Frederick Street

IT is always salutary and oft(en inspiring to look back onl our origins, and to a generation-which has been brought up in the Royal Victoria Hospital, one of the most modertn and best-equipped hospitals in the world, it may be of interest to learn something of what the "o0l(Royal" was like. The building still stands, but greatly altered in appearance. Those who, like myself, first approache(d it in the ninleties crossed an empty andi windswrept courtyard and ascendcledl the steps comimilonI to stall ani(l stu(lents alike to signi our names in the entrance hall. TIhere wN,as not theni a students' unlionI, and the hospital steps in summn r, like the dissectinig-room fire in winter, served for our club an(d smoking room. M\atan an hour wvas spenit there bandyving fierce argumenit or swopping the merry jest, while operations vent on unhee(led ancd clinical lectures only reached the ears of the faithful few. For-that ouLr svsteni of hospital attendance was in part to blamiie. Except for a termii as d(resser in the extern, a term as clinical clerk, and a terml as surgical dresser, the powers that were left us to our owin devices, and once a student had signe(d the book he was free to go anywhere he liked in the hospital, or outside it if his occasionis so required. Inideed, when we attended in our first hospital year, the secon(d year of me(lical studies, we 'were recommendled by our teachers to sigin the book ani(l get oil as sooI1 as possible to the (lissecting-room, there to perfect our knowledlge of anatomy. Few of us dlared to flout this good advice, so far at least as the getaway from hospital was concerned. Our first real acquaintance with the interior of the oldl Royal began whlen we took out our tllree months' dressinig ini the externi, and no one who hacd anything to do with the extern in those (lays could fail to retain a vivid impression of Lizzie Hanna. Lizzie xvas great, physically, mentally, and(I temperamentally. She was a female Falstaff with less humour-, as much character, antd infinitely more dignity. She sat in the front centre of the waiting hall, beside a bandage-winder, anid from that point she ran the whole extern-visiting staff, house surgeon, studcents, nurses, patienits, and all. WVhat would have happene(d had adi on dispute(d her aulthority will never be kniownI-n1o one ever dare(l. From the extern, …