Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-04-02
NEEDS OF MEDICAL C0LLEGE
Hospital Facilities Should BE
Increased, Says Dean Tinkham.
Another REQUIREMENT Is a Larger APP
preparation from the state IL
Jpstitution Is to pcmaiD
in Glass A.

Medicine OF the University VI W. "'
gave g forcefu address THURSDAY III
favor % the continuation OF the medlcai
college r this state In CLASS A. AN
appreciative audience, members OF the
Burlington and Chittenden county
Medical society, listened to Or. INK
hani's arguments al the college bulldinS'
The Two deficiencies. as brought out by
the speaker which must be remedied be-
fore next February are annual State ap-
propriation large enough to run the
medical college and allow general de-
velopment, ard the provision Of proper
number of beds for clinical facilities
Since the survey made by the Carnegie
Foundation iu 1909 which stated that
two medical schools we're enough FOR New
England, the schools have been cut
working to that end Now If as the sur
vey stated the United States should nave
total of 60 medical schools, New Eng
lands share would be four. DE- INK
ham thought by the unfair criticisms of
Dr. Pritchet regarding the Vermont COL
lege of Medicine course that he must be
preiudiceL in his opinion. and the dean
of the college took occasion to state
that he was in favor of the con-
tnuation of the Vermont college IN class
A. and that if he was not he would not
occupy his present seat.
one of the unfair criticisms of the
survey was that Vermont was the easiest
place to earn n diploma. Graduates of
Vermont stand as high or higher as
other colleges in New England, in proof
of which the speaker told of a hospital
in the shadow of Harvard University
which sends to him for an inferno. with
his recommendation as dean Of the Yer
mont College OF Medicine The worth of
the men from this school is thereby
brought out He also took up the unfair
manner in which the survey stated the
number in the entering class of the
medical school in 1912 The report stated
| the number Of the class to be II, with
| only three from this State, and went on
| to say that the class would gradually de-
| crease until in few years from 5000
to $4,000 would be spent on each man Of
a class OF from five to ten. 1t failed to
| report that at that time there We're q
men taking the pre-medcal course at the
university who could have entered any
| of the other medical schools without the
extra year OF study. The reason of the
| proportionate small class was that Yer
| mont. instead OF waiting to the last
| minute allowed to raise its standard, had
done SO two years ahead of the other
colleges and in advance of the time
| designated.
| Dean Tinkham could not agree with the
opinion expressed in the survey that men
from Vermont educated outside of the
State in the large cities would return as
doctors to the country towns of Vermont.
OF the 1,526 graduates of the Vermont
medical college, 1,079 have located in New
| England. OF the total number Of cal doc
tors in the State, i63 are Vermont grad
| yates. The percentage of doctors of other
colleges in the State is very small showing
a lack of tendency on the part of grad.
yates of colleges in large cities to settle
in the country. Eden was cited as one OF
many small villages in Vermont without
a doctor. In this particular instance vii
lagos lG miles distant were depended upor
for medical aid.
The argument that Vermont could moi
afford to support a medical school doe.
not convince Dr. Tinkham, who points GU
that this State has as much money pei
capita as ether States. a tax of one mil
on the property valuation Of the State
would raise s214,oO0 Tho speaker advised
moving the dispensary from the hosplta
to location in the lower part of the city
He thought it would ne used there to bet
ter advantage
The great inefficiency of the Vernon
medical college Is the lack of hospita
facilities. It Is necessary to have a posi-
tive number of beds under the direct con
troll Of the college. To meet this require
ment the speaker suggested the buildin'
and equipping Of an addition 20 one o
both hospitals at probable cost of S15O,
600 The State appropriation, which Il
now $4,000, should be raised to an annua
appropriation Of $4,000. The medlca
; school is now running on as small q mar
gin as possible. and if it Is to continue i
must have a greater amount each yea
for development. The two things needed
therefore, are a provision at the mex
Legislature for an annual income and als'
/. lproper hospital accommodations for elm
zeal work. In closing, Dean Tinkhan
stated that in his opinion more Difficult
I fights for the medical school had beef
won in the past and that it was his belle
that by next February the deficiencies
3 would be met with not by the efforts o
Z. one man but by the organized effort o
= all interested
The discussion was continued by DR.. ]
= n. Jenne of this city and DR.. NJ. r. Grail
4 Of Rutland.
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