Printed letter addressed to the governors of St George’s Hospital, signed by John Hunter at Leicester-square 28 Feb 1793.
Hunter writes that when he was appointed surgeon at the hospital, he wished to extend his knowledge, to be ‘more useful to mankind’, and to improve his pupils’ knowledge; he notes that prior to his arrival, the senior surgeons at the time, Mr Hawkins [Caesar Hawkins] and Bromfield [William Bromfeild] had received their education ‘prior to the period of improvement in this country’; he notes that other hospitals were beginning ‘to participate [in] the improving spirit of the times’ and to give lectures not only in surgery, but also ‘in every branch of the healing art’; he states that he ‘paid more attention to the pupils than had been usual’, which made him a popular instructor; he had a meeting with other surgeons on how to address the pupils’ complaints of leaving for other hospitals and that the number of pupils at St George’s was diminishing; he allowed St George’s pupils to attend his lectures on surgery ‘for some time after, gratis’, as the other surgeons were not giving lectures; he describes conflicts and discussions with the other surgeons; he says he began to treat his pupils as the other surgeons did, with the consequence that there were fewer pupils; when his business grew and his health grew weaker, he was given as assistant his brother-in-law, Mr Home [Everard Home], who he supported when a vacancy for surgeoncy at the hospital came up; he says that looking into the laws of the hospital he found that ‘the division of the money, paid by the pupils, was arbitrary’ which did not encourage some of the surgeons to do their share of the work; he wrote a letter to his colleagues on 9 Jul 1792 regarding settling the accounts on pupils’ pay, with a response declaring their ‘entire disapprobation of [Hunter’s] proposal’; he states that the number of pupils who had since 1770 studied under Mr Gunning [John Gunning] was 103, and the number of his own pupils was 449, and the number with the other three surgeons altogether 284; he argues that the laws have not been adhered to, with regard to pupil numbers and their fees, and that a larger number of pupils ‘increases the reputation of an hospital’; he argues the dispute is a matter of ‘general interest’ and that he stands for ‘the good of mankind, the improvement of the healing art, and the character of the Hospital’
