Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-30

NOW the report OF any committee =.
joint committee, of course !.
sacred, but it does seem to me W
after looking into q question 1
opinion of that committee is w
considering. did not appear IA, :,
committee but simply for myself :.
member of this Legislature.
Now. House bill No. So, which ,
the one under discussion, p,ov,a'
that there be and hereby il esq
lished a Medical School for the -
struetion OF students in all brancs.
OF medicine, surgery and che,,;s
try, want you distinctly IN -.
that point of "all branches of nv
icine." If a State institution ia
tablished known as the Maine Ma
ical School there is no reason una,
Gods Heavens why that schns,
should not teach besides allon,ts'
homeopathy, osteopathy, or anv orr,
"opathies" for which there NAV h.
demand from our citizens of the Sta,.
OF Maine; and in spite of the moSss.
budget of $4,000 which is called ~.
in House bill No. 81, you NAV c,.,
into the future and see what snos
requests may be. Now, gentIema,
the only justification there is for N.
establishment of Il State Medic.,
School is to furnish doctors for ,ho
rural communities: and so far axI
know from any evidence that ba.
yet been presented, l do not find tb.,
the people of the rural communitiAs
are particularly exercised over ths
matter. The most of the hue and crv
over this matter has come from the
people who live in the cities where VIC
have more doctors than We can sun.
port.
Now, gentlemen, this question x
not peculiar TO the State of Maine
The State of Massachusetts has al.
most exactly the same problem that
we have here in the State Of Maine
In the State Of Massachusetts,, they
have at least three Glass \ medical
schools, large and prosperous. and
yet there are seventy towns in the
western part of Massachusetts where
they have no physician at the present
time, and they are attempting 10
bring them in by subsidy; and that
is the proposition that we ultimately
will get up against in this State if
we do not look out where We are
heading. Now. gentlemen, We want
to think very carefully before we
commit ourselves to this policy, be-
cause once having established ii,
there will be nc turning back. If any
of YOU gentlemen of this House have
ever tried to effect any actual and
practical economy in the operation OF
State affairs, you know how difficult
1t is to change anything that exists
] know from personal experience in
this session of the Legislature, be
cause introduced a bill which. so far
as l know, is the only one which pre-
vides for economy, and it only
amounted to two Or three thousand
dollars a year, and yet ! met all kinds
of organized opposition to it, and q
was called all sorts OF things.
merely cite that to bring out this
point that if We establish the prin-
ciple, we will have it with us for all
time.
Now let us see what happens for it
is a quest ton of furnishing doctors In,
the rural communities which we are
particularly interested in, and | IN
dcEstand that that has been the reason
for Suggesting that the State take
over this medical school. Now how
many doctors have gone into the rural
communities in the last 10 years from
the Bowdoin Medical school and stayed
there? Fourteen: little over one
each year. This coming June the
Bowdoin Medical school will graduate
eight young men. How many of those
young men will go into the rural dis
tricts? SO far as can be determined
at the present time, and so far as
have been able TO find out. not one OF
them proposes TO go into the rural com
munities. Gentlemen, it is an eco
monica question that confronts Use not
a sentimental one, and 1 think We
ought to keep that in our minds all the
time in deciding this question. IT is
not question of personality; 1t il
not a question of any small group; i
is not an appeal four our young men
of the State OF Maine to give them
medical education. Gentlemen, if you
seriously believe that there is q dan
ger of lack of doctors, it would be
set aside scholarships and send our
young men TO Glass A medical schools
out OF the State on condition that
they come back here and locate. Now
the proponents of this proposition say
this is not practicable; but | am go
ing to say that l believe--and / think
time will bear me out If this propo-
sition should go through--that it
would have been cheaper for the State
of Maine to have established scholar
ships and paid the expenses of tine
young men who wish a medical educa-
ton rather than for us to take up this
burden the increasing extent of which
no one can now foresee. We have IN
the State OF Maine today one very
striking example of what has hap
peAed with reference TO State insti-
tuition or a quasi-Statc institution, if
you wish to call it that. In 1900, 20
years ago. the State of Maine was call
ed upon to contribute $4,000 annually
for the purposes of the University Of
and you can look back at the
record and you can find where it was
said at that time that If they could
be assured OF that amount for rea-
sonable period. the time would come
when they would no longer ask any
aid from the State; but that time has
not yet come, and is not in sight. You
have got to keep that in mind. / am
not stating this as ANYTHING against ,