Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-01-27

Ing medical school disassociated
from Il university. The point has
been made ana emphasized that the
great majority of medical schools are
In large cities and That CharIottcs-
Vile Is the smallest city in the Union
containing u medical school re-
Spectfuily submit that 1t Is a super
hc!al point and falls TO pieces before
close inspection.
nineteen states In the Union either
do not maintain State universities or
do not maintain. for various reasons
some good. some acknowledgements
cal departments at their universities
twenty states do not give four-yea
courses at the seat OF the university.
and some few OF them give no mcdl-
cal teaching at all. Each institution
had "a distinct reason for this action
ana no light Is thrown on our prob
lem by considering ;hcm in mass
The action of most Of them was
taken In other eras and under other
conditions. and number OF them
would like to reconsider their action.
Eight states maintain. or have de-
cided To maintain. their medical
schools their campuscs--Iowa
Michigan. Wisconsin, Virginia Mis-
souri,. Vermont. Minnesota and Ohio.
These are all State univcrsitics-six
are In small cities and two in large.
Tho vital point in the matter is that
the six In small communities are all
state universities. which have Lcx-
hauStively considered this subject in
the light Of modern knowledge and
modern needs and conditions and
have solcmuly decided that the wise
step was to build at the university,
while the heads OF Il number o. the
institutions which acted years ago.
like Alabama. Texas. Chicago. Hop
LIT
MIA. either express regret for this sep
aration or arc trying to return to
their university locations. and great
new schools like Vanderbilt and Tu-
IAN" are spending millions to bring
their medical schools across "a few
miles Of city streets 10 reunite them
With the university.
The whole trend OF the best thought
OF today Is union within universities.
ana not dispersion. and this thought
Is founded on solid educational prin-
ciples which now proceed to give
you. as thoughtful men who know
that unless you found institutions on
such foundations. they will shrink
and waste away. There is four
fold reason for this belief affecting:
]. The course Of instruction.
.. The faculty.
3. The students.
4. The university proper
% II now requires four-ycar
medical course to ground student
In the Fundamental medical sciences.
train him In the art and technique
OF diagnosis and give him a limited
experience in using his knowledge
ana technique under the eye of Il
trained teacher tE'lcxner) This
four years work does not make him
doctor. for medical science has so
expanded that he must serve year
as an intcrne IN II hospital. The
TOUR years are necessary to educate
Elm In the fundamentals, and as soon
as this was realized. the seat OF med
zeal education was transferred from
a detached school or proprietary
group to university where alone
existed the facilities and the equip
mcnt and the right spirit and point
OF view
Medical science is based on many
sciences. and partakcs of their for
tunes. Complete separation from the
university. the home OF the basic
sciences, involves the danger Of hay
ing either TO duplicate these sciences
nj the site OF the removed school or
OF some day moving the school back
TO Its natural home. AS Dr. FIcxner
points out, ut Is easier to secure
patients at Charlottesville for the
necessary clinics, especially as quail
ny, not quantity. is needed, than to
reproduce at Richmond university
laboratories workers. libraries anG
spirit"
ca The Faculty. Unless we are to
conccdc that prcsent-day medical in
struction should he put INFO the hands
OF busy practitioners or avocational
teachers. and no one comedies that
tor the prc-ciinical years. and few
Tor amy period-thc advantage in Sc
curing high-class permanent teachers
lies entirely with the university lnca-
ton. There is Il dangerous shortage
oil real teachers Of medical subjects.
II is an undcrpaid profession. Uni
NcrSity associations appeal strongly
To such men. because they are not in
salary competition with highly paid
practitioners, because they are mem
hers OF real university community,
which can never be established AT the
present site of the Medical College
Of Virginia. and because they are in
close contact with the basic sciences
Of chemistry, physics, biology and
the related sciences of Psychology
sociology. and through libraries. con-
facts and conferences with their fell
lows. can hope TO develop greater
strength. preserve their teaching en-
thusiasm ana form Il stronger and
more useful scientific group.
t5) The Student. The heart of this
contention lies with the student seek
ing TO enter the profession OF medi-
cine. Can there lie any doubt about
the wiseSt place for the training of
boy Just two years in college, what
we call sophomore. for his work in
preparing for medicine as between
the streets of a city. even an his
toric and beautiful city like Rich
mond. and ] yield to no one in my
sincere loyalty to IL as the capital
of the country under whose flag
was born and the capital of my State
in which ! am Il citizen. and the as
sociations, the disciplincs. the at
mosphere and spirit. the friendships,
the memories and ioyalties of Il great
university community. lovely to look
upon. charged like "a dynamo with
the sacred fluid of character and con-
duct and public virtue and the magic
Of great names. These arc imponder-
able things. it will be charged So
they are, but every man who has
lived among them thanks God for the
experience. Great libraries. collec-
lions and museums stand around
them and exist for their use. Leader
ship among their fellows and it's re-
SpOnSibiliticS invite them to it's eXcr-
else, teaches them how to play their
part in the great world where the
doctor must more and more be Il