A general view of the establishment of physic as a science in England, by the incorporation of the College of Physicians, London : together with an inquiry into the nature of that incorporation : in which it is demonstrated, that the exclusion of all

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The statutes of the universiity dii pense with two ternas of residence in standing for a bachelor s degre e in aris, and with three more in standing forthat of a master of aris ' : there are instances in whicli studenis do not a vati thenas lues, to the fullest extent of this dispensation. Admittingilien four years and a hali to be the whole of the time os residence, that is ever astu alty observed for the degre e of master of aris, ii we deduct the sive ternis dispensed with by the universi ty statutes, then is the actuat time os localctu ly stili greatly reduced, and may be estimatedat the ulmost to be three years and a half. Is wetake into consideration, likewise, that the ternas of matriculating and of gradu ating are always Ckoned, although, perhapS, not more than aday of ei ther be spent in the university for thepurpose ; and that studenis, so far from residingthrough any entire terna, are seldom at the universi ty untii after the commen Cement, and as sel- dona remain there untii the end of the term I,

Pro absentia Terminorum duorum, si Gradum Bacca- laurei in Artibus ambiat quis ; trium, si Gradum Magistralem.

Parecb. sve excerp. e corpore Statutor. Vniv. Ox. p. IO7.

Quoniam haud pauci singulis Terminis, unum aut alterum Diem in Universitate commorantes, Ossicio suo & Statutis satis fecisse, & vel sic Terminos ad Gradum requisitos complevisse se putant; Statutum est, quod nemo Terminos ad Gradum suum requisitos complevisse reputandus sit, nisi qui singulis Terminis, Michaelis

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stances do students reside in the Universiity of OX ford, for more than three years o ut of the Professed eleven, to obtain, honorirably, the degree of

doctor of physiC. The period os residerace, indeed, is frequently fui ther abridged than ali eady described ; sor, byadopting a method, Whicli is allowed by me

of the colleges, and whicli is known in the universi ty by the expressive appellation os Terin trotting, a student may systematicalty perform everyeXercise requisite for his degree S as a physician, and Come forti, in to the worid, at the end of Cleven yeal S, Eregie cordatus homo, Without hav- in g, in reali ty, reside d and studied in the university, One Complete year of the whole time. Would any man, Who had, in this compendio us way, arrived at his doctors his in physic

At Michaelis & Hilarii, per integrum Mensem ; Termino autem Paschatis, per tres Septimanas; Termino demum Trinitatis, per duas Septimanas, in Universitate commoratus fuerit, & Exercitia, juXta Statuta, ibidem frequentaverit. Excepto se er Termino, in quo quis Gradum suscepturus est, cujus primus dies, juxta receptam antiquitus consuetudinem, habetur pro Termino Completo. Excepto etiam Termino, in quo quis Primum ad Academiam accedens Matriculatur, cujus ultimus dies pro integro Termino reputatur. Parecb. sve Excerp. e corpore Statuto . Univ. OX. g. S9, 6O.

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at Ox ford, be refused admission in to the College of Physicians, with ait the rights of the fellowshil , is, when eXamine i there, he mould bemund satis doctus es probus Is not, then is theeXClusion os others, who, in actuaI stu ly, lime completed a period of more than the ulmost extent of years demanded by the universi ty of Oxford, and who are ready to submit to any equat test os probation at the College of Physicians, with the graduates of that, or of any other universi ty, not merely illegat as has been demonstrated, but ii reconcitable with any liberal principie. That it originaled in the narrow spiritos monopoly, there Cannot remain a doubi; norcan it be doubted, that the privilege of Continu-ing it is insisted hipoli, more froni the pertinacityarising Dom long possession, than frona any Confidelice in iis equity, or in the stabili ty of iis tenure. It was propos ed in the college, in 172O, totahe Under consideration a statute relating to honorary fellows, with a vie to admit such ashad been regularly educated in foretgn UniVer- sities into that ordor, and to distinguis i them Domlicentiates, Glo had not obtained degreta. In I72Ι, at their Comilia majora ordinaria in June, the COllege, With the professed design of eslabiista ing acriterion, by whicli might be distinguis hed thelearne l

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lea med Domithe uni earned of tho se physicians, whose peculiar felici ty it had never been to studyin, and to be acknowledged by ei ther of the uni

Such an order had existed helare, as may be seen by thelist os members of the college in their Pharmacopoeia of I677.

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hen they had establis hed this kind of thority of the college, without neglecting the public advantage, they proceeded stili further in confesting the dignity of the faculty, and they judged that nothing could be more just

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It is fui ther decreed, that at the time of admission every one mali pay to the treas urer, for the use of the college, one hundred polinri of lawful money of Great Britain, besides the usual puments to the president, censorS, tressurer, regifer, and beate, due ac cor ling to the statutes, and the necessary expencer for a diploma. And finalty, having subscribed his name, he mall promise that he will diligently observe ali the statutes, whicli are to be re ad through to the honorary fellows be re admisiton, or that he

There is great reason to belleve, that the professed and real vis of this statute were very different. The integri ty of iis declared motive, the Conferring honour on meritoriouS Prastitioners, may unquestionably be suspeeted, Dona the eno mous demand made by the College for the purcha se of that honour. To distinguisti those, wholi ad been regularly educated as physicians in fo- reigri universities Dona the licentiates, wlo had notta en a d ree, or to Curb stili more rigid ly the ambition of the uiaskilfui, Was palpably a Preteiace ;for the licen se of the college conferred not any degree. Those, Who h ad not previous ly gradu-ated were never digni fled in the college catalogues with the titie os Doctor. Admistion under this

statu te,

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statute, as an honorary fellow, waS not any realproos and criterion os superior learning ; for hevery licentiates, those mittitis docila, capable os Curing sonae dis eas es only, who were by this sta tute to be stili further stigmatiged by an odio usimplication os inferiori ty, had atready given abetter proos os learning than was to be demandedfrom these honorary fellows, for they had susta ineda I refos scrutiny of their knowledge and acquiremenis, having been subjected to three examinations; while one was Considered sussicient toas certain the competency of the hundred poliud cau- didici.

If the fair truth had been divulged, it Nould in ali likelthood have appea red, that the PCCU-niary necessites of the college had their smare in stimulating them to this public dis play of their

liberali ty and cando ur. it is at least renderedprobabie, that their wish was to obtain a COnsiderable number of such honorardi members ; forthe statute it self was immedia tely followed by

a letter to the two universities, achnowledgingillat, among them, an academi Cal education was rectioned of the ulmosi consequence; theres Ore those,

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and at expences Considerably lesse than formerly But they now requested them not to Confer any degre es in physic for the future onithose, wholi ad not fully completed their time and studies there . By this endeavour to impede the usualcourse of dispensation and favo ur at the Unive sities of Englarid, many might be driven to talae degrees abroad, to whom it might have been inconvenient to wait the greatly protracted timefor graduation in the universities of England . Anii such might willingly embrace the favoUrable opportunity, ori their return, of purchasng

Cians, rather than suster the imputation os implied deficiency in learning and in skill .

The statute for the admisiton os honorary fel-lowS was repealed in fiue years after it had beenena eied '. Not illi standing the repeal of this statute, which had opened a convenient door for the eriis to a degree of nomines digni ty as physicians, which any abilities they might have possessed would never have procured them; et thecollege

See Appendix Q.

' At the comitia majora ordinaria of the college in December I7as, it was propos ed that this statute silould be repealed in consequence of the disputes, which had been occasioned by it. The repeat was agreed to, and in January I726 a second time; and in April i726 finalty.

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college did not lose, altogether, their solicitude sorconferring a distinguistiing mark of favour ori those, who might particularly deserve their kindnesi. In the printed statutes of 176s, we finii, Isse any one, having applied himself to study for

ur years in any university, had taken a de- gree in medicine, and sinould appear worthy of the peculiar favour of the college, that it should be allowabie, after he had been three years of the number of licentiates, to elefi him into the order of candidates. This was to bese done by a majority of the sellows present at- the Comitia majora ordinaria, held the day after Michaelmas-day, provided the election were

sanctioned by twenu suffrages received by pri-

vate balloi, and not any other salutes of the college rendered him ineligibie to the benest. In the alterations of the statutes propos ed by a committee of the College, about 1768, It was recommended to render it allowable for any fellow of the college, to propose any one to be examined, of thirty years of age, who had tinen his degree, after having pursved the study of physic for three years in any Univer-

See Appendix R. t See Appendix S.

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SOme few years ago a custona was est ablimedin the college of allo ing the president, for thetime being, to reCommend, annually, two Of the licentiates, for election into the fellowship. The privilege had not been very long enjoyed, bes Orethe college Conceived it to be too eXtensive They, theresere, deprived the president of amoiety of his neW prerogative, and confined hinito the recommendation os one licentiate, only, in the year. This diminis hed indulgence, in iis turn, APPeared too great, and it was tessened tothe Power os recommending One, Only, in t Vo