Dissecting the Student Experience at Australian Medical Schools, 1884–1912

Abstract

Historians of medicine have observed that the student experience of medical school is difficult to capture. While students sometimes left behind notebooks containing lecture notes and diagrams, there is often little evidence that illuminates their lived experiences and responses to their education. This article analyses written submissions to the publication of the Melbourne Medical Students’ Society, Speculum, between 1884 and 1912, to argue that students at the Melbourne Medical School in this era actively participated in discussions about the curriculum on offer, were highly aware of the moral and ethical consequences of their actions in the dissecting room and took great interest in the advancements and debates of the medical profession. It reclaims the student experience of medical school, which has often been hidden in favour of history written from the perspective of those in positions of power, to offer fresh insights into the history of medical education.

medical education, medical schools, medical students, dissection, cadaver poem