Medical education in the United States : an address delivered to the students of the Philadelphia Association for Medical Instruction, at the close of the session of 1846 / by Alfred Stillé.

  • Stillé, Alfred, 1813-1900.
Date:
1846
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Medical education in the United States : an address delivered to the students of the Philadelphia Association for Medical Instruction, at the close of the session of 1846 / by Alfred Stillé. 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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    then undergoes two separate examinations, the first upon anatomy, botany, natural history, physiology, general and special pathology, both medical and sur- gical, and general therapeutics, on each for a quarter of an hour; the second, which does not take place un- til sometime afterwards, upon chemistry, legal medi- cine, ophthalmology, and clinical medicine, after which he must publicly defend a thesis written by himself in the Latin language.—(Wilde's Austria.) In Prus- sia the system is even stricter. The student is ex- amined no less than four times during the term of his probation. The third is at the conclusion of his studies, and lasts for three hours, three or four candi- dates being examined at the same time. After hav- ing passed this ordeal, he receives the title of Doctor, but has no license to practise; to obtain which, he must submit to the fourth examination, which lasts for several days. At the anatomical examination he has to describe a bone or other organ named to him. In the surgical examination, he must discuss a sub- ject chosen by his examiners, and publicly perform, and explain the different steps of a surgical operation. He has, besides, the charge of two patients in the hos- pital for a fortnight, taking daily notes of the cases. Three times a week he is questioned at the bedside, and is examined upon his notes at the conclusion of the trial. Finally, he must submit to an oral ex- amination by eight of the most learned and scientific men in the kingdom, who make full inquiry into the candidate's proficiency in all the departments of medi- cal science. {Lee on Med. Organization; Med. Re- corder, vol. xiii. p. 483.) In Paris the examinations for the degree of M. D. are public, and are five in number. The first, at the commencement of the se- cond year, in natural philosophy, natural history and botany; the second, at the end of the third year, in anatomy and physiology; the other three at the con- clusion of the term of study. Each candidate is ex- amined orally for three quarters of an hour, besides undergoing a clinical inquiry at the hospital, and de- fending a thesis. He must also give practical evidence 3