“In submitting rules for the guidance of examiners the Committee, among other alterations, suggested that the dispensing clause be altered to the following: The dispensing of five prescriptions with neatness, accuracy and despatch, labelling and furnishing medicine as if designed for patients, the order in which candidates dispensing desk is left and the cleanliness of utensils to be rated.”
The report was adopted.
The report of the Committee re the Duties of the Board of Examiners was also read. It contained the following:
“We recommend the appointment of the following gentlemen as examiners for the ensuing two years: Prescriptions, A. R. Fraser; chemistry, B. Jackes; botany, C. R. Sneath; pharmacy, Frank Holman; materia medica, D. S. Sager; dispensing, Wm. Murchison. We think, in view of the increased work devolving upon the examiners, their remuneration should be increased, and advise that each examiner shall receive, as addition to his present remuneration, a further sum of 50 cents for each student exceeding the number of 50, who shall be examined by him. We deem it advisable that By-law 13 be amended by erasing the words ‘Professors of the College shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Examiners, and shall act as advisers,’ and that the latter clause of By-law 13 reading ‘Questions asked by examiners shall be published, and approximate rating of the answers may be furnished to candidates, their parents, employers or teachers,’ be struck out.”
Mr. Sanders suggested that the report be taken up clause by clause. He explained that a great difficulty experienced by the students was the fact that the number of marks in subjects in which they failed was not made known to them as in the subjects in which they were successful. The Council had set up a standard which was a high one, and did not give an opportunity to students of knowing to what extent they were deficient. All the marks, he thought, should be published.
The report was adopted after a brief discussion.
The report of the Board of Examiners, containing the following, was also approved.
“The number of candidates who presented themselves for examination was 103. Of these 66 entered for all the subjects, 37 for those subjects in which they had previously failed. With an experience of an examination conducted under your proposed rules and regulations, and more especially under that clause requiring that the written part of the work of the examination be examined and completed in the College building and before the examiners separate, we still feel this work can be better and more satisfactorily done at home, and would ask and suggest that such be allowed, and that the examiners be allowed a week in which to return the papers to the registrar; that a meeting of the Board be held before the final result is published, as we understand this is the usual method pursued by the examiners of the Medical College; that the regulation regarding the number and value of written questions be changed so as to read as formerly, and as appeared in the Journal, namely, that the written questions be not more than four-fifths, either in number or value, more especially in the subject of prescriptions, when the value of the oral examination bears directly on the ability of the candidate, and could profitably and justly be enlarged to at least 50 per cent in value.”
Mr. Andrew Jeffrey gave the following notice of motion for amendment of By-law 12 to erase the following: “The professors of the College shall be ex-officio members of the Board of Examiners, and shall act as advisers, and that the latter clause of By-law 13, reading ‘The questions asked at the examinations shall be published, and approximate rating of the answers may be furnished to candidates, their parents, employers, or teachers,’ be struck out.”
On the motion of Mr. Watters the meeting adjourned at 3.45, to meet at 2 p.m. on the first Tuesday in February, 1890.