The rod and the staff.

THREE quarters of a century ago the Royal Victoria Hospital moved to its present site from Frederick Street where, as the Belfast General Hospital, it had opened for the reception of patients in 1817. The late Dr. R. S. Allison records that the first registered pupil, a Mr. W. Bingham, was admitted in 1821 and an opening address to the students was given by Dr. James McDonnell five years later in 1826. This practice has been maintained in the intervening years although its character has changed to the present rather formal occasion on which the speaker, now dignified by the title 'Orator', has two functions to perform. The first, an unqualified pleasure and privilege, is to extend on behalf of his colleagues on the Staff a welcome to those of you who are students, in particular any attending hospital in their first term, and this I now do most warmly. The second, a less agreeable obligation, is to address you on a subject of his own choosing. In 1884, despite an enlightened alternative proposal, it was decided to continue the practice of nominating the 'Orator' simply by seniority of appointment, conveniently ignoring any possibility that the living wisdom of experience might by then have become petrified with age. This misguided system is still retained, and accounts for my present unhappy predicament and your forthcoming half hour ordeal. When the Harveian Oration of the Royal College of Physicians was instituted about three centuries ago a condition was that it should be spoken in Latin. You may think it fortunate that at least I am under no such compulsion this morning. I have an option and I opt for English. Sic transit mos maiorum.