Archives of Ophthalmology #227624

All of us will agree, I am sure, that the training of ophthalmologists up to the present time has been highly unsatisfactory. The men have been thrown largely upon their own resources, compelled to teach themselves and, above all, provided with imperfect facilities for so doing. To have been compelled to teach themselves has not been altogether unfortunate, and I think that in the future also the most eminent ophthalmologists will continue to be largely self taught, but I hope that their tasks will be rendered easier and that they will reach still higher standards than in the past. It will never be possible "to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear" and one of our endeavors at the outset should be to exclude the unfit and attract men of natural ability into our specialty.<br><br>The suggestions that I have to make on the teaching of ophthalmology are based partly on my experience as a teacher, and partly on my experience in the practice of ophthalmology. As a teacher I have acquired certain views in regard to methods of instruction, as a practitioner, my own needs as well as those of colleagues have indicated to me some of the subjects that should be taught.