It may be remembered that sixty-one was the number of the colleges having lectures by specialists, but that one was deducted for this year, and that one was the Hahnemann Medical College of Philadelphia. It was there that Dr. S.H. Talcott lectures from 1881 to 1885, and then was followed by Dr. A.P. Williamson until 1890. No successor seems to have been found to Dr. Williamson.
Upon glancing back for a moment, we are surprised to find that in five States the Homoeopathic medical colleges have been receiving lectures from alienists of our own school, every one a superintendent of a State hospital. This fact is well worth nothing in passing.
In the Homoeopathic Medical College of Missouri at St. Louis, I. D. Toulon, LL.B., M.D., teaches insanity with jurisprudence, but he holds no clinics.
The New York Medical College and Hospital for Women is fortunate in having in its faculty Dr. Joseph T. O’Connor, who includes insanity in his course in nervous diseases, and who furnishes some clinical cases at the college.
In one other college, the Cleveland Medical College, instruction in insanity is given by Dr. John A. Gann, in connection with nervous disease, but no special clinics are held.
This completed the of the Homoeopathic colleges that replied to my circular; eight are accounted for out of sixteen. What is done in the other eight for the instruction of their students is impossible for me to state.
Just here let me diverge for a moment from our subject. So far, our attention has been given to the education of students. Now let us turn to the instruction of practitioners. More information on the subject of insanity would be most gladly received by the members of our school all over our country; and when we have State hospitals already established, this want can be easily supplied.
It can be done in this way: Let him select and present to the Society a larger number of typical cases of the easily recognized forms of insanity, or others that may be odd and interesting. Guide them a dinner; and, last of all, do not let him neglect to invite the wives. Such a course systematically carried out would be a great benefit to the hospital itself, and of the greatest possible advantages to it; but the most valuable results would really be found in the better information among physicians, and the feeling of confidence in the hospital and its work among their patrons throughout the whole State.
Now let us return, after this digression, to our subject.
The conclusions to be drawn by members of the Institute are these: First, that psychiatry is receiving more attention every year from the medical colleges of this country.
Secondly. That alienists and specialists are being selected as instructors, with a noticeable preference for the superintendents of hospitals.
Thirdly. That an examination in this specialty is required for graduation in a larger number of colleges every year.
Fourthly. That clinics are becoming recognized as a necessary part of the teaching in this branch.
Fifthly. That in order to obtain these advantages every Homoeopathic college should labor for the establishment of a hospital for the insane in the States where they do not now exist, and, when successful, the hospital should be located within a few miles of the college.
Sixth, and finally. The Institute, as our national association, should place itself on record in favor of this advance in medical education by adopting the following resolution:.
Resolved, That the American Institute of Homoeopathic favors the inclusion of psychiatry in the curriculum of all medical colleges of the United States. It favors an examination in psychiatry as in other specialties, and recommends that clinical teaching should be added to the didactic wherever possible.
APPENDIX.
The statistics of the foregoing article are based on replies from the following sixty-one medical colleges:.
Medical Department Arkansas Industrial University, LIttle Rock, Ark.
Cooper Medical College, San Francisco, Cal.
University of California, Med. Dept., San Francisco.
University of Denver, Med., Dept, Denver, Colo.
Yale University, Med. Dept., New Haven, Conn.
University of Georgetown, Med. Dept., Washington, D.C.
Rush Medical College, Chicago, Ill.
Medical College of Indiana, Indianapolis, Ind.
Central College of Physicians and Surgeons, Indianapolis.
State University of Iowa, med. Dept., Iowa City, Iowa.
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Keokuk.
Kansas Medical College, Topeka, Kansas.
New Orleans University, Med. Dept., New Orleans, La.
College of Physicians and Surgeons, Baltimore, Md.
Harvard University Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Boston University School of Medicine, Boston.
University of Michigan, Department of Medicine nd Surgery, Ann Arbor, MIch.
University of Michigan Homoeopathic Medical College, Ann Arbor.
Detroit College of Medicine, Detroit.
The College of Medicine and Surgery of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.
The College of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery of the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
Minneapolis College of Physicians and Surgeons, Minneapolis.
Kansas City Medical College, Kansas City, Missouri.
Homoeopathic Medical College of Missouri, St. Louis.
University Medical College of Kansas City, Kansas City.
Ensworth Medical College, St. Joseph.
Barnes Medical College, St. Louis.
Omaha Medical College, Omaha, Nebraska.
Medical Department Cotner University, Lincoln.
Dartmouth Medical College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
College of Physicians and Surgeons in the City of New York, New YOrk, N.Y.
Bellevue Hospital Medical College, New York.
University of the City of New York, med. Dept., New York.
New York Homoeopathic Medical College and Hospital, new York.
Woman’s Medical College of the New York Infirmary, New York.
New York Medical College and Hospital for Women New York.
Electic Medical College of the City of New York, New York.
Albany Medical College, Med. Dept., Union University, Albany.
Syracuse University, College of Medicine, Syracuse.
University of Buffalo, Med. Dept., Buffalo.
Niagara University, Med. Dept., Buffalo.
University of Worcester, Med. Dept., Cleveland, Ohio.
Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati.
Miami Medical College, Cincinnati.
Cleveland Medical College, Cleveland.
University of the State of Oregon, Med. Dept., Portland, Oregon.
Department of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. Philadelphia, Penna.
Hahnemann Medical College, Philadelphia.
Western Pennsylvania Medical College, Pitsburgh.
University of Nashville and vanderbilt University, Med. Depts. Nashville, Tenn.
Nashville Medical College, Med. Dept. of the University of Tennessee, Nashville.
Tennessee Medical College, Knoxville.
Chattanooga Medical College, Med. Dept. of Grant University. Chattanooga.
University of Vermont, Med. Dept., Burlington, Vermont.
Toronto University, Medical Faculty, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Faculty of medicine of Queen University, Kingston.
Kingston Women’s Medical College, Kingston.
Western University, Med. Dept. London.
McGill University, Med. Dept., Montreal, Quebec.
Laval University, Med. Depts. Quebec.
Halifax Medical College, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Manitoba Medical College, Winnipeg, Manitoba.
