Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-08-03
ITS FIRST PRACTICAL TEST
Examination of Graduates Under the Medi-
cal Practice Law.
Work of the Board of Supervisors
AMI of the Examiners-The
Method Employed.

The first practical test of the new law
regulating the practice of medicine in the
District OF Columbia has been given, and
TIE unanimous verdict is that the law is in
every way success.
While several licenses have been granted
before upon examinations, it requires the
more severe test OF an examination of rev
graduates before those who doubted the
efficacy of the law would give 1t their APP
prevail.
Several weeks ago. shortly after the
graduates of the several medical schools
had received their diplomas the board of
medical supervisors announced that exam
nations for registration and license would
shortly be held Each of the graduates was
required in accordance with law to submit
with his application the diploma received
and the testimony of two reputable citizens
of the District of Columbia as TO his moral
character. Upon receipt of this and a fee of
the applications were investigated, and
later the applicants notified to present
themselves for examination.
Complete, but Fair.
The examinations were conducted in the
large hall at the Georgetown Law School.
and while they were complete, and covered
every branch of medicine they were en-
inently fair, and the examiners were con-
graduated upon the fairness of the test CT
a doctors qualifications to practice medi-
cine. The tests were by no means easy.
They were practical. and. as an old pro-
fessor remarked when he looked over the
questions, "a doctor who could not answer
those questions does not deserve to have
license
First came the written work. This COW
cred a period of three days. Before dis
4
selection of the questions and the way they
were prepared would not be amss. There
are three medical examining boards In the
District. That of the regular school, con-
sisting OF Doctors Kleinschmidt, Cooke,
Purvis, ODER and McLain; that of the no
meopathic school. consisting of Doctors
Custis Stearns. King, Babbitt and Mac
Donald; and that of the eclectic school.
composed of Doctors Robinson, Collins,
Geddes, Juihn and SWEET. The presidents
Of these several boards, Doctors Klein
schmidt. Gusts and Robinson, together
with Messrs J. j. Darlington and John
Ridout, constitute the board of supervisors
Methods OF the Board.
When an examination is to be held the
several medical examining boards meet and
each member thereof submits list of ques-
lions of the subjects assigned to him. The
questions from all the boards are then sub
mitted to the board of supervisors. Upon
regard to subjects, and then selects ten
questions in each branch. Such plan will
commend itself at once as being quite fair,
and all questions of doubt as to any one
obtaining list of the questions in advance
is put at rest. for no person other than the
secretary knows the questionSwhich are to
be asked until the very minute of the open
ing of the examination.
Take. as illustrate the subject of
surgery. In the regular school DIR. Purvis
has this branch; in the homeopathic school
DR.. Macdonald looks after it, and in the
eclectic DIR. Geddes examines. Each one of
these gentlemen submits ten questions upon
the subject of surgery. The thirty ques-
lions are thoroughly mixed, and then ten
are selected. In this way each school is
almost certain to be represented in the
questions asked.
Prepared and Sealed.
When the questions are selected, they are
given to DIR. Woodward, the secretary, and
by him transcribed. Manifold copies are
made. and set Of questions, once COM
pieted, is securely sealed in an envelope
bearing the name of the subject on the
outside, and handed to the examiner the
day of the examination in the presence of
the applicants. And SO it transpired, when
the first day OF the examination opened.
Or. ODER occupied the rostrum, gave out the
questions in anatomy, mGterla medica ard
Therapeutics, and retained the papers. He
was followed by DIR. kieinschmidt, in his
interesting branches Of physiology and
hygiene; then came DIR. McLain, with some
pertinent questions on chemistry, toxicol-
ogy and medical Jurisprudence. DIR. Purvis
followed with surgery, obstetrics, gynaecol-
ogy and diseases of the eye and ear, and
DR.. Cooke closed the written examinations
with practical examination on practice,
pathology and bacteriology. At the close of
the written examination each applicant was
required to sissa-a paper setting forth that
he had not received any assistance during
its progress.
The Oral Test.
Then followed the most practical test OF
all, the oral examination. Two days were
devoted to this, and each applicant in turn
had a short conference with the examiners
and demons trated his know ledge CT the
ho aling art. A feature of the examinations
was the absence of catch questions. The
examiners We're frank enough to admit that
it was not their purpose 20 catch IL man.
but to convince themselves that his knowl-
edge OF medicine was sufficient to obtain
for him license to practice the profess
sion. Each examiner showed the kindest
consideration for the apple ants. All Of
them are professors, and know the ways of
students. And so 1t was that when one
hesitated over an answer. the examiner
suggested the question in d different way
and it was promptly answered. And it was
this knowledge that only professors hay.
which enabled them to bring out all that
was necessary.
Fake, as an illustration the difficult
branches of chemistry. materia nedica
physiology and anatomy. These branches
were passed by the applicants two years
ago, and were embraced in what is termed
the primaries. Much of these had been
forgotten But Drs. kleinschmidt, Ober
and Mcl.ain, who examined in them strip
led the subjects of Technical details and
presented such questions as demonstrated
the applicants knowledge of the subjects
The first day quoted all fears. The appli-
cants realized the purpose Of the examiners
to be fair, and after the first trial was
ever sense of genuine pleasure and con-
hdence supplanted that of doub: and fear
Marked and known by Numbers
Each applicant was given a number
known only to himself and the secretary
He signed his papers with this number
and when the examiner looked them over
he was ignorant of whose they were. The
papers were accordingly marked by num-
hers and the result of this written ex