Medical education, medical colleges and the regulation of the practice of medicine in the United States and Canada, 1765-1891 : Medical education and the regulation of the practice of medicine in foreign countries.

  • John Henry Rauch
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical education, medical colleges and the regulation of the practice of medicine in the United States and Canada, 1765-1891 : Medical education and the regulation of the practice of medicine in foreign countries. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Leeds Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Leeds Library.

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    MEDICAL EDUCATION, MEDICAL COLLEGES AND THE REGULATION OF THE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE. This Report had its origin in 1880, in the Report of the Committee on Medical Education of the Illinois State Board of Health, which con- sisted of five pages (in the Third Annual Report of the State Board of Health) with a small table of colleges. In this committee's report the schedule of minimum requirements, which went into effect in 1883-84, was made out and adopted by the Illinois State Board of Health. Some of the suggestions then offered hold to-day as well as they did ten years ago, although, as will be seen by a careful examination of this Report, great changes for the better have taken place. It is too shamefully true that at present many students are admitted to the lecture courses, whose illiteracy prohibits their profiting by the in- struction given, except in the narrowest limits, and precludes the possi- bility of their attaining such knowledge as the duties of the profession positively demand. Natural talent and aptitude may go far toward fitting a man for any calling, but no talent can take the place of thorough education in a pro- fession where such large fields of knowledge are to be mastered, and so many and such important judgments are to be constantly and promptly formed. It is a palpable absurdity to expect to make skillful physicians of illit- erate students by mere dint of reading them lectures, even when accom- panied by quizzes and examinations. It is doubtful whether any exami- nation of qualification such as can be made at the crowded opening of a session can be relied upon to assume the requisite preparation for admis-. sion. Not less than three full years should be devoted to a^ diligent study of medicine, before graduating or commencement of practice. Whoever will consider the extent of the several branches of science to be mastered by the student of medicine, will easily conclude that three full years will af- ford but scanty time for the work. It is doubtful whether any true scholar would attempt to do this work in such time without great hesi- tation. In 1881 the report on medical colleges and on medical education occupied fifty-seven pages in the Fourth Annual Report of the State Board of Health of Illinois. This was the first time that the medical colleges of the United States and Canada were classified. After ten years it is felt that the enormous labor involved in preparing the different editions of the Report on Medical Education has been amply repaid and justified, and it is hoped that the present Report, hy giving information in regard to all the medical teaching bodies in the world, will do much to increase the
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