Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-02-12
WHAT OUR NEIGHBORS SAY.
The Vermont Educational situation
The Medical College.
(From the Barre Times.

Nhc McntCnl College,
CFrom the Barre Times)
Doubtless there will be some excitement
IN college communities OF Vermont when
to-day's supplement on college subsidies"
Is peiused. The recommendations in each
case are so drastic that each should be
considered very carefully by the voters
or Vermont before it is approved or re-
jectod And while the people are reading
the report, 1t should be borne I'm mind that
the findings are the results of nvestiga-
ton by the Carnegie Foundation inves-
tigators and are not the conclusions of the
Vermont state educational commission.
At the same time the investigators are to
be given credit for being honest in their
efforts to reach fair conclusions MS the
situation appears to them. There are
some features of this latest report which
appear of doubtful application in Vermont,
as indeed there were similar features in
previous supplements containing the find
ings OF these special investigators.
For instance, It seems decidedly omen
to question whether the best interesta of
Vermont would be conserved by abollshing
the only medical college in the state and
making Vermont, from the medical stand
ward medical school or the Canadian instl-
tuition McGill, the latter OF which has lit
tie sympathy with Vermont or Vermont
conditions. If Vermonts only medical
college were to be abolished, the State
would lose all It's medical Individuality
and become dependent for its inspiration
IN medical science and practice on another
State or another country: 1t would rcmove
one of the strongest indirect supports to
the work Of the State board OF health; Il
would, by indirectiou, hurt the work Of
the state laboratory Of hygiene, as nil
these agencies become stronger as they
work In unison; indeed, It would, in our
opinion, tend to lessen the attention paid
to the bctterment of public health through
public agencies In short, Vermont would
appear to be anchoring Itself forever in
medical science and leaving the fight to
someone else, If the States medical col
lese should be cut off just at tho time
when 1t gives the most premise of fulfill
ing its mission.
Moreover, 1t seems to us thst the in
vestigators while admitting that the
medical college at Burlington ranks we'll
with the institutions of it's class, did not
take INTO consideration seriously enough
the FACT that the medical college is lust
passing through a very important transit
uonal stage in raising to n marked de-
gree the standard for admission. 50 that
for the timc-heins the attendance has.
of necessity fallen off. IT should be ex-
planned to the people Of Vermont clear
~ that in the past two years. the re-
qu1rements for admission to the medical
college have been raised from mere prep
afdton IN a high school to a prepare ton
which shall have included at least one
years regular college work. This great
change. of course, had marked effect
on attendance, cutting out those who
We're not fitted, according to modern
standards. for beginning medical train
ing Tho investigators argue that the
attendance, having shown loss during
thes two periods, does not give promise
of reaching former figures. or figures
which would make it an economic success
to continue the school. In that il Is
arguing merely from theory, as no one
knows whether the attendance will con-
tlnue to drop or get back to the numbers
which were attracted by the hit-or-miss
Kind of admission requirements Certain
II is that the standard of the medical
college is being greatly raised thus maxi
Ing IT possible to turn out better pre-
pared physicians, while the clinical adj
vantasos offered in the relatively small
city of Burlington are much better than
they were in former years as the hos
pitfalls are increasing in usefulness and
in the scope Of their work. Admittedly.
Vermonts medical college IS not so for
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