July 28, 1905.] 



SCIENCE. 



103 



The. I'eal test of our organization will come in 

 each state when the first out-burst of enthvisiasm 

 has passed, and county societies, the foundation 

 for everything, are likely to disappear as rapidly 

 as they have been formed, unless their usefulness 

 to the rank and file of the profession can be 

 demonstrated in a very broad way. 



In recognition of this fact, it is of the 

 utmost importance that the personal atten- 

 tion so effectively given to this work 

 throughout the states by the chairman of 

 the committee be continued. 



MEDICAL EDUCATION. 



When the American Medical Association 

 was founded in May, 1846, the delegates 

 assembled in response to the following pre- 

 amble and resolutions of the Medical So- 

 ciety of the State of New York : 



Whereas, It is believed that a national con- 

 vention would be conducive to the elevation of the 

 standard of medical education in the United 

 States, and 



Whereas, There is no mode of accomplishing so 

 desirable an object without concert of action on 

 the part of the medical societies, colleges and in- 

 stitutions of all the states, therefore be it 



Resolved, That the Medical Society of the State 

 of New York earnestly recommends a national con- 

 vention of delegates from medical societies and 

 colleges of the whole union, to convene in the City 

 of New York, on the first Tuesday in May, in the 

 year 1846, for the purpose of adopting some con- 

 certed action on the subject, set forth in the fore- 

 going preamble. 



From this it is apparent that this asso- 

 ciation was founded with the avowed and 

 specific purpose of elevating the standard 

 of medical education in this country. This 

 subject has constantly received considera- 

 tion from the association throughout the 

 years of its existence ; and while no distinct 

 and positive reform marks its action, the 

 perpetual demand for improvement un- 

 doubtedly molded the public sentiment of 

 the profession which ultimately stimulated 

 action on the part of the medical colleges. 

 Since the addresses of my two distinguished 



pr-edecessors, who immediately preceded me 

 in this chair, were devoted to the considera- 

 tion of medical education, I shall only 

 make brief allusion to this subject. The 

 several national organizations and the many 

 state boards which are now dealing with 

 this important professional problem invest 

 the changing conditions with peculiar inter- 

 est. The present is a transition period in 

 the advancement and reform of medical 

 education in America. 



The consideration of this subject in the 

 house of delegates culminated in the estab- 

 lishment last year of the council on medical 

 education of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation. During the past year the council 

 has taken up its work with exceptional 

 energy and good judgment, and is directing 

 its efforts along most practical lines. The 

 first annual conference was held in Chicago, 

 April 20, last. Representatives of many 

 state examining and licensing boards, of the 

 American and Southern Medical Colleges 

 associations, and of the government medical 

 services, attended and participated in the 

 discussions of the papers presented. The 

 plan and scope of the work of the council 

 can be best appreciated by a consideration 

 of this extract from the address of the dis- 

 tinguished chairman of the council de- 

 livered to the conference: 



What we need is cooperation, especially the co- 

 operation between the medical profession, repre- 

 sented by the American Medical Association, and 

 the state and county medical societies, and the 

 state authorities, represented by the state licens- 

 ing and examining boards. The most important 

 question, therefore, before this conference is. How 

 can the American medical profession and the 

 state licensing bodies cooperate to elevate and 

 control medical education ? It is believed that such 

 cooperation is possible. In such cooperation it 

 will be the function of the American Medical Asso- 

 ciation to represent and possibly mold the opinion 

 of the medical profession, and employ its influence 

 and the influence of the county and state medical 

 societies in obtaining proper medical legislation. 

 In such cooperation it will be the function of the 



