The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-09-07
CARNEGIE AND THE DOCTORS.

Comment in North Carolina is again stirred
over an attack upon one of It's medical colleges,
this time located in Charlotte which maintains
its hornets nest tradition, upon the basis OF the
report of the sef-constiuted Carnegie board OF
institutional critics. 4 short while ago, 1t re-
quired only the criticism of this committee to
secure from the University of North Carolina
the adjustment of the Raleigh branch of It's med
zeal college Basing Its action upon similar re-
port upon the Charlotte institution county medl-
cal society has again stirred sore situation by
demanding that the college in question be pro-
hibited from granting diplomas to It's graduates.
We regret any and every instance iii which
the South permits itself to be inundated by the
board, committee, or what not, IN question. In
spirit it appears hypercritcal. In recommends
tions it seems to avoid above everything else
the effort to practical conditions. In effect if
not in actual ntendment its interference makes
for the establishments an educational oligarchy.
While recognizing the prominent necessity that
of all professional men those of the medical pro
fession should be held to the strictest demonsra-
ton of their fitness as practitioners, 1t is as UNI
reasonable to demand that small colleges should
afford the equipment and require the same fin
ished standards supplied and demanded by the
large and richly endowed institutions, as it is TO
require as prerequisite to the practice of law
"a doctors degree in Roman procedure. To hold
his own among the specialists, to acquire and
hold the more remunerative practice, doctor
must have the finest educational equipment But
it does not follow from this that there is not the
place for the service of the man who most nearly
approximates the ideal of the physician in de
votion to the poor and humble And it is idle to
say that if it possible to demand of all physl
clans the polished preparation implied by the
criticism of the Carnegie board the rural sec
tions, the poor of the cities, all those to whom
ordinary medical attention comes more or less as
a charity from the general practictioner, would
not suffer the want of friend owned in prac-
ically every household III the land. Modest as he
is, ready at all times TO bow to superior knowl-
edge and experience, the general practitioner
does his great and good work nobly and we'll
The hope to be one is an ambition that holds lit
tie expectation of wealth or distinguished honor
but it is one that holds the deep conservation OF
service to men. To close the door|of such a
hope would be calamity not to be estimated
while the world endures and suffers.
There is another phase of this attitude of the
Carnegie board which goes deep into the question
of Southern character. Representing the piled-ur
millions of the steel magnate, arbiter of the dis
tribution of needed funds the suggestion of it
demands is too plain to be ignored. The bride i,
gided, the service and obeisance general, but n(
less certain because vaguely stated At such
price Southern colleges can we'll afford 10 suffer
i'll the future, rather than to obtain tinancia
ease at the cost of independence or self-respect