New-York tribune., 1879-03-03
tfcv can never be filed with scholars. but remain
AS monuments of municipal folly.
D0cTORS BY BATTALIONS.


Nc,r-yorls i douhtlc,s the chef centre of mcdi-
cal education in tins country. The work of ITS
various schools IL must be admitted IN tHe''
Commencement Days has lorni1'oic l"oN'
Within fortnight three medical colleges
in This city have graduated iG5 brand-h'"
Doctors of McI.ciut. Ala to these, twenty
one graduates from the Dental t"''e''
and considerable numbers from the h'ln"'
patIic College. the Eclectic, the Df"hc"
Eclectic. and other IRREGULAR institutions an" W.
have grand total Of something like COO doctors OF
some sort, duly branded by authoritative
medical schools, and turned loose upon IL
suffering and dofrnceess community. IN Slheio
city in a single year. Practically many ol
these men become accred ted phJsirahs Oh
the strength Of ten months al''h"a'''
lectures. and IN most cases no preliminary college
urso has been required. Is IT not becoming
farce TO speak of medicine one ol the ieaIucu Il'
fessonsi
Some such considerations rs these nave eN'
dcntIv IMPRESSED one Of the oldest and
best Of our medical insti'utions-thc weU-kno"n
COLLEGE of Physicians and Surgeons. Is eNamI-
nations for graduation have for some time
been growing more severe, and the Ia''
onc resulted in tho rejection Of ~ unusually
large number Of applicants. At their annual dinner
on Saturday night some striking facS bearing
upon the American tendency 10 oyerstock 'he
professions. we're brought ont by the Fey.
Dr. Hitchcock. Alnding to the 10" ETddc'
of scholarship In many of the professional
schools and to the great throngs of so-chieH
graduates" the Doctor gave some recent
and instructive figures as to the pI"-
portion of professional men to the whole popu'auo"
IN SO highly civilized a country ~ france
Stated in round numbers these hsHIcs
assign something like 60 per cent Of
the whole population to agricultural pur-
suits. 2G 10 mechanical, 10 to commerclal p"f-
suits. and only per cent to the ProieS-
sions There seems 10 be no complaint III
France that there are not doctors lawyers
AVID clrrqvmcn enough. And yet, III the
United states, we are filling mp the
rank, of tine professions to percentage OF tie
whole population nearly or quite double tha'
d. France to the injury of the professions them
selves, as well as TO the hurt of the community.
Our medical schools deserve all honor i"i the
prowIu, tendency to resist the dIluton of their
profession by tins constant stream oi raw
material. They can properly do much more; and
IL needs only correct public sentiment to
encourage them to do IT. hey might ap-
proDIatciy le1gthen the terms Of study.
and increase the number of terms IN the
course required for graduation. They might
institute more rigid examinations at tne beGiu-
nbg as well as at the end of the course.
IncvmlrIt divert some of tIcir liberal cNpendi-
furo, from h,ru- students to study by toe ottr oil
liberal prizes tor proficiency, to the ptltcf
urrpo.c of hiring the - teachers, while
comrelliug careful attention TO their insTuc-
ton "a the price Of degrees. And, finally me
medical college. might be more potent forces
for sound and thorough medical education