New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-04-09
WHOLE NUMBER 81.

WHOLE NUMBER 81.
That medical science can be MASTER
ed in such fashion, or that one in a
dozen Of the graduates SO ground out
is fit to be trusted with the admins
tration Of drugs, cannot be decently
pretended.
Of all the sciences, none requires
more ardnous study, patient obser.
yation and research and intelligent
application; and it is criminal for
any man to attempt to practice with
out having thoroughly mastered it.
It was for the protection of the CON-
munity against nurderous ignorance
in the medical profession that the
medical practice act Of this state was
passed. That law was passed at the
instance Of the faculties Of the medi.
cal colleges. But instead of being
operative to protect the public a.
gainst that deadly ignorance, it was,
OF the instance Of those faculties, SO
drafted that it protects all the igno-
rance ground out by the schools.
No physician who holds a diploma is
required to submit to an examina.
ton. It is enough that the sheep
skin has been conferred upon him.
1t is only the practitioners who do
not hold diplomas who are required
to submit to an examination and
the risk of being denied license to
practice until after they have attend.
ed lectures. The law bears indi-
cations Of having been framed in or.
der to force quachs to procure and pay
for the diplomas which any quack
can get by attending the lectures
and paying his fees. But, however
that may be, the medical schools
themselves, by their action with re.
gard to this law, have fetched into
prominence the importance of such
legislation as will in some measure,
at least, protect the public against
ignorance and charlatanism in the
medical profession. And now, if
that protection is not to be denied,
it is season for the legislature to pro.
tect the public against the ignor.
ance and charlatism resulting from
that ignorance which the medical
schools are grinding out at such up.
palling rate.
These schools are chartered by the
State, and are subject to such con.
troll by the legislature as tbs protec-
ton Of the public may require. They
are by law authorized to issue di.
plomas upon the condition, neces.
sarily implied, that such diplomas
be issued only to those who, by
thoro ugh study, shall have qualified
themselves to practice medicine.
The schools are annually issuing
diplomas to men who have not quail.
flied themselves by thorough study,
and whose studies in the schools, as
the faculties cannot but know, have
been most superficial, and not such
as to qualify anybody to practice. It
is season the legislature revoked
these charters, or compelled the
schools to faithfully discharge the
trust confded to them as to issuing
diplomas. The courses in the schools
are VIGOROUSLY superficial. The
terms are too short for even the sup
CRITICAL course to be fairly studied.
The examinations are farce. The
fool Of the class invariably receives a
diploma. The remedy is obvious.
The schools should apply it them
selves. If they do not, the legisla-
ture should take proper action to
compel it to be done. The course of
study should be made thorough.
The terms of study should be very
much heightened in order to enable
students to master the course. The
examinations should be made bona
fide. Such reform would make a
diploma signify more than that the
holder had paid certain fees and for a
very limited period listened to lee.
lures which he had not time to di.
gest, and which, in themselves, were
mere outlines, designed for students
who were to be rushed through the
course. The charters of the schools
which refuse to conform to all these
requirements should be revoked.
The public health is already too
much endangered by quacks, and
schools which are but mills to grind
out quacks should be closed. Chico
90 Times.