The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1891-03-05
HOMEOPATHIC
IDEA OF WHAT SHOULD BE THE PEO
PER KIND OF MEDICAL LEG
ISLATION.
The School Wants No Advantages, Simply
Equal Rights Pefore the Law.

The following circular explains itse
and has been sent all the Legislators:
! AUSTIN, TEX, February %, 1891.
/ Dear Sir-Medical legislation is i
the air. 1t would seem that you
l honorable body cannot escape tn
pressure upon them to take some &C
ton looking toward the better regula
ton of medical practice in our state
To accomplish this purpose four diff
ferent bills have been presented be-
fore the Senate and the House. Oh
serve that the pressure, while coming
ostensibly from the people, emanate,
in realty from the medical profession
itself 1t would be but human to sus
pect that selfish interests may have q.
much to do with this solicitude as
genuine love for the dear people,"
AS members of one of the sects in
medicine called "humeOpaT hic," allow
us to call your serious attention to the
fact that under he pressure of all
earnest de sire to elevate the med cal
profession and protect the people from
unqualified physicians, grievous iniuS-
! tice and cruei wrong may be unimren
| tionally doue to one or the other
schools of medicine, through misinfor-
nation or lack of knowledge To The
end that all the facts may lie before
you, we desire TO inform you that we,
as a homeopathic school, are not OPP
posed to medical legislation per Sc;
but we are bitterly opposed to class
legislation, or 10 any measures look
ing to the establishment of a sort of
medical trust. All licensing or exam
ming boards in which the controlling
vo is placed in the hands of one sect,
is most plainly of such character.
However, permit us to say that as
school we differ radically from the allo.
pathic school as regards the efficiency
of examining boards for elevat-
ing the qualification of the
profession. AS school, we
have long held that this must come
from better teaching facilities, and to
this end have turned our attention to
increasing the requ rements of our
colleges, where our physicians are
educated. We believe at beginning at
the heart, in striking at the root of
this matter. Consequently, for several
years past every one of our fifteen (15)
colleges has, by order of our National
SOciety-the American Institute of
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, first of all. |
better preliminary education in those |
seeking to study medicine. A prospec |
tive student must present either an
academic degree, a diploma or certi-
hcate. or must pass an examination
equivalent to that demanded of appli
cants to literary colleges. In the
secoud place, none of the colleges may
graduate student unless ne has
studied medicine three (3) years, and
has taken three courses Of lectures.
each not less than six t6) months in
length. Better stlil, the last session OF
| the Institute has r, solved that after
1892 these colleges shall demand four
| az years study Of medicine stead of
three (3). (See tra' sactions of Amer
lean Institute of Homeopathy, session
1890, PIP. 10GlCS.)
In contrast to his stand it is SOL
emn fact that, with barely a half
dozen exceptions. the many allopathic
colleges fall far behind these adj
vanced requirements The great ma
jOriry still require no preliminary eX-
animation or education and still grad
uate students upon (2) courses of five
(5) months each.
Now, in a candor we ask why the
allopaths who are so interested in the
welfare Of the public, DO not begin
their beneticent work of reformation
by petitioning their state and national
societies to compel their colleges to de-
mand higher requirements for or du.
alton and heightened courses of study;
in short bring them up TO something
like the standards common to medical
ollegeS in Europe and the honeo-
pathic colleges IN this country? Echo
answers "why?' Instead of that they
spend time, money and force in seek
ing paternal legislation, as if the law
could give power to board of exam
liners to bestow upon man that
which only a long and thorough course
of education can give.
This, then, is the basic plat.
form upon which we, rs a school,
stand; better general education,
longer and more thorough graduation
Let all the schools of medicine begin
to build upon this PLATFORM and our
State will soon have highe class of
physicians than a century of eXamin-
ing boards can give us. Let the State
demand that any physician desiring
to practice medicine within her Dor
ders shall present legal evidence of
being graduate of a legally chartered
medical col eye, requiring four years
study OF medicine and three courses of
lectures of not less than six months
each We, as a school, will most
cheerfully we come and uphold such
a law. Such a law we fluid in the
Mckinney bill, and we most heartily
endorse it. Similar registration laws
are in successful operation in Illinois
and Pennsylvania. Minnesota re-
quires first of all a diploma from n
college demanding three courses of
six months each before an applicant
can even come before the board of
examination.
AS means of raising the qualifca-
ton of medical men We believe the ex-
aiming board is a distinct failure. The
protection of the public from unquali-
fled men, charltans aud quacks. can
be better accomplished by simpler