Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-04-21
VIRGINIA MEDICAL COLLEGE.

For the Enquirer.
VIRGINIA MEDICAL COLLEGE.
The last Legislature of Virginia having tumbled the walls
previously bent, In The passage Of a bill! charlering an inLie-
pendent Medical College, eight men in the Senate only, Lo'
gen, Tazswel, Harris, and five others, having duly npprecll.
ted the interests of The profession and the demands oil me
South, write you 10 cadGrse a suggestion OF a Citizen"
in your issue Of The 23Ih of March, proposing 10 establish a
Southern institution in Richmond, upon q PLAZA which must,
| thin., ensure the confidence and efficient and energetic CO.
opera lion of The whole Southern people. The present ia
Guilty falling TO obtain thei. %cyorhitlnt demands, as set forth
in their first bill, have accomplished by indirection "hat
proved tc be impracticuble by direct means, and, IKE Inc To-
Gust, having spit open on the back and LETT iheir shell IN a
corner, they now seek 10 pain upon The public a new hghlln
their new life. The present school being born oil error hnn
deIusion, feeds upon false views. fosters eSlIaSagant aud
guilty excuses Of The passlonsi and although II may be me
highest product of human genius, il tends inevitably to Inc
der fcda ton and ruin of the best interests OF the science
This il would be an easy matter 10 enc" oy a hnmoef Vi
conclusive considerations. Bill No. l Incorporates five men
In The Medical College of Virginia. They are the incofpo-
ration. Fifteen lawyers are made trustees, oht 'neY can o
nulhing without the consent Of the coIpotutUrs-the racu!-
". The fifteen Trustees Gie mere GOd-lathers at the CHRIS
Jennings -brutlm.f ulmcn. TIE mcdiCG! men OF Inc STATE arc
excluded from this board. This bill, II tnust DC rtcoHecteo,
was presented alter months OF elaboration. u SHOWS Tue
aims and designs OF The present Faculty. bu! IN a very
short time il was apparent that suCn an Outrageous ln'hg
could not be sustained. II was denounced IN ah quaf'e'1'
AMI then the banlling was smothered.
Bill No. { was next brought forward. II vests all powers
10 q Board Of Trustees of l9 lawyers. leslslatIng themselves
seen, they manifest their desire 10 exclude al Ele0!cal men
from any participation in the management OIL Inc sciiooi.-
Why this distrusi and disrespect 81 clearly manifested TO-
wards the medical profession OF the State, twice exhlollea l
Are not medical nien alone capuble Of ~inteligibly and I'M
derstandingly discharging The Gulies oil the trust none on'
medical men can take an intelligent interest 10 such an lnstl'
tuition. They alone are competent TO rcctity auuses ano To-
s,i,ute saiutary reforms. They arc The patrons OF the sctools
exclusively. They ao annually appealed 10 10 sustain q
Ye,, In both Of these bills, they were discredlted and de-
MED any participation. From thrse tangible facts IL cannot
be concealed that the whole eH1rt has been 10 create nnd
perpetuate an odious oIigarciiy- rewards for the few-its
honors 10 be purchased by lavorui:nl, nePofism, &C. This
ii is that Or. Wilson has been contcnding against. and which
for that reason, and that reason alone, seeks his destrucIlon.
He has obstinately stood upon & principle maintaining The
common rights Of medical men In an important public Instl.
tuition, in which they have an %inseparuble interest and
should the designs OF the present Faculty upon this man be
carried out by the Board Of Trustees, he may proudly hurl
defiance In tie face OF all concerned. There lisa Pfovi.
dence in all things" end il never was designed such medi-
,a,ed wrong should prosper. ( know the man, and that
knowledge assures me that he would scorn The ot1ce as The
reward Of personal favoritism or %toadyisn. Row, Ter the
truth @! this declaration.
In July laat, ia the presence Of the Board of Trustees and
three Of The Faculty, Or. Wilson offered TO quiet The whole
ditfic ulry by giving bond ao security. never, under any
circumstances, 10 enter the College buildings, If the Facul.
" would consent to abandon forever their prcposterous
claims, and permit medical men from every quarter TO have
equal and |untrammeiled access 10 the appointing powell
This proposition was unheeded. This following fact is still
more in point. In July last also il wus proposed that Or.
Wilson should resign, and they, the Faculty, woul give him
n unanimous recommendation, and have him elected. Inls,
| understand, can be eubstantiated out OF The mouth OF their
own lawyer. What did Or. Wilson dot Ho spurned such
a proposition, and felt indignant al The effort TO buy him up
0y q corrupt bargain II COMPROMISE ulO III
Of his PRINCIPLES. and q sale Of the common rights OF The
profession. This would have been paying too high n price
for the honDrs of office, or the iavOrs OF others. There ls
reason TO fear that the bill which finally passed the Leesla.
ture, was The work of ont door influences, as | understand
the halls were constantly besieged by lobby members, and
The friends of The bill gave about three dinners a week.
have a question TO whisper into the ears OF the present Board
OF Trustees. II is this Has any member of your body been
heard 10 make the declaration that it was q packed board Tor
the purpose OF rictimising DR.. Wilson, and ii so, can that
individual honorably take hs seat and vote against him =
The Faculty, we are informed. did not name the Trustees
in The bill as passed, but were nodeslly applied 20 10 cay what
names The blank should he filled with. Is not ibis making a
distinction without n dHfeencc2 A sore, in order to be heal
ed, must be exposed. ! will not disguise the fact that am
an advocate for The reelection of Dr.. Wilson upOn principle,
because am an advocate fG: truth, under Whatever banner
she displlys herself, an advocate Tor justice, Tor sounn learn
ing, for medical reform, a high standard OF medical ethics,
and thus far a friend TO the College. DR.. Wilson Is Identified
with all these. His reputation is as dear 10 him and tn'!y as
lofty as his PEERS, aud will suffer no dlsparagement by com
parison for talent, energy, ambition a mind stored win
sound discriminating tuct, evlnClng a depth oil research hno
industry equalled BY few. / do not nk il as a matter oil
grace, for he would scorn such a boom from his peersj but l
demand il as his just due. | heard the sentiment first uttered
by a medical man who has no personal acquaintance with
Dir, Wilson, and who was consequently not biascd by per-
SOM p:edlcctions. "that If Dr. Wilson wea victimised, the
schoui would tumble" This sentiment was The offspring of
that innate, lofty sense Of honor which chnracterizes the
huIk of the Virginia doctors. II Or. Wilson, by his untring
Industry, sleerlsss nights and nrduous toll, has built up a
reputation for himself, reckless indeed must be the nnnd that
would be raised 10 seek his Immolalion. Sill his election 10
The vacancy in the present College can In no wise supeisede
the necessity acknowledged 10 exist. for q Southern lnsiitu-
whole Southern States.
Heartily thank q "Cilizen" for this suggestion, and hope
to live TO see II contaminated.
ApriI Is, 1854. COUNTRY PHYSICIAN.
souE ADDITIONAL DIPLOMATIC ConREsroNDEScE has
hcen published in England, 1hich reveals a lew points OF