, the son of our late professor of midwifery and gynecology, and we look forward confidently to his carrying on the tradition of unselfish service to the public which his father maintained for so many years. Dr de Monchaux returned after his trip to Europe, having obtained valuable experience in the different centres where radiotherapy is practised, and we feel that his department will benefit materially by the observations he made during his Mr Gordon Bell returned during the year after his six months' trip, and has since been cariying out his duties as usual. In the latter part of the year Mr White left for a' trip to England, and has not yet returned. The coming year will bring very great chances in the senior personnel of the school. Dr Newlands and Dr North will be retiring from the Hospital staff under the age limit, the incidence, of which will also affect Dr Williams, while the council must face immediately the question as to how the control of the school is to be carried on in the future. In spite of the partial restoration of the cuts in salaries I have again to express my regret that the council has not seen ita way to make the remuneration of its professors something near the ( rate paid for men in similar positions in other centres. The loyalty to the school which has been shown by the staff as a whole is beyond all praise, and /the smooth working and the satisfactory educational results reflect the very highest credit on their efforts. I think that the council might well express their thanks to them for the manner in which they have done their work. I must again, as on previous occasions, express my personal indebtedness to Df Hercus for his valuable co-operation and help in the work of the dean's department. The report was received, and it was decided to forward a copy to the Senate of the New Zealand University.