Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-30
DAILY KENNEBEc JOURNAL WEDNESDAY, MARCH 80 1921

Of Lewiston supported the motion to
substitute the bill for the report.
Dodge of Portland told the House
that this was not a question of SEN
timent, but of principle. The "ques-
ton was whether another state in
stitution should be established, not
one of personality. He hesitated to
do this Already the state was over
burdened with state institutions.
Under this bill there was no rea-
son why the school should not and
would not teach Allopathy, Homeo-
pathy, Osteopathy and any other
pathy which the people of the state
might ask for. The only reason adj
vanced for the enactment of the bill
was that the rural communities
might have doctors. He failed to
find residents of those sections get
ting excited over this matter; all the
hue and cry came from the cities,
where there were more doctors than
could be supported, and not from the
country.
This was not a condition peculiar to
Maine. In Massachusetts where
there were three Glass A medical
schools rs towns in the western sec
ton of the state were without doc
tors. During the past 10 years but
IA of the graduates of the Bowdoin
school had settled in country COM
munities. OF the eight young men
who would graduate there this year
! he could not learn that one planned
to settle in such a community.
He believed that more economic
way, as well as means of ensuring
doctors to these communities would
be to establish scholarships and send
! boys to medical schools outside the
state for their education ON condition
that they return to Maine and settle.
1t was all fine to tell what it would
cost but we had some experience in
Maine. About 20 years ago the Uni
versity of Maine came to the Legisla-
ture and asked for $4,000 yearly for
time. They said that if this was
granted for short time there would
soon be no need of state aid, but that
, time had never come.
Did sentiment enter into the mat
, ter with the trustees of Bowdoin ?
Did they seek to secure an endow-
ment to keep the school going? No,
! when they found it was a losing prop
! Csition they said "we'll close the
, school"
Brewster of Portland strongly OPP
posed the motion to substitute the
bill for the report, stating that the es-
Enlistment of the Maine Medical
School as state institution would, in
his opinion, not be a solution of the
problem in the rural districts. He
questioned whether the State is in a
position to afford the proposition and
! whether this would solve the problem
! in vie-v of the fact that MaSSachu-
sets has SO signally failed in provid-
ing a suitable number of physicians
for her rural districts by means of
her medical schools. The recent
graduates from the Maine Medical
School are going to the large cities
outside the state, said the speaker,
and it is their opinion that the con-
tinuance of the school even though
| they desire it from a patriotic stand
point Will not serve the rural dis
! trictS in the manner expected of it.
1t is the opinion of all concerned that
class A school must be maintained
and Brewster expressed the opinion
, that the state is letting itself in for
serious trouble in this regard by rea-
son of the fact that the requirements
of a class A school are determined
by the American Medical Association
! in New York City and not by anyone
within Maine who would have knowl-
edge of the local conditions which
must be met.
There is a very serious question"
said Mr.. Brewster, whether the fund
of the Maine Medical School of $780,
600 could be turned over to the school
under any other management | be-
lieve, however, that the problem may
be solved by the establishment of
scholarships for the purpose of aid
ing young men in getting a medical
education in institutions in other
states A scholarship fund of $500 for
each student would provide 90 boys
to appropriate $4,000 a hundred
boys in addition would also be helped
This is, l believe. a solution of the
present problem for it would be pos
sible to attach a condition to each
scholarship that would assure the
services of each graduate for a GER
tain period of time in the rural dis
tricts.'
Hussey of Blaine took exceptions to
f1n tntn pte- Of nf
as to the lack of physicians and
criticised the Portland representative
for considering the matter from the