ramsay & co.

Ebe Ipersonal element in Clinicing.
We wish to avoid in this article the impertinence of "giving hints to young
clinicians." There are, however, one or two things about clinicing that seem so
important from the students' point of view, that they are worth emphasising.
The first of these is the part played by the clinician in providing for the student
the inspiration for work.
The great trouble about the Medical School training is undoubtedly the
difficulty of giving responsibility to the student. The result is that he misses a
very great deal of what goes to make up the interest of medical work. He takes
no part, for instance, in the interplay of personality between physician and
patient—the working for and gaining of the patient's confidence and gratitude.
Again, he has little part to play in the actual struggle between health and disease,
and misses altogether the extreme gratification of working a cure. In short, the
student is rarely in action. He is doomed everlastingly to the dull and stagnant
part of onlooker. This is true of practically all parts of the hospital training.
There are one or two exceptions. The Women's is one ; the Children's is another.
But for the rest—it is work in "dead water; the whole time.
We are not "moaning" about this. It seems without a remedy in itself.
There is, however, one person who can do a great deal towards making things
better—and that is the clinician. The clinician can, if he will, do much towards
providing a stimulus to work. How can he do this? By introducing a more
personal element into his clinicing. Teaching power is a varying thing, and a
property of individual personality. It must vary from man to man. Every
clinician, however, can know the names of his students, and can call his students
by them. This probably seems a small thing to the clinician. To the student
it means much. It gives him the impression that his teacher—a noted and
eminent man—has in him a more than academic interest ; that he perceives and
is sympathetic towards his own individual doubts and difficulties ; that he sizes
up and is appreciative of his own personal capabilities. And this is immensely
stimulating and inspiring; more so than anything else in clinicing. To be able
to deliver a clinic in a masterly and consecutive manner is a great thing. To
know and be able to name the students at the clinic is still greater.
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