25

E.—7

Dr. Stanley Batchclor, Dr. Newlands, and Dr. Allen, and Dr. Macdonald's tutorial work was carried on by Dr. Moore and Dr. Bowie; and the school is under a debt of gratitude to these busy men for the self-sacrifice with which they undertook and carried out these onerous extra duties. The work of the year was much increased for the teachers by the return at irregular times of students who had been on service, and were either invalided back or sent in compliance with a request from the faculty that they should be allowed to return and complete their studies. Extra courses were given to enable them to make up for lost time, and special thanks are due to those teachers who undertook this work, and more especially to Dr. Champtaloup and Dr. Bowie. Among the junior members of the faculty the services of Dr. Fergus were lost for military reasons, and the sad death of Dr. Fleming, a kindly and popular man and a conscientious teacher, deprived us of our lecturer on anaesthetics. His sudden death occurred just as his course of lectures was about to begin, and Dr. Roberts kindly undertook at very short notice to fill the gap, in co-operation with Dr. Williams. The extra clinical work in connection with returned troopers fell very heavily on the reduced junior staff, and we have to thank Dr. Gowland for coining forward and undertaking clinical work and teaching in this connection, which has been of much value both to the troopers and the students. Dr. Bathgate, who had for some years been a junior member of tho faculty, was compelled for reasons of health to retire from her hospital work, and has been succeeded by Dr. Mcßride. The school sustained during the year a serious loss in the death of Dr. F. C. Batchelor, who, though he was no longer actively associated with it, was one of its warmest supporters. He was for many years lecturer on midwifery and diseases of women, and to his energy and devotion as a teacher during his period of service much of the progress of the school is due. In consequence of the shortage of medical men the Senate of the University of New Zealand repealed the urgency step taken the previous year of antedating the final examination by five months. This resulted in the graduation of twenty-two of the final class last September, and satisfied for the time being the acute demand I'm- house surgeons throughout the Dominion, besides providing several men for military duties. The size of the classes is rapidly increasing, and the number of registrations during the period under review was forty—a number much in advance of any previous entry, though it is much exceeded by the class which succeeds it this year. It has only been possible to handle the increased classes from the fact of the timely additions to the school buildings, and the increased accommodation is going to be very severely taxed by the sudden increase in the number of the class now entering on its studies. The want of class-room accommodation is acute, and it is very unfortunate that the difficulty about Foundations has delayed the start with the new school buildings so much that there is no prospect of their being fit for occupation this year. It is also a matter for regret that questions of finance led to curtailment of the original plans, as the growth of the school will apparently shortly overtake the space afforded by the new building. In this connection I would urge the importance of adding the necessary post-mortem theatre to the new pathological department, and suggest that the assistance of the Public Health Department be sought in this direction. The increase of the classes is rendering the need for assistant teachers in the laboratory departments a very pressing one, and the Council will have to face the provision of adequate salaries to find suitable men for the work. The subdivision of the teaching-work in the clinical subjects is more easily provided for, but the Council will have in the near future to face the provision of adequate salaries for its teachers in all departments. In conclusion, I have only to express my deep sense of the loyalty with which the members of the faculty have carried out their duties to the school during a year of exceptional stress. Dental School. —Report of the Dean (Professor 11. P. Pickerill, M.D.). The following is a statement of the clinical work for the period Ist April to 31st December, 1915: Number of patients' attendances, 1,396; number of fresh patients, 468; number of patients actually under treatment on 31st December, 385. Details of operations : Gold fillings, 103; amalgam fillings, 299; plastic fillings, 82; root treatment, 183; crowns, 19; bridges, 9; inlays, 44; dressings, 336; attendance for treatment of deformities, 384; anaesthetic cases, 180; artificial dentures fitted, 237; number attendances for above, 615; miscellaneous (examination and advice), 576. This compares quite favourably with previous reports. A considerable amount of time and material has during the period April to November been expended upon the treatment of recruits —in fact, for several months this work practically monopolized the resources of the hospital, and an extra mechanical assistant had to be obtained temporarily to cope with the work. This will probably have an adverse effect upon the financial statement for the school, since it is very problematical whether the Defence Department will recognize any responsibility in connection with these cases. Since November, however, the New Zealand Dental Corps has been organized, and there is now no difficulty about obtaining payment for all recruits treated, neither are there anything like so many coming as patients, since they are being distributed equally amongst all the members of the New Zealand Dental Association. Two members of the honorary staff have volunteered for active service. Mr. D. V. Donaldson has been appointed a lieutenant in the New Zealand Dental Corps. Mr. J. S. Nicolson has gone as a private in the infantry. Mr. T. A. Hunter has been appointed Director of Dental Services for the Dental Corps, and I have been appointed Assistant Director, and the work in this connection —establishing dental hospitals in all the camps and organizing a civilian dental service -—has taken up the whole of the past vacation.

4—B. 7.