The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-11
SECRETARY OF THE STATE BOARD
OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS DE-
MES THE REPORT
IF WHOLESALE CRIBBING
AT THE EXAMINATION OF CANDI-
DATES FOR LICENSE TO PRAC-
TICE MEDICINE.
NO TEXT BOOKS LEFT AROUND.
The Representative of the Board
Characterized the Whole Yarn
as the Veriest Rot.

A MINI .apolis evening paper devoted
nearly column last night to tale
regarding alleged wholesale sharp
practice resorted to by the hundred or
more candidates to secure diplomas by
passing the medical examinations held
at the capitol three days last week.
The tale, which is long on graphic, al
though the facts are disputed, sets
forth that wholesale cribbing was In
dulged in by the candidates hailing
from the university, which drove the
Hamline grads to pursue much the
same, if not quite as thorough a sys-
tenn of "ponying," and that, in fact, the
majority of candidates, including
number of women, who are supposed to
possess finer feelings about such mat
tiers than the men, dispensed with
such crude methods as cuff notatiOnS,
condensed answers, ETC., and boldly en-
tered the big hall of representatives,
where the exams were held, armed
with such standard authorities as
Gray's Anatomy, American Text Book
of Surgery, ETC., to say nothing of
"Quiz Compends," which, SO the story
goes, were used with the utmost free
dom. 1t is also stated that after papers
containing questions on the eye, ear,
nose and toxicology had been passed
around, the candidates went out to be
photographed, and while absent from
the room brushed up for their answers
to such questions.
In the story the recommendation is
made that the medical examiners might
better have registered the names of the
candidates, issued diplomas to each and
exacted the usual $40 from each, rather
than force them to submit to an exam
ination that meant nothing. The per-
sons who were examined are quoted as
saying that the examination was a
farce, and that the examiners either
did know, or should have known, the
manner in which the work was being
DONE
This story was shown to DR.. Thomas
McDaVitt, secretary of the state board
of medical examiners, last night, and
he entered a vigorous denial to each
and every statement it contained. DR..
McDavitt conducted the examination.
1T is the veriest rot" was his COM
ment. "Of course, with ITO persons to
examine, not in a small room, as stat
ed, but in the hall of representatives,
they must be seated near together, and
it would be absurd to say that there
was no cribbing done. I stated at the
outset that I should expect the candi-
dates to conduct themselves as ladies
and gentlemen, and that any attempt
at questionable methods of replying
to the questions would be promptly
dealt with All I can say is that, II
any text book or pony had been dis
covered by the examiners, the owner
would have been summarily thrown
out of the examination. No candidate
was thrown out. This talk about our
having found a copy of Gray's anato-
my is all bosh. The percentage OF
candidates which have been ''plucked'
would tend to show that there was no
such general cribbing as this paper
says. The class we examined is natu-
rally the brightest class we have for
the reason that the candidates have, i'll
most cases, just graduated from their
schools and colleges and are, as a rule.
fresh from their studies. There is not
the slightest truth in the story
The regular quarterly meeting Of the
state board Of examiners was held yes
terday in the Lowry arcade, every
member being present. DIR. Chiffon, of
Howard Lake, presided. The papers
of the 100 or more candidates were eX-
amined, and it was found necessary TO
throw out Is per cent of the whole
number as not being up to the point of.
passing. The papers were examined
by number, so that the list of success
full candidates has not yet been made
known