460 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XXVI. No. 667 



possible. We are agreed, also, that two 

 years of college work are better than one, 

 when devoted to preliminary scientific 

 study. But in favoring and urging a one- 

 year course as outlined below we are work- 

 ing on a perfectly definite proposition on 

 which the leading medical schools may be 

 able, for the present, to unite. For the 

 moment we are interested in this question : 

 What should be considered as a year of 

 work in science and language, valuable as 

 a preliminary to medical study, and how 

 may this work be taken? Some time be- 

 fore the appointment of our committee the 

 council made a direct effort, through cor- 

 respondence with a number of the more 

 prominent universities and colleges of the 

 country, to discover the amount of work 

 which should be considered as a year's 

 equivalent in the several topics, and how 

 much of this work in sciences and lan- 

 guages could be completed in a single year 

 at the various institutions addressed. In 

 other words, it was sought to learn how 

 far the usual, or an elective, freshman 

 course would go toward satisfying the re- 

 quirement of the council with reference to 

 this preliminary year. 



The replies received by the secretary. Dr. 

 Colwell, were far from satisfactory; in 

 fact, in many cases they were very mis- 

 leading and gave no clear idea of what the 

 universities could do in the matter which 

 would be of value in helping on with the 

 plans of the council and the medical schools 

 interested in the proposition of raising the 

 standa^rd of work in medical education. It 

 was even evident that in some of the 

 answers the university and college authori- 

 ties had dodged the issue. 



With these facts in view our committee 

 decided to ask for more definite informa- 

 tion, and in such a way as to leave no loop- 

 hole for misunderstanding. Accordingly, 

 the following circular was printed and sent 

 to all the colleges, universities and tech- 



nical schools listed in the last report of the 

 Commissioner of Education. There are 

 about 500 names in the list, and the cir- 

 cular letter was sent out in February last. 



THE CmCULAB LETTER 



Chicago, Feb. 25, 1907. 

 Dear Sir: — Because of the rapid advances made 

 in medical science in the last ten years it is be- 

 coming necessary to greatly increase the work 

 given to students of medicine to enable them to 

 take advantage of the modern points of view and 

 follow understandingly the many valuable recent 

 discoveries. It is not possible to increase the 

 work within the limits of the four-year courses 

 as now given in our best schools of medicine, as 

 these courses are already overcrowded. On the 

 other hand, it does not appear to be at present 

 possible to lengthen these courses to five years, 

 as has been sometimes suggested. The only re- 

 maining alternative is to require of students be- 

 ginning the study of medicine a broader prelim- 

 inary training than is usually called for from 

 young men or women entering the medical school. 

 This training should embrace some of the work 

 now given in the medical school in the first or 

 freshman year, with certain subjects in addition, 

 and may be outlined as follows : 



1. A year's work in general biology. 



2. A year's work in chemistry. 



3. A year's work in physics. 



4. A year's work in a modern language, pref- 

 erably German. 



All of this work is supposed to be of the grade 

 given in the freshman or later years of our best 

 colleges. It may be and should be preceded by 

 elementary high school work In the same subjects, 

 especially in the languages. It is understood that 

 a year's work which may be counted toward the 

 bachelor's degree is the equivalent of four recita- 

 tions or lectures a week in each of four subjects 

 through the usual nine months' course. 



The following statement may make clearer what 

 is understood by a year of college work in the sev- 

 eral subjects: 



Biology. — The course here should include lec- 

 tures or recitations, and laboratory exercises 

 amounting to about six hours of work a week 

 through one college year. In the laboratory the 

 following types, or their equivalents, should be 

 studied: (o) a protozoon (a ciliate and ameba) ; 

 (b) a celenterate (hydroid, hydra or sea-anem- 

 one) ; (c) an annelid (earthworm) ; {d) an 



