From Peter Mark Roget 14 March 1842

Dear Sir,

As the Senate have thought proper not to insert in their minutes my answer to their letter of the 17th of February, I beg leave to send you the enclosed copy, in order that you may exactly know the reason of my retirement. I consider that, independently of the grave error they have committed in their disparagement of Physiology Comparative Anatomy, thereby greatly injuring the character of our medical degrees in public estimation, the Senate have made this important change without due consideration, & with very improper precipitancy. The resolution by which these studies are so greatly depreciated was passed on the 16th of February, in a very thin meeting, without previous notice, quite suddenly, & were acted upon instanter, without allowing any time for remonstrance on the part of those members who disapprove of the change, & who, I believe, would if collected, constitute a large majority.

They had not even the plea, that, (viewing the payment of the examiners as the wages of journeymen, & paying no regard to the kind of intellectual labour demanded), the time required of the Examiner in Physiology & Comparative Anatomy in the execution of his duties was less than that of the Examiners in Anatomy, in Surgery, or in Medicine, for, in point of fact it is certainly not less than any one of these.

I am, Dear Sir,

yours very truly

P. M. Roget