Evening star., 1950-01-19

of clinical facilities were thrown overheard.
It is unlikely that the critics Of the
present system of medical education would
willingly consult physician trained under
such circumstances.
The editorial also implies criticism Of "the
long years of costly study, the added years
of internship, and the widespread tendency
to concentrate on a speciality instead Of
on general practice" If any adequate SUBJ
stitute for long years Of study and intern
ship can be suggested which will provide
well-trained physicians, the thousands of
men now undergoing the hardships and
sacrifices of this discipline undoubtedly will
welcome them.
It would of course, be possible to establish
diploma mills to turn out thousands Of
doctors and additional thousands of
specialists" with training" limited to short
periods of instruction. 1.
One Doctor for Every 71O Persons.
The Stars editorial crtticizes the medical
schools chiefly because, it states, there
simply are not enough doctors to cope with
the health needs of our greatly increased
and still growing population" There ex-
ists,", the editorial states, doctor short
age'-"eSpecially in the non-urban areas"
The fact is there are more doctors in the
United States in proportion to the popula-
ton than in any other country in the
world-with the sole exception of Palestine,
where many refugee physicians have gone
from Europe.
There is one doctor for every ITO persons
in the United States.
AS to the needs of our increasing popu-
lation. the fact is that during the past 20
years the number of physicians has in
creased at greater rate than the popula-
ton as whole.
Since the beginning of World War II,
new medical colleges or expansions Of
former two-year schools of basic medical
sciences have been developed in Alabama,
Washington. California, North Carolina,
Texas, Utah and Illinois. Others are being
considered in Mississippi, Florida, West
Virginia. North Carolina and elsewhere.
1t is true that there is relative shortage
OF physicians in some rural areas. This
shortage exists independently of the relative
abundance of physicians in the Nation as
whole. however. Merely increasing the
number Of students admitted to medical
schools will not solve that problem
There are today many small communities
without newspapers or colleges, and in these
communities there are no editors or college
professors. Similarly there are communities
without hospitals, health centers, labora-
tories. and many of the other facilities
necessary for the practice of modern scien-
tific medicine; for this reason, there are
communities without physicians. The So
luton to this problem is not the wholesale
turning out of ill-trained physicians. The
solution is to be found more likely in fur
thering local, State. and national programs
for the establishment at well selected points
OF clinics, health centers, and hospitals to
provide facilities which will make it possible
and attractive for physicians to practice
good medicine in these areas
Medical education is not perfect No one
knows this better than medical educators
Medical education is the foundation of our
national health and welfare. The impor-
tance OF the medical schools to the Nation
Is far out OF proportion to their number
their size, and their costs of operation. It
is important that undergraduate medical
education be maintained at high level
Of quality. , - =
hi, WALTER A. BLoEDoRN, M. D.
Dean. The George Washington University x
So of