Omaha daily bee., 1911-07-02
standard. Of Nsdicsl Practice.

The Bee has always stood for the
highest standards OF medical practice.
In early days. It, rendered valuable
service to the community by exposing
and driving out a number OF quacks
and charlatans preying on the sick
and helpless. and II was energetic in
It's advocacy OF legislation requiring
medical practitioners to prove their
qualifications before being licensed to
pursue their profession. II has en-
.couraged. and applauded likewise,
every move to raise the standard of
medical education, and especially to
improve facilities and instruction
offered by our own medical colleges.
With these remarks as prelude, we
wish to draw a lesson from the state
board statistics for 1910 compiled by
the Council Of Medical Education for
the American Medical association, and
recently made public. These figures,
which deal with medical practice In
all of the states, and particularly with
the graduates Of medical colleges,
seem to us to prove conclusively that,
while the law governing medical prac-
tice In Nebraska may compare favora-
bly, with those Of other states, the ap-
plication is generously lenient, If not
woefully deficient
One table shows the number of ply
sicians examined by state boards for
five years last past with the number
registered and rejected each year. In
Nebraska in 1910 eighty applicants
were examined by the state board, and
not a single one rejected. No other
state in the union has such a scan
dalous record. In fact, no other state
failed to find some of the applicants
below standard, except Wyoming,
where only ten applicants were ex-
amined. h~sr
Three medical colleges in Nebraska
are listed in the statistical tables Of
the American. Medical association.
Fifty-two graduates Of Creighton Med
ical were examined for admission to
practice during the year, only one of
whom failed, and he was rejected In
the state of Florida. Sixteen gradu-
ates OF the University of Nebraska
medical department were examined,
two'of whom failed, one In Oregon and
the other In Idaho. Fourteen gradu-
ates of the Lincoln Medical college
were examined, one of whom failed
in Idaho. OF the three colleges, sixty
four graduates applied for admission
to practice in Nebraska. and none Of
them were rejected.
Does 1t stand to reason that the
poorest equipped graduates all go TO
other states and that all who remain
to practice in Nebraska are fully up
to requirement. Is it not fair to con-
clude from the record that medical ex-
animation by the state board to prac-
tice in Nebraska has become farce
and that when this 10 scattered broad
cast, as II is by the report or the
American Medical association, II con-
stitutes an invitation for all the lame
duck. haIf-baked doctors Of the eoun.s
try to hasten to this state where. they
are assured, no one is ever shut out?
As a whole, the medical profession
Of Nebraska is far above the average.
Its members individually maintain
standards exceptionally high and GER
tainly cannot be predisposed to let the
bars down. The condition of affairs
referred to. however, calls for some 4
thing more than mere depression, and
the situation Will not reform itself
unless the reputable physicians and
surgeons throughout Nebraska bestir
themselves in the interest Of some
thing better.