A B.M.S.A. Scrap-Book

Session 1948-49 I.T is customary on the occasion of his inauguration for your President to give you an address, and a wide variety of subjects has been chosen in previous years. Sometimes the speaker discussed some facets of his professional work, and at other times the address reflected his interest in matters not strictly medical, as in last year's memorable dissertation. It was chance which suggested the subject of my address this evening, for there came into my hands an old minute book of the B.M.S.A., which I found very interesting reading, and I hope the items which I have chosen for my scrapbook will interest and entertain you. My book of reference begins firty years ago-in 1898-but the B.M.S.A. was already twelve years old then. It had been established in 1886 "to promote the interests of the Belfast Medical students as regards their professional training." As you will hear, every meeting was not devoted to "professional training." In turning the leaves of the scrapbook one gets glimpses of the personalities of student life and contemporary medical training, as well as of the B.M.S.A. and its activities. To get the background right we must first remember that Queen's was then Queen's College, and the medical degree was awarded by the Royal University of Ireland, the examinations being held in Dublin. The report of the President of the old Queen's College in 1883 referred to this as follows: "Parents were naturally reluctant to permit their sons, at the most critical period of their lives, to go far from home, and to remain for eight to ten days exposed to the temptations of a large city without proper oversight, and in most cases without oversight whatever." In 1898 we find a memorial to the Senate of the Royal University of Ireland complaining of the long periods of waiting undergone by candidates for oral examination , but the report reads, "not very successful as in recent examinations the state of affairs was as bad as ever, if not worse."