28th May, 1886.
Enclosure 2
PRESENTATION OF CERTIFICATES
10 DR MYERS' STUDENTS. This forenoon, in the Government Central School, H. E. the Acting Governor (Hon. W. H. Marsh) presented Li Tsun Fan and Chun Chan Kai, the two Chinese who have been receiving a medical training for the past two years at Takao from Dr Wykeham Myers and who have just passed a very creditable examination in this Colony, with certificates of their efficiency.
The presentation took place in the main classroom of the school in the presence of as many boys as could be accommodated with seats, and among those who were present as visitors were:-- Hon. F. Stewart, Acting Colonial Secretary, Hon. Wong Shing, Dr P. B. C. Ayres, Colonial Surgeon; Dr P. Manson, Dr Young, Rev. Dr Chalmers, Dr Ho Kai, Staff-Surgeon Preston, R. N., Dr Christie, R. N., Mr James Hart, Commissioner of I. C. M. Customs, Mr J. H. Boott, Mr J. H. Cox, Rev. J. C. Edge, Dr E. J. Eitel, Government Inspector of Schools, Mr Bateson Wright, M. A., and the other Masters of the Central School. There were also present a number of influential Chinese gentlemen.
The proceedings were commenced by His Excellency calling upon Dr Myers.
Dr Myers (who was in his academic robes) then said:--Your Excellency, before proceeding to the main object of today's gathering, I would ask you to allow me, as briefly as possible, to run over the scheme that has led to our meeting. Several years ago, in 1878, it was my privilege and honour to have to take charge of the David Manson Memorial Hospital at Takao, Formosa,--an hospital just then erected in memory of our brethren who, during the too short time he was privileged to be amongst us, showed himself so devoted to his profession, so generous a philanthropist and thoroughly good man, that when he was suddenly cut off his admirers and friends at the ports of Foochow, Takao, and Amoy--in fact at the two latter ports nearly all the residents--determined to erect this hospital.
It fell to my lot to take charge of it, and I was then, for the first time, brought more directly into contact with the system of hospital relief which has been prevailing there for many years. I need not remind Your Excellency of the great need there is in China for something of this kind, and the utter absence of any means for relieving bodily suffering. Those who profess to treat disease and sickness do so on grounds which, to say the least, must be very disappointing, not so much through their own fault as through want of knowledge of the subject they profess to undertake.
My missionary colleagues, to whom I am greatly indebted not only in this scheme for the sympathy and assistance they have at all times given me but before for the opportunities they gave me of observing their work, have for many years acted to the best of their ability on a system of training which produces hospital assistants and nurses. It was impossible for them, however, in the limited time at their disposal to give the amount of training necessary for a thorough understanding of medicine.
Another thing, as Your Excellency is aware, the medical literature in the Chinese language is necessarily very limited, and in the study of a profession like ours one wants to have at his command a large and varied field of literature, though the splendid work of Kerr, Dudgeon, and Osgood have allowed all that few individuals can accomplish.
Therefore it seemed to me necessary that any Chinese students should understand a foreign language. Of course, in my case, I naturally preferred English; and it then struck me that I should obtain English-speaking lads who would come and bind themselves to study for a certain time. I also thought that I might approximate a scheme somewhat similar to that which obtains at the various medical schools in Europe.
I tried at first to teach English myself, but I soon found that this was too long if not a too difficult task. I then applied to Sir George Phillippo, who was good enough not only to interest himself but kindly enlisted the sympathy of Dr Stewart, who, in his turn, was good enough to get Mr Wright on our side; and these gentlemen in placing the matter before the School asked for volunteers, when two came forward and arrived at Formosa to study with me.
They have been studying during the past two years anatomy, physiology, elementary surgery, and inorganic chemistry. The principle I have gone on was to ground them thoroughly in these subjects; and knowing the tendency of Chinese, indeed of everyone, to be attracted by clinical work perhaps to the loss of the more important principles on which they work, I have scrupulously kept them out of the hospital, save to see me operate on one or two occasions. They have not been admitted to study in the hospital. Next year I trust they will be equally closely applied to the hospital. I venture to think that by insisting upon their passing through this primary course of instruction they will be more fitted for the due comprehension of bed-side work--I propose therefore making that a sine qua non.
Well, these lads came to study and they have studied hard. Of course they have a considerable difficulty in studying in China. As Your Excellency is aware dissection of the dead is utterly denied, and it would be worse than wrong to attempt anything of the sort. Hitherto this want has been a great stumbling-block in medical education in China.
I applied, however, to my colleagues and friends at home and elsewhere for assistance to get over this great obstacle, and they were good enough to assist me in a way not otherwise available. I have no doubt Your Excellency has seen the models which the French make of the human body. Except, of course, in the touch of the tissue, I think these are as perfect as may be, and they show the minutest twig of the nerve or artery, I might even say fibre of muscle. There has been some misunderstanding on this subject--I mean among professional persons--I venture to show an arm taken from one of these models. [Dr Myers here showed a model of an arm and pointed out that everything was distinctly shown and that the various muscles and parts could be dissected and separated.]
For myself I think that the arm you see before you is as life-like, or rather as realistic as it is possible to make it. We have besides a complete skeleton and the books and plates which are necessary for teaching these subjects. With these subjects before them the lads applied themselves well, and with the result that I felt justified after a time in venturing to come down here and appeal to my brethren, who rallied round me in a way that calls for my highest acknowledgments.
As Your Excellency no doubt knows it is not difficult to excite medical men to thoroughness in action and summariness in carrying out that which advances the profession, or I might say advances science. I have been fortunate, I feel justified in saying, in obtaining as strong and representative a board from our profession as we can have, under the presidency of the Principal Medical Officer, and a board which combined members of the profession who...