H.—l

236

purposes of medical education. At that time, I think, speaking from memory, the number of patients was 170. 5941. The average number was?— About 170. 5942. Mr. Chapman.] You subsequently became a member of the Honorary Medical Staff ?— Yes. I acknowledged my appointment by letter on the 29th December, 1877. 5943. And you retained that position for about eight months?— Yes. I then retired in accordance with a paragraph in the last part of my letter of the 29th December, 1877. After acknowledging the notification from the Committee of my appointment as one of the honorary visiting surgeons to the Hospital, I wound up by saying : " If I find that I cannot, consistent with my duties to myself, satisfactorily perform the duties of my appointment the Committee may rely upon me resigning in favour of someone else." I do not remember who was Chairman, whether Mr. Strode or Mr. Houghton, but I think it was Mr. Strode, and I made a verbal communication—l did not write a letter—to him to that effect. 5944. It has been said that on more than one occasion, when you were asked why you did not again become a member of the staff, you replied : " I do not want to have anything to do with the beastly place." Have you any recollection of giving such an answer? —I have no recollection of giving such an answer, and I think it is improbable that I should have done so, because it was not the main reason why I left the staff. 5945. Just give us an explanation of why you left the staff?— Well, I really did not care to go any further with the institution ; it would be almost ungenerous for me to mention my reasons. I simply wanted to lead a quiet life : that was just the long and the short of it. 5946. Do you remember being asked at any time to rejoin it ?—I have been asked by several medical gentlemen why I did not go on again. 5947. Do you remember the reasons which you gave?—l have given reasons. 5948. Do you remember giving any such answer as has been mentioned?— Not that answer. 5949. Do you think it is unlikely that you would have given any such answer ? —I think it is, because that is not at all the reason why I left. „ 5950. Do you know what reasons you have given ?—Yes ; but it would be almost unfair for me to state them now. 5951. The Chairman.] Did you at that time have any reason to be dissatisfied with the condition of the Hospital ?—I was not satisfied with it. 5952. Did you think it was not suitable for the work you had to perform as a member of the medical staff, and at the same time as a teacher in the Medical School ? —Practically, there was no teaching going on at that time, because there were no students. 5953. What was the state of your mind at that time regarding the condition of the Hospital ? —I regarded the institution as certainly not perfect. I was not satisfied with it. 5954. Did that want of satisfaction with the building weigh with you in not rejoining the staff? —It weighed very little with me. 5955. Did it do so to some extent ? —lt may have swayed me to some extent, but very little. I have a very vivid recollection of the reasons which did sway mo.

Peidat, 12th September, 1890. Dr. William Coughtbby, examination continued. 5956. Mr. Chapman.] You became a member of the Hospital staff again recently ?—I think it was in. April last. 5957. That was after an interval of eleven or twelve years ?—Yes. 5958. Did you find any changes in the Hospital''I—Great changes. 5959. In what direction? —Well, starting with the basement, that was considerably improved. The wards were much cleaner than at the time I saw the Hospital in 1875 and 1878. It appeared to me to have a fewer number of beds. I think ihat all the wards had been fitted with what was a doubtful improvement —with baths and lavatories. I think these had been placed in since I saw the Hospital last. 5960. The Chairman.'] What were they before that?— They were in process of putting them in. In 1875 a wretched thing was used—a galvanised-iron can was kept in the ward in the corner and was scouted out in the morning. 5961. You say this was a doubtful improvement?—l think it would have been much better that these things should be outside ; and I think that at that time the bath-rooms were up—at the present time used on the upper floor as one of the house surgeon's rooms. I speak subject to correction, purely from memory. 5962. Mr. Chapman.] Well, were the improvements such as to strike you on renewing your acquaintance with the place ?—Yes. 5963. I want you to give your opinion on one or two matters. As to the site —the site of the present building ?—Well, as to the site, I would like to consider it from the aspect in which hospitals are considered now —in relation to the number of beds; and I made a calculation, compared with modern hospitals, and I hand in a list showing the comparative relations to bedspace. 5964. Then the authorities do apparently rely upon a proportion of beds to acreage? —Yes. 5965. The, Chairman.] That is, to the size of the site ?—Yes. 5966. I understood it was^the nature of the site? —First of all they deal with the size. My attention was first called to the matter of the site about three or four years ago, as I was thinking of building a private hospital when I purchased a site at St. Clair. This is the calculation of beds per site, practically taken from a paper in The Practitioner, hi the latter part of 1888, a paper