Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1886-05-14
THE MEDICAL COLLEGE.


against the professor of surgery, has had
less space in our columns than in the at
tention of the community, because 1T
seemed to be II case in which little help
could come from public discussion and
there was hope that the trouble would
subside perhaps as suddenly as it arose.
That hope has not been realized, and our
readers are entitled to a statement of the
facts which of course, as is always the
case in such matters, have been much
distorted in many private versions of the
subject.
The essenlil facts are as follows.
About two weeks ago a petition which
had been quietly circulated among the
medical students and had received the
signatures of all but three or four of them
was presented to the Dean of the Medical
faculty. 1t was addressed to the
Medical Faculty and requested
them to ask Professor Bingham,
the new professor of surgery to resign, the
reason given being that in the opinion of
the signers DR.. Bingham was without cred
table experience as a teacher and that in
clinics recently held before the class, he
had, by mistakes in diagnosis and opera
ton, shown absolute unttness to fill the
chair of surgery. The attention of the
executive committee of the board of trus-
tees of the University was called to the
matter by the Dean of the Medical faculty,
and an informal inquiry was instituted.
1t appeared that DR.. Bingham had held
four clinics at the Fletcher hospital, of
about an hour and a quarter each, and
the evidence of inCapaclty rested chiefly
on two cases,-One in which 1t
was asserted that he had predicted
that the operation would show the
presence of morbid secretion of one
kind, whereas it proved to be another
kind the other Il case of contraction of
the muscles of the jaw, in which the doc
Tor had instructed the class that an opera
ton ON the contracted muscles would not
result in any permanent benefit, and that
1t was not a case for the knife, whereas he
had subsequently operated on the CON
tracted muscles in private, thus showing
that his diagnosis before the class was errO-
neous. 1t was also claimed that his eNpla-
nations of the cases before the class in the
clinics were not clear and useful. On the
other hand 1t was shown that in the first
case above mentioned the doctor had SAID
that CithCr puS or water would he found
by an lncieOn; that the operation per-
formed was the proper one in either case;
and that it was successful, the patient be
ing Immediately and decidedly benefited.
In the other case It was shown that no
operation had been performed on the con
tracted musclcs-the slight operation sub
SctiutIllN DtllOII ltil DtlllG lltl the one
pronounced iuadViSable in the clinic An
experienced practitioner in Burlington
who had attended the clinics stated that
no mistakes in diagnosis or explanation
We're made by DR.. Bingham, and that
among the operations performed by him
in them, was one quite difficult one, re-
quiring especial skill in the operation, and
that ii was performed with entire success.
n committee of the students stated their
views To the executive committee, repre-
considered sufficient evidence : that Prof. |
Bingham did not compare well with Prof. !
Wright Of New York, who delivered the
course III surgery last year that they were
entitled to the best instruction: and that
they ought not to be asked to be satisfied
with any but lecturer of national reputa- |
ton i'll this important department. In
view Of certain statements made in the
community the committee of the students
presented to the executive committee Il
written statement to the effect that the
movement among the students was not
melted or advised by any member of the
medical faculty.
The executive committee, the petition
being not addressed to them, took no
formal action on the subject: but they
adv iSed the Dean to call the medical fac
ulty together at the earliest possible day
to consider the petition and the situation.
Some members of that faculty being
widely absent or engaged elsewhere no
meeting of the medical faculty has been
obtained up to this time but one Is cX-
pected to be held in Il day or two. In the
meantime Il committee of the medical
class waited on Prof. bingham with Il di- |
rect request that he resign, which he de
clined to do. Prof. Grlnnell addressed the
class week or more ago, aS reported in
these columns, saying in substance that
every man was entitled to Il fair trial; that
1t was not fair to condemn Prof bingham
before he had delivered "A single lecture,
and requesting the students as gentlemen
TO give DR.. Bingham respectful recep
ton and hearing when he should appear
before them to deliver his course on sur !
gerry. 1t was hoped that such cOunSels of
older and presumably wiser men would
induce the students to lay aside their
prejudices, at least to the extent of allow |
ing themselves to hear his lectures before
they decided that surgeon as EXPERT
enced and successful as Dr. Bingham could
not teach them something worth knowing
But this hope was not realized. The
students maintained their position, and
on saturday voted by large majority,
some l2O of them concurring in the vote, |
that they would not attend any OF Prof
Blngham's lectures
Monday forenoon President Buckham
addressed the students at the Medical col
lege.
PRESIDENT BUCkHAN'S REMARKS.
He said that having been assured by
their committee that they would be glad
to hear him on the subject, he was glad to
take the assurance as an indication that
they had not wholly prejudiced the case
but were willing to take advice. They
had said that they had not acted on out
side advice. it would perhaps have been
better if they had. Under judicious adj
vice their petition at least might have
been more moderate and courteous in its
terms. They thought that they were cool
and reasonable but they were III danger
of hasty action, which they would here
after regret They were not in a condition
to exercise an impartial judgment.
Whether they were conscious of it or not.
they We're in the atmosphere of an old
quarrel in the medical profession here.
But for that this problem would not have
presented itself. President Buckham
spoke of the relations of the departments
OF the University; The trustees elect the