266 ILLINOIS STATE ACADEMY OF SCIENCE 



cal ethics and organization for half the year, the remain 

 der to be devoted to a course of lectures on medico-legal 

 problems of the physician, telling the men about to enter 

 the actual practice of medicine what the law provides 

 and the courts have ruled regarding a physician's rights 

 and special privileges, liability for professional services, 

 the law of expert testimony, of malpractice, of privileged 

 communications, of birth, death, and marriage registra- 

 tion, of legitimacy, insanity and criminal procedure, so 

 far as it touches the everyday problems of medicine. 

 Only one who has followed the subject for many years 

 has any idea how diverse and perplexing are the prob- 

 lems that arise in the physician's daily life, how sorely 

 he needs advice on these problems and how to meet them, 

 and how much annoyance he could be spared by practical 

 instruction at the beginning of his professional career. 



The adoption of such a course, covering a large and im- 

 portant list of subjects not found today in any medical 

 curriculum, would only require one hour a week through- 

 out the four years. It would not be necessary to omit or 

 greatly curtail any of the courses now being offered. In 

 the hands of a teacher who understood his subject and 

 who put into it vitality and human understanding, it 

 could easily be made one of the most valuable and popu- 

 lar courses in the entire schedule. 



It is impossible to turn back the hands of time. The 

 old preceptor with his wise, kindly, practical advice is 

 gone forever. Our medical schools are today giving 

 better, more scientific and valuable training than ever 

 before. But with all their highly specialized courses, 

 expensive laboratories, and expert teachers, they fail to 

 provide any substitute for the old preceptor or any hu- 

 manizing touch by which the medical graduate of today 

 is qualified to deal with and solve not only scientific prob- 

 lems, but human problems as well. If to the thorough- 

 ness and accuracy of the present-day curriculum the sav- 

 ing grace of personality and human experience can be 

 added, the medical graduate of tomorrow can begin his 

 professional work with a far greater assurance of real 

 .success than is possible today. 



