The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1912-06-25
IN MEDICAL
EDUCATION IN AMERICA


SiGtS- he German universities.
moreover. absolutely ,ontroI the hos
pitfalls IN when their |cIinIcal teaching
IS given. These hospitals are not a.
the property OF ne universities.
buf MAJ he municipal and private
hospitals in which the university AZ
points the hospital staff. which thus
becomes the clinical faculty Of the
university. IN Great Britain and
France conditions are IN som, re
suects even more tavorabl, l. /the
student, Tor there the students
are more freely admitted to
hospital wards as clerks and dreSs,rs.
q practice that is being introduced Ill
the United States wherever hospitals
make favorable arrangements With
university faculties. a startling con-
trast between American and Euro
pean conditions is pointed out in the
noun Of clinical material available.
tor teaching. Nowhere in Europe ~
medical education carried on hS any
institution without a~boundant c|linical
material. Even III the small German
university towns like Tubingen. With
only $4,000 inhabitants. clinics Of coo
or 500 beds are TO be found. The
way in which these hospitals have
been So Mighty developed in out-uf-
the-wHy places IS fully described in a
chapter on the financial aspects Of
medical education. In respect to the
curriculum, the report holds that 4
training in scientific medicine cannot
be given on hard-and-fast lines.
Perhaps the most Important part
of the report deals with examinations
The American state board ~>xaInina-
ton is almost altogether written. III
consequence of which medical schools
lacking laboratories and clinical IA
c~ilities can by hard drilling prepare
their students to pass. The
cial establishments IN Chicago. san
Francisco. Memphis. and even institu-
lions like the medlcal departments Of
Dartmouth College and the University
of Vermont. with Very scanty clinical
facilities, cdn live in America because
state board and hospital y limitations
are SO largely written. In Great Bri-
tain and in Germany the qualifying
examinations are pr~e-eminentlN urac-
teal. In order to pass in anatomy.
students must actually dissect, in or
der TO pass in medicine and surgery.
they must make a diagnosis on pto-
pie actually sick. and indicate the
lines of treatment to be pursued. II
is clear that ev lindtlons Of this
character automaticaIly
schools that do not possess good
teaChin. facilities.
1t is sometimes claimed that IN.
high standard Of European medical
! cGUtdtlC1l mas caused MANY VINO can
not meet this standard to become
quacks. Quacks do abound i'll Ger
many. but the report points out that
this is due to simply To legislation
which permits indiscriminate medical
freedom. With practically no r%estric-
lions. any one may prescribe and SCI
medicine in Germany. The prevail
ence of Quackery is not due to ~
high educational Standard. for auatk,
are most common in large cities
Y. hiCh are most ONcrcrOWded WIZ
properly trained physicians.
Medical sectS, such as h~on.eopafhS
eclectics. O~steOpaths. etc. are prar
ticalIy unknown in Europe. The law
recognize only one type Of aualifie,
l physician. and although a properly
GuaiTfed physician may call hinstl
: q homeopathic anu Eclectic, or any
thing else that ne pleaSeS. there is IL
inducement TO do so, where the Settd
rian ENJOYS no SpeCIal privileges. IN,
report maintains that medical sect
have developed in America becauS,
G sectarian medicine can he Practise
: on lower terms than scientific Uedi
: cine. Brief final charters deals W.T.
} postgraduate instruction and the med
: zeal education Of women.
: -