Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 9 August 1907 — Medical Colleges Condemned. [ARTICLE]

Medical Colleges Condemned.

A special committee of the American Medical Association, which was appointed three years ago to Investigate AheAnstmction and standaads of the various medical colleges in the United States, has now submitted Its report which condemns about one-half of all the so-called medical colleges. Among the members of the committee are: Doctors Bevan of Chicago, Frazier of Pennsylvania university, JVitherspoon of Nashville, Councilman of Boston, Vaughn of Ann Arbor and Colwell of Chicago. The committee finds that there are too many of these schools In which preliminary education is insufficient, and in which the course of instruction is Inadequate and the lack of trained teachers evident. It appears that there are now in this country 160 medical schools, or as many as in all Europe. The report holds that the great advance in the sciences in recent years has made necessary a much broader and more thorough course of medical education than formerly prevailed. It insists that a four-year high school course is required; a year of physics, chemistry and biology; two years of practical laboratory work; two years of clinical work in hospitals, and a year as interns in a hospital. To proviso adequate equipment, medical schools must be endowed. It Is found that many of our medical schools are still conducted solely for profit, which is contrary to the spirit of true attainment.