Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1877-10-10
HIGHER MEDICAL CULTURE
WHAT Is NEEDED TO RESTRICT THE
WHOLESALE MAKING OF DOCTORS.

. A correspondent of the New Yorl
World gives an interesting account Q
a new departure taken by the medica
, department of the University Of Penn
y sylvania, to restrict the number Of new
ly fedgod physicians turned loose upol
) the community, the multiplication o
! which class in this country is largely
: due to the fact that an association 0
doctors can form a college and deriv,
large profits from this proceeding il
= two ways; first, directly from the fee
: OF tho students, and, secondly, from
the professional advertisement which
: their connection with the college rem
ders possible. Students are also at
tracted in two ways-.a low by tn,
! educational advantages offered by the
institution, but the greater number BY
wish TO obtain the right to practise
an honorable and lucrative profession
Under such a system the number Of
physicians annually graduated in this
country is about 5000 fve-iold the
proportion to the population that are
yearly graduated from Germany's
great universities. So that in the Ian
guage of a distinguished physician,
"the facts are becoming known through
out the world, and America IS fast be-
coming the promised land for the quack
and lmpostor in medicine" The men
who tail to pass the government boards
for license, either in Europe or South
America, flock to the United States TOR
an open field. Prot. Wood, of the Uni
versity of Pennsylvania, has directed
public attention TO the evils resulting
from this system and the immense
amount of malpractice among the in
competent quacks. The World cores
pondent continues
All that is required from the candi-
date for medical degree is attendance
upon two courses of lectures beginning
in October and ending in February,
and nearly or quite identical He is
also expected to dissect little. No
other practical duty is required of him.
He has then TO undergo an examina-
tion before q body OF physicians to
whose direct immediate personal inter
est it is that as many men as possible
should be allowed to pass. Nopreim-
mary examination is required and no
evidence at the end Of the time that
the student is capable ofpractically ap-
plying even such slight knowledge as
he may have acquired.
These remarks apply to nearly all
medical colleges in the United States
with the exception of Harvard and the
University Of Pennsylvania, and have
been made appropos to the changes
which have recently taken place in the
faculty and management Of the latter
venerable institution. If they are not
of interest to the general reader, it is
certainly not due to any lack Of intrin-
sic Importance, as the subject is one of
truly vital significance to any one who
ever expects to be sick or to need a
physician.
In all other enlightened countries
the practice of medicine is rigidly con-
trolled by law, and the citizen is pro
tected from Incompetence in the physi.
clan. The various methods employed
with this view all agree in recognizing
certain principles of medical education
general education must precede the
special the technical instruction must
be graded; it must not be purely theo
retcal, but must give also practical
knowledge and training; sufficient time
must be allotted for the course; the
fitness Of the candidate for the honors
must be decided by men who have no
interest either in rejecting or admitting
him.
As legislative action in such matters
is so slow and so uncertain in this coun-
try, the only way to rapidly substitute
this system for the old one is TO raise
the standard in the colleges. The Uni
versity of Pennsylvania has finally talk
en- the decisive step, and its medical de-
partment is at least entitled TO rank
with that Of any college in the world
in thoroughness and efficiency. Sever
al years ago the faculty of medicine,
desirous ofrcndering medical education
more systematic and thorough. estab.
lished voluntary graded course Of
study extending over three years Ac-
cording to this plan. during the first
year the students paid attention to the
fundamental sciences of anatomy chem.
istry and physiology. and TO materia
mcdica and therapeutics while during
the second wear tbey attended lectures
on the applied branches also and in
the third wear devoted themselves TO
the latter exclusively. as an immedi.
ate preparation for the degree of NJ. d.
Each succeeding wear the number who
availcd themselves of this more
thorough and systematic instruction
has increased, and those who pursued
it have illustrated its value bv the DUAL.
ity of their inaugural theses and the
merit of their examinations for the do
gree. When the now medical hall was
erected provision was made in advance
for change in the system of teaching.
and laboratories were constructed in
connection with the chairs of anatomy.
physiology. materia medica and patho.
logical anatomy. As the three years
course was, however not obligatory,
the faculty has not been able so TO
grade and arrange the period of studies
as to dispose to the best advantage of
tha tipo of tboeo atndnnte ,vho .tndiad