LIMITING NUMBER OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Dominion, Volume 28, Issue 122, 16 February 1935, Page 6

LIMITING NUMBER OF MEDICAL STUDENTS

Not Peculiar to Dominion CARNEGIE PRESIDENT ON AMERICAN POSITION Dominion Special Service. Dunedin, February 15. That the problem of the limitation of the number of students embarking on medical training is by no means peculiar to New Zealand was emphasised by Dr. F. P. Keppel, president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York, in an address to the University Club to-day. Dr. Keppel said that it was a very difficult problem for which American university authorities had not yet found a solution. The discussion of the subject arose as a result of a question asked by Professor Sir Lindo Ferguson, C.M.G., dean of the Otago Medical School, who said there had been a lot of difference of opinion in the matter. Had they the same problem in the United States? he asked. Dr. Keppel said various moans had been adopted to cope with the position. A few years ago the number of candidates offering at the medical schools had been so great that it was absolutely impossible to give proper training and practical experience in all departments to the students. Recently some relief had followed application of certain principles of selection. Character and Personality. For instance, special emphasis was now laid on general qualities of character and personality. These attributes were regarded as quite as important as proficiency in academic training. “The position is such at the present time,” said Dl Keppel, “that the United States is exporting a large number, of candidates for the medical profession.” Sir Lindo Ferguson: Yes. some of them want to come here. Continuing, Dr* Keppel said that men were prepared to go almost anywhere. He quoted the striking instance of the determination of some students to take a medical course in Washington. There was a negro medical school, a firstclass school, but attended only by negroes. One white student enrolled at this neggp school, took the whole course, and graduated, and then went to practice. “The motor-car,” said Dr. Keppel, “has greatly widened the range of a single doctor, so that actually fewer doctors are required than formerly. That is all to the good, because I think that it is better; to have a limited number of good practitioners than a lot of indifferent men. Of course, we still have territories with not enough doctors, but that fact does not diminish the difficulty of the problem at all.”