Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1910-06-16
AMERICAN PHYSICIANS.


A declaration has been made recent
ly by a Chicago college president that
medical education In that city OF coll
leges Is a large sized failure aud ~
sadly behind the times
The Carnegie Founde ton has likewise
Just made its report as to the quality
| or medical education in this country.
This report will create something Of
sensation throughout the United
States; clearly. IL reveals conditions
that are n hindrance TO the progress OF
medical science in America.
II says something OF the history of
medical education here, and shows that
for several decades the country has
been overstocked with cheap physi-
clans. Something like century ago
numerous examples of the so-calicd
commercial. or proprietary. medical
schools appeared and these multiplied
with great rapidity. In little more
than century, 457 medical schools
were started in the United states and
Canada and 1866 of them survive today
II was easy for many of these proprie-
tary schools to exist in the older days
Of mere didactic instruction. before the
modern scientific developments had
made Indispensable TO proper medical
training the expensive laboratories and
hospital facilities Of the present time.
Ordinary text books. skeleton and an
occasional cadaver would equip such "A
school even as late rs a generation ago
and attract 10 II plenty of students,
themselves often thoroughly destitute
OF general education. Many OF these
schools still exist hut they are dying
OFF rapidly or merging. Il possible. with
some college Of liberal arts In the vicin-
ity. Within the past year a dozen
have closed their doors. Fortunately.
the requirements of modern scientific
Instruction are killing them. Germany
has all the practicing doctors IL needs,
yet there are In the whole German en-
piro only one physician for every 1000
souls In the United States. we boast
of physician for every 56S persons.
In stiu earlier days. before the time
of the proprietary schools and coinci-
dent with their rise and development
the report shows that young doctors
were trained by older doctors. a youth
was apprenticed to a physician, did his
mental work. learned to mix medicines
and finally entered the sick room Itself
with his preceptor on the daily rounds.
The era of medical schools did not
really begin until the 18th century, al
though the first one was started In
in connection with the
present university OF Pennsylvania, be- |
fore the Revolutionary war. while the
department OF Harvard was
established In 1888. II was a sound be-
ginning to found the medical schools |
in connection with the colleges In tho |
larger centers Of population, and 1t is
to such foundations that the people |
must look for further progress.
The report contains chapters on "the |
la boratory branches, hospital and |
medical school" COURSES OF study" |
financial aspects" medical sects."
the state boards" etc. going deeply |
into the minutiae OF medical training
and school administration. In the chap
ter on medical sects. occurs the inter-
esting statement that the homeopathic
sect is declining; in 10 years its schools
have diminished from % 10 Is, and the
student enrolment has been cut in half
This report has no sympathy with
"sects' OF any sort. Scientific medi-
cine" II its ideal. II is especially severe
On the schools OF osteopathy which. il
claims fairly reek with commercial
Ism" There Is in 1t nothing whatever
bout Christian science. II regards the
state boards as playing role that win
be Increasingly important,
This report advocates a radical re-
luction in the number OF the medical
schools to one in a town or city how
ever large, and located only In certain