New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-15
hits MEDICAL SCHOOLS
Head of Carnegie Foundation
Urges Higher Standards.
THOSE OF EUROPE SEVERE
Would Drive Out Three -Fourtns
of American Colleges, He Says,
Introducing Flexner Report.

Were the lowest terms on which medlcai
schools can exist abroad applied in this
country. threa-fourths OF the American
medical schools would be driven out OF eS-
| istence. according to President Henry >.
Pritchett Of the Carnegie Foundation for the
! Advancement OF Teaching, in the latest re-
rort Of the foundation made public yester-
day. Dr. Pritchett's statement is included
in an Introduction to Medical Education In
Europe." by Dr. Abraham Flexner. Two
| years ago DR. FleXner made a STUDY Oh
medical education in the United States ana
Canada. and wrote a report which cauSeu
much comment. His present work is done
after exhaustive study on the continent
and in Great Britain.
! President Pritchett emphasizes the ar
ference tetween schools here and In Eu-
rope by stating that students abroad must
have a definite educational standard OH
entering the schools. and that Continental
institutions permit no schools to teach med-
Icine without essential laboratory resources
and abundant clinical facilities. lie says:
Scandals I'm medical education exist IN
America alone. I'm no foreign cochtry II "a
medical school TO be found whose stuue i.'o
do not learn anatomy IN tne ulsseClinb
| room and disease by the STUDY OF StrS
people. 1t has remained Tor the nH' ~
States and Canada 10 confer ahnualy III. o
degree Of Doctor OF Medlclne upVI "' hovo
admit to practice hundreds VINO nav
learned anatomy from quiz-compenns, anu
whose acquaintance with disease bC
rived not from the study OF the sich' W.
from the study of textbooks. ,,
! These scandalous conditions are less Woe
spread to-day than they were decadc
ago. yet they are still 10 be tound IN "a" a.
most all sections OF me co . y, Ntasea b,
cEusetts tolerates i'm the city OF boston.
the state of New York toerates IN thc ciIy
of New York, the state OF ILLINOIS, toie III
I'm the CITY OF Chicago, the state OF 'ilS
souri, tolerates I'm St Louis, the state Oh
lCalifornia tolerates IN san Francesca oU
called medical schools that pretend 10 "a I
doctors despite the fact thau U''F "''
without ADEQUATE clinical facilities. 81,
In no European country Is II posS'pie
TO find an educational farce OF TINS o.
scriptlon There, every school mas aueqta',p
II the lowest terms upon whlch IeJi q. O.
school can exist abroad were applleu T.
America. three ourths of our eAistins
medical schools would be cIosea d. ,o,,rth
would be easily and entirely adequate u
Managers Of feeble medical enterprises
I'm our country pretend that '" ,,E,hIic GOOD
Tbis hvpocritical pretenCe ought not 70 ~,
permitted longer TO damage the Hao ,I.o, ,s
terest No medical school tnat lachS ~ y, H.
| facilities has any other motive IMAM 'i,
aaisgb advantage of those that carry II
on. and no civilized country eNcePt ~ a.,
ar This day allows such enterprises 10 li''
pose upon the public.
In his report Dr. Flexner hnds that yer
many still leads the world, because ineu'ca'
sciences are highly developed in the laoora-
tories and Institutes, because the cIiflca
,oocbers are selected on a basis Of scienuhc
ominence. and because tho universities con-
troll the hospitals by always appoih'ins 'n'
! q,arYa In Great Britain and France stuue"''
are freely admitted 10 wards as dresse'S
and clerks a desirable condition. the re-
mort contrasts the clinical advantages mere
, and abroad For instance. even III 'h'
small German university town OF luolnse',
with only 1900 people. clinics OF 90 aho
500 beds are found.
On this side OF the water, saws DR. FleS'
. nor ny hard drilling in written eNam'na
,ions. medical schools lacking lahoratorie'
and clinical facilities can get their studehtf
ny the state board on written examinations
. bu, I'm Great Britain and Germany the eN-
! aminations are pre-eminently practical stu
- dents dissecting and making diagnoses OF
, natients In order 70 pass examinations.
lie also says that homeopathic, eclectics
os,sonaths etc, are wellnigh unknown
abroad because the law recognizes only one
TYNE OF qualified physician and that they
hayo developed In this country because
.o-called ssctarian medicine can be prac-
tised on lower terms than scientific med
1, icinc.