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without any kind of Government aid, to provide in the capital of Scotland a noble institution, open to every comer if only he be sick and poor, and for the great medical school of Edinburgh, a hospital which can hold its own with any in the world.
But I would not have you for a moment suppose that I forget the merits of the old Infirmary and its benevolent founders. It, too, was, for its time, a noble edifice, and in it work has been done, both in the way of observation and teaching, which it will be difficult for us and our successors to surpass. The words which you must often have noticed on the front wall near the doorway—" I was sick, and ye visited me." "I was naked, and ye clothed me"—indicate the motive which led to its erection and support; and looking back upon its history, we cannot but feel how amply and how well this aspiration has been realised.
Besides the regular clinical teaching in the wards, there has been introduced of late years another course of instruction—the clinical tutorial class. This class is intended to initiate the student into the methods of examination of patients, and, in particular, the physical examination of the heart and lungs. It is manifest that such training cannot be given by the Clinical Professors, and the tutor is entrusted, under their superintendence, with the work of training and drilling in those respects. This kind of instruction constitutes an essential link between the systematic and the clinical courses. The opportunities afforded by this class have been largely taken advantage of by the students, and I consider that any one who fails to avail himself of it, is neglecting an important means of self-improvement.
Gentlemen, in regard to your own clinical studies, there are four particulars which I would advise each of you to keep steadfastly in view. First, that throughout the whole period of your attendance you should watch the individual cases which come under your notice; see that you understand what is being done for them; compare their features with the general description given in the systematic course; and keep brief notes of the leading points. Second, that at the commencement each of you should attend the tutorial class, and take great pains to educate yourselves in physical diagnosis. Third, that each should aim at obtaining a clinical clerkship, so
