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BOGUS DIPLOMA MANUFACTORIES OF THE UNITED STATES.
868 of the State Boards in the United States towards are well-known. Amongst more recent instances of a similar movement are the cases of one of our colonies-namely, Hong-Kong, and of Italy. In HongKong the Vaccination Ordinance, 1888, aims at making "general"a protection against small-pox, which quarantinemeasures are stated to have failed in securing, and the official communication as to its working adds that theChinese are thorough believers in the advantage of this protection, and accept it readily-a fact which is referred to. as being the more remarkable inasmuch as the native population, for the most part, altogether reject other applications of Western medical science. Reference to Italy is. made in Dr. E. F. Willoughby’s recent paper on the Italian Public Health Act of 1889, read before the Society of Medical Officers of Health. It is there stated that " vaccination is henceforth to be compulsory, the gratuitous. supply of lymph to the communal medical officers being superintended by the medical officer of each province ; no> institution for the supply of animal or other lymph, or for public vaccination, may be opened without the licence of the Minister of the Interior, and all such institutions shall be inspected by the medical officer of health." The members. of the Royal Commission on Vaccination may find this. movement, which goes hand in hand with advancing, civilisation, worthy of their notice.
some
Annotations. "
compulsion,
Ne quid nimis.’
BOGUS DIPLOMA MANUFACTORIES OF THE UNITED STATES. THE recent action of the authorities of the University of Berlin in refusing recognition of American diplomas in their University calendar has created a strong impression in intelligent and honest circles in the States. Those who are honestly trying to differentiate scientific medicine from quackery, and to raise the standard of medical education there, willingly admit that the legislation of the States is to blame for the scandalous looseness with which the manufacture of diplomas has been carried on, and that it is only by fresh and earnest legislation on the part of all the States that any improvement can be expected, or a higher estimate of United States degrees formed in foreign countries. A very careful article on this subject appears in the New York Medical Record of April 5th, by Mr. Austin A. Martin of Boston, Mass. He traces in detail the history of the " wholesale and outrageous manufacture and sale of fraudulent diplomas" by Buchanan which was exposed ten Buchanan contrived to get hold of effete, but years ago. regularly chartered, colleges whose charters had never been annulled, buying the college seals and blank diplomas. He even contrived to get one or two charters for new colleges. So far, the farce was sustained by the law courts. It was not till he was caught by a newspaper man-Mr. John Morris, of the Philadelphicc Record, to whom Buchanan sold no less than eight diplomas, several M.D.s., a D.C.L., a D.D., an LL.D., &c.,—that he was finally arrested, convicted, and imprisoned. Though Buchanan carried the rascality to the highest pitch, there were inferior hands in the same nefarious trade. Immense numbers of his degrees were sold, especially in Germany, where the American Minister openly denounced them as fraudulent. But the laws of the " triumphant Democracyseem framed to encourage loose and fraudulent diplomatisation. Mr. Martin shows that before 1874 a Special Charter was necessary in order to form a medical school. In 1874an Act was passed which provided that seven or more persons could form a corporation under the general laws for any educational, charitable, and religious purposes, for the prosecution of any antiquarian, literary, scientific, medical, artistic, monumental, or musical purposes. Such corporation might assume any name. There was nothing to prevent it issuing diplomas. Several medical schools were formed under this statute. The States must act altogether for the amendment of such legislation. Pending their action, the honest medical schools of the country must combine and denounce all schools which do not require a proper curriculum, and test their candidates by proper examinations. The best Americans will recognise the difficulty that European countries have in sanctioning American diplomas; but we heartily appreciate their efforts to put medical qualifications on a respectable basis, and wish them every success. ,
COMPULSORY VACCINATION AT HOME AND ABROAD. IT is somewhat striking that whilst efforts are being made by some persons to abolish compulsory vaccination in England and Wales, where, because of the very existence of that system the present population have lost the dread with which uncontrolled small-pox was formerly viewed, other countries should be moving in precisely the opposite direction. The case of Germany, with its compulsory requirements as to revaccination, and the movement of
QUALIFICATION
FOR HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS.
WITH reference to the recent decision of the governors of the Bristol General Hospital, the reasons stated by the. chairman for the confirmation of the restrictive rules are worthy of the attention of the Irish and Scotch licensing bodies. His statement-in support of which, we may remark, no evidence was adduced-contained two definite inferences. First, that it would be derogatory to the status. of the medical staff of the hospital to have on it one holding: only a Fellowship of an Irish or Scotch College ; secondly, that the tests imposed by these Colleges are not equivalent to those enforced by the London Colleges ; and further, that the reason the Irish and Scotch Fellows do not submit to these tests is that they are incapable of reaching the standard of the London College. Such an imputation on their capacity and professional status can hardly pass without some notice on the part of the licensing bodies interested. We must not be taken as endorsing this view of the governors. We. still maintain that the true value of the higher diplomas of the various Colleges is sufficiently capable of proof to, enable electors to judge of the standard of knowledge of candidates for hospital appointments. THE FRENCH EXHIBITION IN
LONDON.
WE have received the prospectus of the French Exhibition which is to be organised at Earl’s Court, where the American, Italian, and Spanish Exhibitions were helcS during the last three summers. The French Exhibition should certainly excel all its predecessors, although the time for preparation is very short. These exhibition are of interest from a health point of view. Firstly, they encourage out-of-door entertainments, which are certainly beneficial ; secondly, they contain exhibits which relate to medicine, surgery, hygiene, and food-supply. The presentExhibitionisto be divided into twelve groups. Thefirst group is to be devoted to vegetable tissues and clothing, and win On such comprise such subjects as sanitary clothing &c. has a there war between the long waged exigencies. questions and caprice of fashion and the laws of health and anatomy. The second group, agricultural products, affects the very foundation of health-i.e., food supply. The third groupwines, alcohols, beer, and oil-opens out the temperance
some
Annotations. "
compulsion,
Ne quid nimis.’
BOGUS DIPLOMA MANUFACTORIES OF THE UNITED STATES. THE recent action of the authorities of the University of Berlin in refusing recognition of American diplomas in their University calendar has created a strong impression in intelligent and honest circles in the States. Those who are honestly trying to differentiate scientific medicine from quackery, and to raise the standard of medical education there, willingly admit that the legislation of the States is to blame for the scandalous looseness with which the manufacture of diplomas has been carried on, and that it is only by fresh and earnest legislation on the part of all the States that any improvement can be expected, or a higher estimate of United States degrees formed in foreign countries. A very careful article on this subject appears in the New York Medical Record of April 5th, by Mr. Austin A. Martin of Boston, Mass. He traces in detail the history of the " wholesale and outrageous manufacture and sale of fraudulent diplomas" by Buchanan which was exposed ten Buchanan contrived to get hold of effete, but years ago. regularly chartered, colleges whose charters had never been annulled, buying the college seals and blank diplomas. He even contrived to get one or two charters for new colleges. So far, the farce was sustained by the law courts. It was not till he was caught by a newspaper man-Mr. John Morris, of the Philadelphicc Record, to whom Buchanan sold no less than eight diplomas, several M.D.s., a D.C.L., a D.D., an LL.D., &c.,—that he was finally arrested, convicted, and imprisoned. Though Buchanan carried the rascality to the highest pitch, there were inferior hands in the same nefarious trade. Immense numbers of his degrees were sold, especially in Germany, where the American Minister openly denounced them as fraudulent. But the laws of the " triumphant Democracyseem framed to encourage loose and fraudulent diplomatisation. Mr. Martin shows that before 1874 a Special Charter was necessary in order to form a medical school. In 1874an Act was passed which provided that seven or more persons could form a corporation under the general laws for any educational, charitable, and religious purposes, for the prosecution of any antiquarian, literary, scientific, medical, artistic, monumental, or musical purposes. Such corporation might assume any name. There was nothing to prevent it issuing diplomas. Several medical schools were formed under this statute. The States must act altogether for the amendment of such legislation. Pending their action, the honest medical schools of the country must combine and denounce all schools which do not require a proper curriculum, and test their candidates by proper examinations. The best Americans will recognise the difficulty that European countries have in sanctioning American diplomas; but we heartily appreciate their efforts to put medical qualifications on a respectable basis, and wish them every success. ,
COMPULSORY VACCINATION AT HOME AND ABROAD. IT is somewhat striking that whilst efforts are being made by some persons to abolish compulsory vaccination in England and Wales, where, because of the very existence of that system the present population have lost the dread with which uncontrolled small-pox was formerly viewed, other countries should be moving in precisely the opposite direction. The case of Germany, with its compulsory requirements as to revaccination, and the movement of
QUALIFICATION
FOR HOSPITAL APPOINTMENTS.
WITH reference to the recent decision of the governors of the Bristol General Hospital, the reasons stated by the. chairman for the confirmation of the restrictive rules are worthy of the attention of the Irish and Scotch licensing bodies. His statement-in support of which, we may remark, no evidence was adduced-contained two definite inferences. First, that it would be derogatory to the status. of the medical staff of the hospital to have on it one holding: only a Fellowship of an Irish or Scotch College ; secondly, that the tests imposed by these Colleges are not equivalent to those enforced by the London Colleges ; and further, that the reason the Irish and Scotch Fellows do not submit to these tests is that they are incapable of reaching the standard of the London College. Such an imputation on their capacity and professional status can hardly pass without some notice on the part of the licensing bodies interested. We must not be taken as endorsing this view of the governors. We. still maintain that the true value of the higher diplomas of the various Colleges is sufficiently capable of proof to, enable electors to judge of the standard of knowledge of candidates for hospital appointments. THE FRENCH EXHIBITION IN
LONDON.
WE have received the prospectus of the French Exhibition which is to be organised at Earl’s Court, where the American, Italian, and Spanish Exhibitions were helcS during the last three summers. The French Exhibition should certainly excel all its predecessors, although the time for preparation is very short. These exhibition are of interest from a health point of view. Firstly, they encourage out-of-door entertainments, which are certainly beneficial ; secondly, they contain exhibits which relate to medicine, surgery, hygiene, and food-supply. The presentExhibitionisto be divided into twelve groups. Thefirst group is to be devoted to vegetable tissues and clothing, and win On such comprise such subjects as sanitary clothing &c. has a there war between the long waged exigencies. questions and caprice of fashion and the laws of health and anatomy. The second group, agricultural products, affects the very foundation of health-i.e., food supply. The third groupwines, alcohols, beer, and oil-opens out the temperance