Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1921-12-20
Richmond. Va. December 10. 1872
Oppose. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.

10 the Editor Of The TIMES DIspatcb.
Sir'-The writer graduated at the
University of Virginia In 1910. and
ana postgraduate work from 1911 TO
isS at the Mayo clinic. Since then.
l nave practicea in Seattle. III
t"cse cieVen years. have visited
most or the large educational clinics
Their" has never been any reason m
question the fact that then, as now.
no better medical school or teach
ing hospital existed In this country
than at our university.
lhcre Is great doubt as to whether
numerous local medical profession
offers great advantages to the mcdi-
cal student. We Immediately rccox-
nlZc that the practitioner or special
ISL on n teaching stan may dcriv.
great advantage from the medical
student. Such position acts as n
STIMULUS to scientific cndcavor and.
II you Will pardon frankncss. Il has
great advertising or monetary value.
For these reasons. the faculty OF the
school location In Richmond coiI:I
ne manned without cost to the State.
] have serious doubts whether this
inevitably large faculty Of volunteer
workers trccruitcd by u method Gus
tomary for many years in many
schools, and now being given up by
the best schools) would enhance the
wholc-timc professors are chiefly
employed. as now at the university,
then numerous local medical pro-
tcSsion offers no great advantage to
the university school
The clinical facilities at the uni
HcrSit: are more than ample for a
medical school OF It's present size:
and 200 bed university hospital.
owned by the medical school. is an
asset not possessed In Richmond.
Three hundred such beds, owned by
the university. are ample for the flu
;urc medical school, and these can
readily he. obtained in Charlottes-
vile. More hospital cases cannot be
assimilated TO advantage by the stu
dent. This fact can readily be
proven by study of the largest
hospitals In the country. While
most of the largest hospitals are
used for teaching. none of them Of
fer such intimate student study OF
the patient as at Virginia or other
un'vcrsity-owned teaching hospitals
Rush Medical is even now giving
mp Cook County Hospital. Chicago.
ono OF the largest hospitals in the
world. to use exclusively their own
small teaching hospital. Rush has
proven to it's satisfaction that the at
tempt to spread the students at
tention over too many patients re-
suits in a disastrous lack OF training
in careful investiRative study.
The Journal Of the American Medi-
cal Association makes yearly tabu-
ia;ion OF the results of all State
board examinations. The writer has
examined this tabuIation for the pas,
six years, because the results during
the last six years should prove the
overwhelming advantages OF Rich
mond's larger faculty and clinical
facilities. Such tabulation allows no
particle OF prejudice on the part of
the writer. Likewise ono can make
no fairer compa rison between the re-
suits OF the two methods of teaching
in practice.
University OF Virginia graduates
OF all years, examined 19l5-l920 in
elusive, have shown no failure in any
State.
In the same period the Richmond
school has shown an average failure
over tie country of II per cent for
graduates OF all years. and T.3 per
cent for graduates examined during
the year of graduation. Only during
1920 did the latter group show no
failure. The exact percentage of
failures of all graduates examined
during 1?l5-192O inclusive. are: 1916,
SO. IA. 22.2, $50. 23.o.
Then why should We dsmember
our own glorious State university
against the advice of almost every
great authority on medical educa-
ton?
DIR. ]. NJ. RLACKFORD.
Seattle. Wash. December IS. 1921.