360 



of Virginia by emigration, and by the transportation of slaves, will 

 not nearly counterbalance its natural increase. 



Of the 972 physicians in the State, it appears that 678 have re- 

 ceived diplomas from regularly constituted medical schools. Of these 

 678, six do not now practice at all, and one practices homoeopathy. 

 Two hundred and forty-nine (249), more than one-fourth of the whole 

 number, practice without any authority whatever; of these, 1 has 

 attended two courses of lectures, 10 have attended one course of 

 lectures, as also an indefinite number (say 3) in the county of Taze- 

 well, 4 are stated to have studied medicine without attending lec- 

 tures, and 3 Jo have been licensed by a medical society (the authority 

 of the societies to grant licenses not being given). Deducting these 

 21 who have made some pretension to the study of medicine, and 

 we have 228 individuals practicing medicine in seventy-five counties, 

 who do not pretend to have devoted one hour to the study of the 

 profession before entering upon its responsible duties. By reference 

 to the statement it will be seen that the trans- Alleghany counties 

 furnish the greatest proportion of this latter class of practitioners, 

 a fact that probably might be readily accounted for. 



The committee content themselves with presenting the foregoing 

 facts to the society without comment, satisfied that the glaring de- 

 fects which they expose in the present system of medical organiza- 

 tion, and of medical education, Avill call forth the most earnest efforts 

 of the society to remedy these defects as far as lay in its power. 



CARTER P. JOHNSON, M. D., 

 JAMES H. CONWAY, M. D., 

 H. D. TALLIAFERRO, M. D. 



N. B. — Since writing the above report, the committee have had 

 access to the report of the 1st Auditor of the State, which contains 

 the number of physicians in each county, as handed in by the com- 

 missioners of the revenue, under the late law taxing physicians as a 

 class. According to this document, the whole number of physicians 

 in the State is 1517. 



The auditor's report does not give any information on the other 

 points embraced in the resolutions of the National Convention and 

 of the Medical Society. 



CARTER P. JOHNSON, M. D. 



