Report of proceedings at the Madras Medical College for the purpose of granting diplomas to native candidates for graduation, 27th April, 1852.

  • Madras Medical College. Meeting (1852)
Date:
1852
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Report of proceedings at the Madras Medical College for the purpose of granting diplomas to native candidates for graduation, 27th April, 1852. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and attendance; thus declaring to His auditors, that as esti¬ mable virtues were to be found springing naturally among the Samaritan, as among the Nazarene division of the people; and teaching us throughout all time that we should look neither to creed, nor caste, nor colour, nor peculiarities of any kind, when we ought to do good or ascribe excellencies to our fellow- creatures, but simply to the necessities of the individual case. To His omniscience, all men were but of one kindred, and those who had in His estimation the greatest claims on his divine compassion, were almost always those who were the poorest and most despised among their fellows. We should therefore, in the Christian practice of our profession, endea¬ vour to imitate our Divine Exemplar, and be ever ready to assist those who through poverty and sickness are entitled to our best Christian and medical attentions, no matter to what division, or sect, or caste of the human family, they may belong. The poor have claims on every benevolent man, but the sick poor appeal particularly to our profession, as to the only one that has the power to minister to their most pressing neces¬ sities; and well it will be for us, if we now desire the heart and will to exercise that power freely to their advantage. To each of you l would now, in conclusion, offer a few suggestions relative to your future improvement. Be not elat¬ ed over much by your recent success. You have overcome many difficulties, but keep a wary eye on the difficulties you have still to encounter. You are this day merely putting your heads out of your medical cradle, and you have many changes still to pass through, before you can be thoroughly good medi¬ cal practitioners. By a good practitioner, I mean one who has not only profited by a medical education, but has also had his ideas made more practical and his intelligence sharpened by the actual practice of his profession ; and, in addition to these more immediately medical concerns, has had his views enlargened by extensive reading on subjects of general interest. Though a medical education, such as you have received, af¬ fords you a considerable insight into several of the sciences, it must be clear to you that it leaves untouched much that is both widely known and very generally useful. I would have c