100 — Practical Midwifery.

A course of practical midwifery was arranged for the fourth year students during the vacation. The class was divided into groups and each group lived at Omdurman for a fortnight and under the supervision of the matron of the Mid¬ wifery School attended midwifery eases in the district, and also such obstetrical and gjmaecological cases as were admitted to the hospital.

Progress of various Classes and the Examination.

1st Year Class. Two students had been referred for a further year’s tuition at the end of 1927. Eight additional students had been selected from the Gordon College thus making for the jear 1928 a total 1st year class of ten. Of these 10 students, 7 satisfied the examiners in the first year class examination and 3 were referred for a year’s further tuition.

Nine new students have been selected from the Gordon College thus making a first year class of 12 for 1929.

The second year class consisted of seven. These seven all satisfied the examiners at the second year examination held at the end of the year 1928.

There was no third year class.

The members of the fourth year class, seven in number, presented themselves at the final examination early in January.

The Final Examination.

The school was fortunate in being able to obtain the services of Sir Robert Philip, President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh as assessor in the examination in medicine and to retain the services of Mr. Robert Dolbev, m.s., F.e.c.s., f.a.c.s., as assessor in the examination in surgery.

The papers in medicine and surgery were set by the assessors. All the candidates satisfied the examiners, including one candidate who had been re¬ ferred from the year before and whose papers and practical examination shewed that he had derived great benefit from the extra year’s instruction. The report of the assessors on the final examination is given below.

The seven graduates, after a short holiday, will be posted to the seven largest hospitals in the Sudan where they will carry out the duties of house surgeon and house physician for the period of one year under the supervision of a British medical inspector. At the end of this time if they have shewn themselves to he skilled and trustworthy in their medical duties and to have acquired the necessary knowledge of hospital administration, they will be appointed as medical officers to other hospitals.

Of the seven Sudanese doctors who graduated in January, 1928, six were very well reported on and were considered to have gained the necessary pro¬ ficiency and to have shewn the necessary qualities to justify their appointment as medical officers. They will be placed in sole charge of six small hospitals. One who had not shewn sufficient energy and initiative was retained in his hospital for a year’s further experience as house surgeon and house physician. There appears to be little doubt that with this additional experience and with this encourage¬ ment to further effort, he will be qualified to take his position as a medical officer at the beginning of 1930.