Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-17
THE KING OF CHARLATANS
IS UNSEATED BY CONGRESS
Medical Practice Act and Diploma Mill
Bill Close Fruitful Fields to
His Disciples.

propose a neutral examining board
which would test applicants on their
grounding In these basic sciences. It is
proposed to make this basic examina-
ton quite severe. It will guarantee
that whoever passes 1t will have some
understanding of the elementary proc
esses of life. After that he can take
professional examination in the specific
healing art he wishes to practice.
Bunglers and ignoramuses, at least, will
be kept out.
Two-Year Fight Necessary.
1t required a two-year fight to obtain
this legislation, with bitter opposition
cropping out from time to time. It was
particularly welcome to the osteopathS
who Joined hands Loyalty with the phys
icians in favor of the basic examina-
ton. There were, 1t developed, two
classes of osteopaths in Washington.
One included 20 or 80 men and women
who we're graduates OF oSteopath1c col
leges with four-year courses, whose re-
quirements were practically identical
with those of good medical colleges.
These men differed. of course, from
medical doctors in many OF their
theories of human ailments, but they
recognized that a basic scientific train
ing was absolutely essential and that
any attempt TO treat the human body
without such training was little short
of criminal.
But there was a second group Of
osteopaths. the majority Of whom had
obtained their degrees at a three-day
course in a local chiropractic college.
After an investigation by the first group
of osteopaths Miss M. Pearl Mccall,
assistant United States attorney, sum-
81 20 haR
morning and questioned them concern
ing the source OF their degrees. Some
of the stories they told were weird IN
the extreme One man protested In
dignantly when accused of getting his
degree in three days. 1t had, he said.
taken two weeks and sometimes
studied until o'clock In the morning"
Another accused the other osteopaths
and physicians of unfair practices.
why don't they do like the chain
stores do?" he demanded. Let them
cut prices and have fair hight with
U.S."
The graduate osteopaths, who had
opened offices in Washington in good
faith, found themselves pitted on even
terms against men such as these
with professional ethics preventing
them from spreading the truth by ad-
yertising. The oSteopathic investiga-
ton conducted by Miss Mccall did
much to open the eyes of the public TO
the true situation here.
Leading the fight of the Medical So
ciety of the District Of Columbia was
DR.. Joseph Wall, noted child specialist,
who left no stone unturned to reveal
true conditions. It is hardly too much
to say that If it had not been for DR..
Wall and Miss Mccall there would have
pnfH
unbounded energy and with no possible
prospect of personal reward.
Diploma Mills.
Closely bound up with the medical
practice situation was that concerning
diploma mills. It is doubtful Ii the
medical practice act ever could have
been secured had it not been for the
diploma mill expose by The Evening
Star, following which the educators and
physicians Joined hands and the two
pieces of legislation went hand In hand
! to their eventual success.
| Approximately IL years ago DR..
Samuel P. Capen, then specialist IN
| higher education of the Bureau OF Ed
ucation and now chancellor OF the Uni
yersity of Buffalo, uncovered evidence
of an almost unbelievable situation here
by which so-called colleges and uni
yersities" we're being established under
authority of the Congress OF the united
! States" and literally selling academic
and professional degrees with no scho-
lastic requirements whatsoever. Most
of these institutions, in fact. were To-
Gated in attic rooms and post once
| boxes. DR.. Capen's efforts to obtain
legislation at that time came to naug1t.
They did. however, attract the atten-
ton of Miss Mccall. She found that
these diploma mills were very dimcult
to put out of business. They were four
square with the law, such as 1t was.
They were vulnerable only when they
made use of the mails and advertised
| falsely. Upon this basis Miss Mccall
put one of the largest of them. Oriental
University. out of business.
Then, to acquaint the public with
the real situation, group OF Star re-
porters incorporated "The University or
the United. States" and were leS
empowered to grant any and all degrees
| to anybody-although they were with
out capital or equipment Of any kind.
A search of the records in the ONCE OF
the recorder of deeds showed that scores
of such institutions had been incorpo-
| rated here in the past 10 years. Local
college heads, acquainted with the true
situation for the first time. demanded
action. A group Of public spirited
citizens, including DR.. David A. Robert
son of the American Council of Edu.
cation Dr. Wall, Miss Mccall. William
II. Tufts Of the Chamber Of Commerce
committee on schools and colleges. DR..
William Mather Lewis of George WASH
ington University and Chairman Carusi
of the local Board Of Education pressed
! for apprOpriate legislation
Much Real Harm Done.
Such diploma mills. it was shown,
did much real harm. In the first place,
most of them awarded degrees in the
healing arts They turned out physi-
Clans osteopaths, chiropractors and
physio-therapists. many of whom we're
able to circumvent the law and actually
practise, thus constituting menaces to
public health. In the second place. they
we're, lowering the reputation of Amer
lean education throughout the world.
Some of them were able to use such
names as Harvard" yale" and Co
| lumbia" only slightly disguised. The
result was that an American academic
degree had become almost automatically
2 subject of suspicion in Great Britain
France. Germany, Italy and Russia,
They were causing disagreeable backs
fire on reputable local institutions.
Local trade bodies got behind the des
mand for remedial legislation and there
was a long series of hearings. Oppose
ton developed from unexpected sources.
some of 1t due to misunderstanding.
and some of it to pressure which diplo-
ma mill proprietors were able to bring.
1t was not easy to frame legislation,
which would meet the situation since
it was necessary to avoid anything
which suggested Federal STANDARDIZED
ton of higher education. The problem
was to leave the field free, but still
clean 1t of fraud There was no ex-
cuse the hackers of the legislation felt.
for such institutions as one uncovered
by The Star, which granted the degree