Page:The Harveian oration 1905.djvu/60

 and investigations of different kinds, in relation to physiology, pathology in all its aspects, including pathological chemistry, bacteriology, pharmacology, and clinical methods, are at the present time in active work.

The tendency to centralise the preliminary scientific and intermediate studies for the medical profession in London in a few institutions, is a move decidedly in the right direction. I trust, however, that in carrying out this object due regard will be paid to those institutions already possessing well-established and fully-equipped scientific departments, which have done excellent work in the past, and are thoroughly "up-to-date." In most hospitals, also, clinical laboratories of different kinds are now in existence, which are of great help in diagnosis, and thus of decided advantage to the patients, while if properly utilised they afford excellent opportunities for the scientific training of the more advanced students in methods and objects of research in this direction. Let it be clearly understood, however, that the work and investigations carried on at these laboratories have nothing whatever to do with vivisection. And I would take this opportunity of emphatically contradicting and indignantly denying the insinuations, or even the definite allegations, made not infrequently against hospitals, with regard to certain supposed "practices" carried on therein for experimental purposes, for which there is abso-