was proposed by Dr. Graily Hewitt, who said that he had much pleasure in proposing to the Society a very important resolution, to the effect that the Society should at once institute an examination for midwives. The Council of the Society began seriously to consider this subject while he had the honour of holding the office of President; and the proposed plan was the result of the continuous and matured consideration of the matter by the Council, now happily, as he believed, to be concluded. The plan recommended involved the institution of an examining board, composed of six Fellows of the Society, the examination to be held quarterly, to consist of a practical testing of the competency of the candidates to practise as midwives, and of the possession on their part of such an amount of knowledge as would enable them to recognise the presence of difficulties, and the necessity for at once procuring competent professional aid for their patients. It could hardly be necessary for him to dilate on what was so well known to the profession, viz. the great ignorance and incompetence of vast numbers of practising midwives, nor of the loss of life which thus resulted; the attention of the Society had been forcibly drawn to that in the reports on the subject of infantile mortality procured recently from London and the provinces. That a formal guarantee of the efficiency of practising midwives was urgently required no one could doubt. This examination

would supply that. It might be said, possibly, that the institution of such an examination was the duty of the Government or of the Royal College of Physicians or Surgeons, or the Society of Apothecaries. He was afraid that little was to be expected from Government action at present, though ultimately it might be hoped that this action of the Society would result in legislation on the subject. Nor was it to be expected from the general governing medical bodies. In fact, what was every one's business was the business of no one; and, under these circumstances, this Society had stepped forward to initiate what was, he believed, universally admitted to be a laudable object, one, indeed, of pressing necessity. This Society was instituted for the purpose of

promoting knowledge in all that relates to the subject of obstetrics, and the diseases of women and children. The institution of this examination would, he felt sure, do very much practically to carry out those great objects.

Dr. ROUTH stated that his first impression was that this measure belonged more to some college than to the Society. On reflection, however, and judging from the long delay that the colleges would not take it up, he thought that some other learned body ought, and, if so, what body better qualified than this Obstetrical Society? and how manifest the advantages of having well-educated midwives? Now-a-days, any woman (generally some ignorant mother of children) of the lowest ranks of society, who might not be able to read or write, and who was incapable of otherwise earning a living, might become a midwife. No examination, no test of knowledge was necessary. What numbers of unfortunate women and children had been murdered through the ignorance of such midwives already. If every Fellow of the Society were to record his experience of such murders, the very hairs of our legislators (whom he could not certainly denounce so severely as had been done for their supineness in such matters) would stand up on end. Occasionally we did meet with educated midwives. He could speak of some educated by one Fellow of the Society-Dr. J. Hall Davis. The comfort of these midwives to himself he (Dr. Routh) had found very great. It was notorious that many of these uneducated midwives could not even draw off the water for a patient. There was another reason for taking this step. Strong-minded women were on the increase, and sooner or later many would be found in the ranks of the profession. He only hoped when they were in it, there would be found more than the two French ladies whose names would be handed down to posterity with honour. He alluded to Madame Boivin and Madame Lachapelle. But if the better classes of strong-minded women entered our ranks, we might rest assured that they would find imitators in a lower strong-minded class-such would invade the province of midwifery. If so, it was important to test more accurately their knowledge, and certainly this Society could

do it well. These resolutions of the Society would also, perhaps, induce smaller colleges and hospitals to open classes for teaching midwifery to these women. When our legislators found the machinery existing, and the good so done, then they would soon make such examinations compulsory as a matter of course. This Society, therefore, he (Dr. Routh) thought, under the circumstances, did well to take the initiative.

A discussion ensued, in which Drs. Heywood Smith, Aveling, Bantock, Grigg, Playfair, Mitchell, Wiltshire, Rogers, Phillips, and J. Hall Davis took part, after which the plan recommended by the Council was carried unanimously.

On the motion of Dr. Tyler Smith, seconded by Dr. J. Watt Black, the following gentlemen were elected to serve on the examining board:

Dr. J. Hall Davis, Chairman, Drs. Aveling, Meadows, and Leonard Sedgwick, with the Honorary Secretaries ex officio.

A vote of thanks to the retiring Vice-Presidents, and to the office bearers of the Society, was proposed by Mr. Gaskoin, and seconded by Dr. Day Goss, and carried unanimously.

The President then delivered the Annual Address.

ANNUAL ADDRESS.

GENTLEMEN,-It has been said that the life of a man must be reckoned rather by the work he has done than by the number of his days; and the same is true of such a Society as ours in these times of rapid progress. Sir Thomas Brown says,

"He that early arriveth into the parts and prudence of age, is happily old without the uncomfortable attendants of it; and it is superfluous to live unto grey hairs, when in a precocious temper we anticipate the virtues of them." Can this be said of us? The answer it becomes us to leave to others. Still, it is well every year to see what we have done, and what we are doing.

After the copious review of past work given by your late President, it is unnecessary for me to dwell on this point; but so far as the papers and discussions of the past year are concerned, I think we may take credit for not being behind the former years both in work and interest-I mean, if we may take credit at all for doing our duty; for, as Bacon remarks, "I hold every man to be a debtor to his profession; from the which, as men of course do seek to receive countenance and profit, so ought they of duty to endeavour themselves, by way of amends, to be a help and ornament thereunto."

But you must not judge of the whole work of the Society by that which appears in our 'Transactions;' a large amount of action is quietly but vigorously carried on by the various committees. You who have not been on committees can hardly understand the amount of exertion which is required.

You have already given your opinion on the work of one committee. As you have this evening heard, your Council felt, in consequence of movements in various directions, that they would not be carrying out the programme of advance it has laid out for itself, unless the question relating to midwives was put before you. A committee was formed, which at numerous meetings discussed this and collateral questions; and with the assent of the Council it was thought best to put it into a definite shape, at any rate as a tentative

measure.

It will be seen that in the scheme the minimum of study, considered absolutely necessary, has been prescribed for women acting as midwives under medical supervision, or, as Miss Nightingale defines it, " midwifery nurses."

1 Maxims of the Law.'

No doubt, after experience gained by further practice and reading, they would be more reliable. But with this amount of knowledge they never could be trusted to act quite separately from, nor in antagonism to, fully qualified medical men. If ever it should come to pass that women are allowed to practise midwifery separately from us, then it will be necessary for them to be educated as fully and as completely as men, in unity with them so far, at least, as that the professors of one are professors of the other, and not in separate schools. Either this, or simply

helpers.

Picture to yourselves half educated persons handling the sound, hysterotome, the crotchet, and other dangerous instruments of midwifery. Imagine their treatment of those dangerous complications which attend women in either pregnancy, parturition, or lying-in. Imagine the condition of a school of midwifery carried on by women, or by any one not thoroughly acquainted with general medicine or surgery, continuing the education of others in a similar manner. I need not point out the state of stagnation in which they would find themselves in a few years.

Two standing committees have been formed on scientific subjects, one to gather information relative to the temperature of parturition and the puerperal state, under Mr. Squire as chairman, and Dr. Edis as secretary. This Committee has constructed a form for a reporting paper, which has been sent to those working on the subject, and will be forwarded to any one willing to assist in the matter on application to Dr. Edis or our honorary secretaries. The chairman has already given us one contribution on the subject, but we require still more extensive observations before we are in a position to arrive at the full knowledge of the natural temperature, and of the many causes of its variation.

It only requires that each Fellow of this Society take one case thoroughly during the coming year, and by next anniversary we should have sufficient to show the substantial advantage of a committee, and the power of association for the collection of facts.