Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1885-03-13

inc MtlllCll .l'D,Ttlntnl Oh tlt 4 nlN'TSlI1
of Vermont opened, Thursday afternoon,
with appropriate exercises III the amphi.
theatre of the Medical college. one of the
largest classes of students ever present ut
the opening exercise occupied the benches,
and on the platform were President Buck
ham, DR.. Gruncll, Dean of the Medical
department. Drs Jackson, Wheeler, Iins-
ley, willard, Briggs, AtwIter and Lowell
and Hon W. l.. Burnnp The exercises
were opened with an Introductory address,
by DR. John b. Wheeler. on "rhe Higher
Medical Education" The following is Il
brief ahst ract of DR.. Wn'cirr'S su 5gcstiVe
and interesting address
DIR. whceIer's Address.
Medicine is classed with law and theo-
lOgy as one of the SO-Cailcd "lcnrncd pro
fessions" If the term learning is held to
denote the knowledge which is derived
from books and lectures the claims OF
medicine to- such Il title, although cOnsd-
cradle, are inferior to those Of the two
other Professions with which it is associ-
ated. But if by learning we understand Il
severe and thorough training of Observa-
ton memory, judgment ANA the reason
ing powers, in addition too special educa-
ton of the special senses, no profession
can he cunsi ,ered more learned than that
of medicine, when studied as II should be.
The demand for higher standard of
medical education is becoming every year
more wide spread and more imperative.
The public is nOminally in favor of raising
the standard of professional attachments
and Il small minority actually do hold the
conviction which they profess, Occasionally
private individuals are found of sufficient
intelligence and libcrallty to advance the
cause of medical education by cOntrlbu-
tiOnS from their own means. ! need not
fNt
Burlington to whose generosity this school
is 50 deeply indebted But the desire of
the general public for Il higher medical
education is us has been said merely
nominal The difficulty of obtaining leg
lslatiOn to elevate the standard OF medical
attainments and to discourage qlackery,
also goes to show how little the general
public appreciate the question. Among
the reasons why II physician should be as
well educated as the present state OF hu-
man knowledge admits are the following :
/. our patients entrust To our care the
most important Of all their earthly pos
scssiOnS-thcir health and their lives. All
that human efforts can accomplish is eN-
peCted of us. and there Is, fortunately, Il
numerous class Of cases in which medical
science is capable OF saving life and re
storing health.
>. Physicians are not only guardians Of
the health of their patients individually
but of the public health also. 1t Is to
medical men rs II class that the public
looks Tor Information ON sanitary matters
3. Another reason for breadth and
thoroughncSs in medical education is the
increasing Importance in tn" popular eS-
timatiun of science and scientific men.
The physician is, To the ma jOrty of man
kind, the representative scientific man,
and II deVOlVtS upon him to Increase the
respect of his felloWmen for medicine as
il Sciencr. The broader and more thor
ough our education is, the nearer we
come to IL perfect comprehension of the
science of medicine.
A few thoughts on the the nature of the
higher medical education may not be out
of place.
4 certain amount of general training is
necessary before IA student Is qualified to
undertake the study of medicine itself.
This preparatory training of the mind is
in my opinion, better provided by four
wears college course of classical study
than in any other way yet devised.
The technical part of the higher medical
education has for its most prominent
characteristic thUrOughness. The student
is not only told how to work, but shown
now to work. and made to work.
The speaker then alluded To the dis
| tinguished example ct tIe higher medical
education otforded by the late DIR. Oar
lug DR.. Darling was man whose cdu-
cational ideal was of the very highest, and
/
| faithfully than he did,
A movement in the direction of the
/ higher medical education j. going on in
all our colleges \ diploma granted now
implies more careful training and more
varied attanmcntS than 1t did ten years
ago. The necessity of placing some re
Striction upon the right to practice medi-
cine is beginning to force itself upon legiS-
lutiye bodies. Many States now require
the practitioner 10 register before some
state or county official, or to take out Il
license before he can practice Illinois
requires that the applicant pass rigid
examination.
But after colleges. legislatures and
boards of CenSorS have done ali they can
the students fitness will depend more
ON his own efforts, upon the industry
zeal and intelligence with which he aVails
himself of his opportunities. Carefully
treasure up each acquisition To your
| knowledge AS Il weapon which you will
surely need in that long war with disease
which you have chosen for your calling
and you will finally cnteron the campaign
well equipped, and will meet with the sue
cess which you deserve.
President Buckham then addressed the
class, dwelling upon the advantages OF
continuous medical study throughout the
year, as in the classical course Of the | nj
verSity, and upon the desrability of the
endowment OF medical chairs. He alsC
spoke with 1ctllnp 81 lllc DtntluClOf OIL
the institution recently deceased, Miss
Mary Fletcher and of DR.. Darling, whose
death has deprived the medical depart
ment of 50 valuable an instructor. The
exercises closed with the announcement
by the Dean of the lectures for this morn
ing, DR.. Grnnells at . o'clock and DR.
JacksOn's at 10 o'clock.
A splinter Driven through Iii, Eye.
\ sad accident occurred at PlattSburgh
y. y, Thursday afternoon. Napoleon
Hodge, young man eighteen years old
was running circular saw in llornck' =,
shop at Pattsburgh, when he was struck
in the eye Ny strip of wood three feet
long, which was thrown from the saw
Pieces of the wood were broken oil and re
manned in the socket of the eye. The sur
geon who was summoned extracted three
pieces of wood, one nearly three inche,
long, which had been driven through the
eye and into the head. There is fear tha
the brain was penetrated, in which case h,
accident will prove fatal
Very Remarkable Recovery.