1.—13 a.

76

jDR. I. HUNTE&.

done in such a belated fashion there cannot be that enthusiasm in connection with the Medical School that is necessary if the Medical School is to be a success. 72. But do you not see. that what we want is to know the present conditions ? Are we to be given to understand that the men who are at present qualifying at the Medical School in Otago are being turned out incompetent to do their work? —You come back to the same question again. I have already said that I am not in a position to judge of that. 73. Then let us clearly understand that you do not wish that to be understood from your evidence? —You cannot get anybody who can give jou an opinion on that. All that can be said with regard to a matter like that is. "What is the nature of the training? If somebody says that the training is bad, and then comes to the conclusion that the men that will be turned out will be all right, well and good; but the natural result of bad training is that the men that are produced are not good, though there may be many exceptions. 74. Do you say that the training to-day is bad? —It is still bad in many respects. 75. In which of the classes is it bad ? —I have pointed out these things. First of all, there is no teaching in the diseases of children. 76. You say that in the diseases of children the professor is incompetent ]—I say that he has had absolutely no experience of the diseases of children. 77. You admit that the University has, at any rate, made an efiort to increase its efficiency by the institution of a separate lectureship in that subject?—No, I do not see how that does any good whatever. 78. You must admit that the institution of the class, at any rate, was a right step? —That was a right step. 79. Your objection is to the man who has been appointed to it l— -Exactly. My objection is that in connection with these appointments the University Council and the authorities do not try to get the best men on the staff. 80. Tell us another fault?— Another thing is the want of clinical teaching. Everybody who leaves the school complains of it. 81. Have you any fault to find with any of the lecturers other than the one on diseases of children? Are there any other lectureships in respect of which you think the teacher is not properly equipped? —It is not a question of lectureshipj it is a question of teaching. 82. You have told us in this case that the lecturer has not got the qualifications? —Yes; 1 say that the lecturer is a graduate of the Dunedin Medical School, where they do not attempt to do anything with the diseases of children. I say therefore that it is an absurd thing to appoint a man who has been brought up in &uch a Hospital and has had no experience of diseases of children. 83. Is there any other professorship or lectureship in respect of which you can make the same criticism? —No, not at the present day. 84. Then we come down to the subject of clinical teaching : what is your chief complaint with regard to that?—l have given all my complaints with regard to it. They relate to 1903---1905. 85. I want them up to date. It is no use telling us about what happened ten years ago. We want to know what the conditions are as they exist to-day with regard to clinical teaching? — All I can say with regard to the conditions at the present day is that I find that the house surgeons and New Zealand graduates who leave the Hospital as qualified and go Home, when they come back notice that the great distinction between the teaching in England and the teaching here is the lack of clinical teaching in Dunedin. I am not on»the Hospital staff. I cannot say exactly what is going on down there. 86. You cannot speak from your own personal experience?— Certainly not. You asked me about the lecturers. I have never heard their lectures. 87. You cannot say from your own experience anything about the clinical teaching at the University?— No. I can only say what it was when I was there. 88. Y T ou referred again to the students going Home, and you said that they regret the time spent at the University here? —Yes. 89. Are you aware "of the exceptionally high position that students going from the Otago University have taken in the examination lists at schools in the Old Country?— Which students, for instance? 90. I am not able to give their names? —Are you speaking of students who go Home to Edinburgh to do all their work? 91. No, some of those who take part of their work here? —What part? 92. Hospital and otherwise? —Most of the students who go to Edinburgh may do a year's anatomy here and botany, and then they go to Edinburgh to do the rest. 93. Will you not admit that the students who have gone Home, having taken part of their course at Otago University, have done exceptionally well in the Old Country? My experience has been the very reverse of what you told the Committee?— Your experience is quite different from mine. 94. You are only speaking from hearsay, are you not?— That is the only way in which I can get such a statement. If I ask a man who was tiained in Dunedin and has been at Home for a couple of years what he thinks of the whole thing I find they all say at once that they regret very much they did not go Home to begin with. No one suggests for a moment that it is advisable for a man to stay in Dunedin to study medicine, surely! 95. I have heard it advised? —Well, in my opinion it is very bad advice. 96. You have gone into past history with regard to Dr. Batchelor : who wrote those letters that you quoted to us? —Dr. William Macdonald and Dr. Newlands.