A letter addressed to a Republican member of the House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts : on the subject of a petition for a new incorporation, to be entitled "A College of Physicians."

  • Warren, John Collins, 1778-1856.
Date:
1812
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A letter addressed to a Republican member of the House of Representatives of the State of Massachusetts : on the subject of a petition for a new incorporation, to be entitled "A College of Physicians.". Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    a precision in their preparation, which has greatly re- lieved practitioners of medicine, and contributed to the safety of the community. A change of this nature, al- though universally desired, has never yet been attempted by medical societies of other states of the union, excepting one, -which has adopted the production of this Society. So that the labours of the Massachusetts Medical Society for the regulation of the profession, and for its improvement by literary publications, are not parallelled by those of any in the United States. You will ask me whether provision has been made to in- struct, as well as regulate the medical profession. This du- ty has been very properly confided to another body, spring- ing from the fountain of science in the state. In the year 1780 lectures on anatomy were first given in the town of Boston, by a hospital surgeon in the service of the United States. On the invitation of the head of the University, President Willard, and with the concurrence of the govern- ment, these were transferred to Cambridge, and three med- ical professorships were established in the year 17b2. From that time to the present, lectures have been annually given in Cambridge, though undei considerable disadvantages, espe- cially in the earlier years of the institution, when the access to Cambridge from Boston rendered the labors of the pro- fessors residing in the latter place particularly severe. A- bout two years since, on a representation from a majority of the medical professors, of the superior advantages to be ob- tained in a large town, for the improvement of medical stu- dents, the corporation of Harvard University were induced to consent to the delivery of annual courses of medical lec- tures in Boston ; stipulating at the same time, that a course of anatomy and one of chemistry should also be given at Cambridge for the benefit of the students in the University. The labours of the professors of these two branches were thus at once more than doubled without any addition of pecuniary compensation ; but rather a diminution as to one branch. The professors, with the aid of the corporation, then obtained permission of the overseers of the poor of the town of Boston to attend the sick in the almshouse, and to allow the medi- cal students to see their practice. This was granted on condition that the professors should relinquish the salary usually allowed the physician, and should al&o defray the ex- peuct of m, dicines for the nick. The attendance on the sick has been much improved by this change. The professors