The hospital pupil’s guide through London, in a seres [sic] of letters : from a pupil at St. Thomas’s Hospital to his friend in the country ; recommending the best manner of a pupils employing his time, and interspersed with amusing anecdotes relative to the history and oeconomy of hospital’s [sic] (1800) claims to be a collection letters sent from a medical student in London to a friend who is planning to come to London and matriculate in the same medical school. There is no author name, although the initials “J.C.” are appended to a brief introductory letter directed to the country student’s sister. (The country student did not survive to come to London.)
J.C. (assuming those to be the initials of the author) writes an amusing and highly readable account of his time in London, discussing the student hierarchy (“The only persons more priveledged [sic] than Dressers are the Apprentices…” (11)), the order of his lectures (“…almost before I am awake, I go to the Midwifry [sic] Lecture…” (13)), and the design of London hospitals (“The entrance to Mr Guys [sic] Hospital is certainly very grand…” (34)). He describes student life, talks about his classes, and gives his friend advice over how and when to matriculate and with what professors for which subjects.
Flip through the pages below or follow this link to read The hospital pupil’s guide.