MEDICINE IN AMERICA 417 



by blackmail, to steal the honor from him. The authorities of 

 the Massachusetts general hospital were, however, unanimous 

 in recognizing Morton as the true discoverer. On October 

 16, 1896, fifty years after Morton's famous demonstration, rep- 

 resentatives of all the scientific world gathered in the Mass- 

 achusetts general hospital to celebrate the semi-centemiial of 

 anesthesia. Among them the name of Morton only was heard, 

 and the words of Jacob Bigelow — written thirty years before — 

 heartily seconded: ''The suffering and now exempted world 

 have not forgotten the poor dentist who, amid poverty, priva- 

 tion and discouragement, matured and estabHshed the most 

 beneficent discovery which has blessed humanity since the 

 primeval days of Paradise." 



Over fifty years ago the young doctors of the country, 

 stimulated by the world wide movement of scientific advance, 

 resolved to form a national organization for the uplifting of the 

 profession. The state of medical education troubled men then, 

 as now. Most of the schools were private enterprises for the 

 purpose of making money, httle calculated to give their matric- 

 ulants more than a smattering of the science and art of med- 

 icine. There were no uniform requirements for a degree, and 

 no preliminary requirement whatever for matriculation. The 

 college term was from thirteen to sixteen weeks long. Many 

 efforts were made to get the colleges together into an association 

 for the remedy of this condition, without avail. The move- 

 ment could not be suppressed, however, and since the colleges 

 made no move, the various societies in the states, counties and 

 towns, began to agitate the question. The first to take action 

 was the medical society of the state of New York at its annual 

 session in February, 1839. They declared that it was unwise 

 for those who did the teaching to be allowed to confer the de- 

 gree, w^hich at that time carried with it the hcense to practice. 

 As a result of this feeling the society passed a resolution calling 

 for a national medical convention. The scheme fell through, 

 but the agitation continued throughout the country. Finally 

 in 1844 the New York society passed resolutions offered by 

 Alexander Thompson and N. S. Davis, stating that a four 

 months term of schooling was too short, and that combining 

 teaching and licensing powers in the same body of men was 



Vol. 7—27 



