Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1853-11-09
The Richmond Medical College.

dents is quite large at this time last year-and
the prospect is that it will bc considerably creoscd
We know no institution, which on every account
merits more at the hands of the people of the State
and tho South. 1t nShe result of the enterprise and
ability Of the gentlemen, who for nine years by their
own unass;sed efforts gave existence and maintained
II. We do not think that the President ofte Aercutu-
raj Society and Gen. Richardson combined have dc.
served more than these six gentlemen at the hands OF
tho Commonwealth. By their own energies they have
creatcdth Institutional which Southern youths can
obtain good medical education rs can be obtained
in Philadelphia or any where else-and which has
already thereby saved to the State many hundred
thousand dollars. The standard of qualification is
higher here than at Philadelphia or any other mcdi-
cal school-uncss the University OF Virginia be an
exception.
Bat it Is NJ. {, ~: tastc OF sererdl physicians Of
the city Of Richmond have again put forth n
pamphlet in which the of their grievances,
their sorrows and their professional jealousy, is huge
ly enlarged. 1t is pretty much rchash OF their
former pronuneidmeno, andscarcely merits passing
notice. Now as then, we have professional jealousy
pecring out-;hc smell of the shop thrust into pco-
pies nostrils whether thoy will not. As in the
first, 80 in the last production gravey asked
"Why should those SIR gentlemen" Ithe medical Pro
fessors eiera,e aJors The heIds of all the rcsi Of e
profesaos. Why should have privileged class
among uS with the power of perpctuating privilege -
Why should the special aud favor of these six gen
tiemen be an Indispensable prerequisite
hope Of reaching PROFESSIONAL honors>'
There's the rub-that's the everlasting sore! These
six gentlemen "are elevated above tie heads OF all
the rest OF the profession ~ Well, without discuss
sing the propriety of the French maxim, that dirty
linen should be washed at home-how is this great
grievance to be remedied? Does not the argument
involved in it go against all medical Professors
does it not require that Doctors should be Pro-
fessors II these six are brought down. what then
IL the outsiders were put in their place, hen THEY
would "be elevated above the heads of all the rest
of the profession (which would be shocking to al
notions of equaty;-or ALL the Doctors should be
professors-whch would be absurd; there should
be no medical schools--and no more Demonstrating
monopoly Of the business to those only VIII, are
now in commission Such stuil looks Ike the lrcsS
Of professional jealousy and we cannot suppose,
that an opposition s?rinsng from such a source can
meet the sympathy of disintercsted public.
Ifprofessional Jealousy be the true import of the
passage have copied, some ofthe gentlemen whose
names are appended to the publication, do injustice
to themselves. DrS. Cunningham, Deanc and Marx
are gentlemen Of emnence in their profession and do
not We presume, consider any elevated above
their heads. Our conjecture is that they had very
little more to do with the composition than we had
D.ins fully occupied with the PRINTABLE AMI
agreeable business Of attending to their numerous
patients inclined to suppose. that they left
the matter to their associatcs-yho in the abundance
of their leisure cxpatatc indefinitely on the more
lucky members of the profession.
The Several Physicians" harp very much upon
the chmond College being a monopoly-as closed
against the Profession in the State. We do not UNI
derstand this objection These gentlemen, or any
Others, can set up Medical Cocge--if they choose
TO spend their money AMI risk their reputation in the
enterprise And, to the doors of this College be-
ing cl jsel-there only six plar, s-ghich by no
device known TO u could be suii:,n: for all tn,
Doctors in the State In the selections, tina: have
been made, favori,iSm and clucsn have not CON
trolied the choice. In some cases, gentlemen VITO
were scarcely known personally 10 those who elected
them-have been Chosen simply account OF their
professional reputation. If favorsn had prevailed
and the choice had been confined to a cqu,-p. r.
haps it would not he stretching charity to suppose
that some, who complain, would in tina, case ap
plaud.
1t is intimate!, if not expressly stated tina. the
Profession OF the State is highly indignant at the
monopoly enjoyed by this College. We have not
seen nor heard any thing to justify this charge
There only % Of the 100 Doctors in Richmond
who originally assacd the College. That number
hls dwindled down to Z. As to the Profession in
other parts Of tho State Judging 10y the action Of the
late meeting OF the Medical Society Of the State
the whole Profession on, of Richnond sympathiss
with the Medical College. Blu. do not understand
that the Doctors have special right to control the
College. Medical Institutions not designed for
those who already Doctors-but for the young
men who desire to become Doctors we comprc
bend these gentlemen thoroughly they disposed
establish still more Objectionable monopoly than
that they denounce. They talk Of stul.nts being
required TO attend lectures ION three to four
years. forty fly months before obtain
ing the Doctorate and no one being per-
mitted to practice without the authority Of n ccn-
sing board Of Doctors. In this case very few nigh,
obtain the privilege and the old set would command
n monopoly Of practice. This would, beyond doubt,
be a very effective mode Of killing of competition
and subcctng the persons and the purses Of the pub
lie to the mercy Of those who had undergone such
trial-and some Of whom, it might turn out knew
quite as much about imported horse flesh as mate
ria medica.