The San Francisco call., 1908-09-02
MEDICAL STUDENTS
ARE AROUSED
Claim Is Made That Examina=
tons Were Unfair to Los
Angeles Boys
Physicians Say the Charge Is
Absurd and Investigation
Is Ordered

| Charges, counter charges and denials
were numerous yesterday as the result
of complaints made by medical students
| of Los Angeles that they had been
treated unfairly in the recent state
examinations. The board of medical
examiners through its secretary, DR..
! Charles L. Tisdale, denied that there
had been favoritism. On the other
hand the southern students repeated
the accusation that they had been
placed at great disadvantage and that
the students of Cooper college had been
materially assisted in the official tests.
So insistent have been the charges that
an investigation has been ordered.
At the recent examinations for
license to practice medicine 20 of the
81 applicants from Cooper college were
successful. OF the 119 applicants from
other schools of the state only 19
passed Among those who were un-
| successful was DR.. ]. II. Brooks of Los
Angeles. With IL other students he
will appear before the Investigating
board to make his charges against the
medical examiners.
According to advices from Los An
geles, Brooks said yesterday that be-
| fore the examination was held he in
quired of DR.. j. Park Dougall, president
| Of the board, as to what course of
w
take the two months course from DR.. d.
D. Nice, who has offices connecting with
| DR.. Dougalrs quarters in the Douglas
building in Los Angeles. Together with
| 13 other applicants, Brooks says, he
| took this course, each of the IA men
paying 500 for the instruction. Only
four of these men passed the examina-
| tion.
DR.. Brooks charges that the unfair
ness in the examination was palpable.
! He asserts that applicants from San
Francisco carried their textbooks into
| the examination room and used them
| openly. Summarized the charges are:
That the examinations were held in
the rooms of Cooper medical college.
That the Cooper college students
were placed in room by themselves
and allowed to do as they pleased.
| That the watchers at the eXamina-
tions were Cooper college attaches. who
permitted the students of that institu-
| ton unwarranted liberties.
That the jars containing tissues
which the applicants were required to
identify were those used at the Cooper
college and bore labels with which the
students who had prepared there were
familiar
| That friends of members of the state
board were recommended to coach ap-
plicants, receiving s100 for the instruc-
|
! The board of medical examiners is
composed of some of the best known
physicians of the state. Its personnel is
as follows: DIR. J. Park Dougall of Los
Angeles. president; Dr. George +. Rein
! hardt, Berkeley, vice president; DR..
Charles L. Tisdale, Alameda, secretary;
DR.. Ernest Sisson Oakland, treasurer;
DR.. A. L. Cothran. San lose; DR.. F. G.
Mattison, Pasadena; DR.. Saxton I. Pope.
| Watsonville; DIR. J. w. James, Sacra-
mento; DIR. Frank S. Barnard. Los An
geles; DR.. W. NJ Mason, Lodi; DR.. d.
l.. Tasker, Los Angeles.
Dr. Charles L. Tisdale says:
| 1T is merely a case of sore headed
ness. The men who did not pass have
raised a storm and indulged in cries of
unfair play merely to throw cloak of
doubt over their own incapability.
The system in vogue makes it impos-
sible to discriminate in favor of or
against any applicant. The examiners
do not know the identity of the authors
of the papers submitted. because of the
numerical system of designating each
applicant, and the questions to be asked
j by each examiner are not only unknown
| to the other examiners, but the secre-
tary and the office force are likewise in
the dark.
DIR. William Ophuls of the faculty of
Cooper college said he did not believe
| any special faVorS were shown. he
said:
LAS to the accusation that tissues
shown the students for Identification
were the specimens Of Cooper college,
these same specimens have been used
/ in these tests for the last six years
There are some 200 jars. The labelling
was done by numbers, but these had
been removed. The examiners used
only a few jars in the examination and
! it does not seem likely to me that the
students could have distinguished be-
| tween them" OF the six watchers en-
ployed during the examination three
were affiliated with Cooper college
These watchers deny that there was
any unfairness or irregularity during
the tests. Miss Howard. one of the
watchers, denied that the Cooper stu
dents were placed in a room apart 1T
| is true" said Miss Howard, that the 21
applicants from Cooper college were in
! the same room, but % students from
other colleges were also there. There
were 46 In this room. Three rooms
were used for the examinations The
students were placed two desks apart
and had no opportunity to communi-
cate"
1t is said the entire matter will be
referred to Cover nor Gillett