Essay Opposing State Subsidy of Medical School, undated

A bill has been presented to both branches of the General Assembly, by Mr [Ber-] [ry] in the Senate, and Mr Evans in the Lower House, to give the "Medical College of Virginia" at Richmond, an annuity of [$?] 7000 or [$?] 8000 on conditions of [the?] tuition to as many medical students as there are [mem-] [bers] of the Gen. Assembly, namely 136.

This condition is the most [objec-] [tionable] feature of this extraordinary Scheme. For the last thirty years or more, the leading members of the profession through out the U. States have been engaged in ear nest efforts looking to a reform of medi cal education, and have considered it indispensable to any [favorable?] [useless?] to discountenance all attempts to [stim-] [ulate] large accesions to the members of the profession already [more?] over-crowded in this country than in any other civiliz ed nation of the globe. The proportions of doctors to the population is one in

six hundred, and yearly increasing, when in Europe the ratio is from one to 1000 in England, to one in over 2000 in Germa ny and Austria, countries so renowned as countries of medial learning that pupils went to their school, from all other civiliz ed nations.

It has long been a standing reproach to Virginia, and a cause of lamentation for her wise and good citizens, that so many of our able-bodied young men, who might to their own advantage and that of the State, devote their energies to agriculture or other industrial arts, should prefer to seek admission into the professions of Medi cine and Law, for which a large number of them are un fit. As a necessary consequence a very large proportion becomes drones, or politi cal adventurers at home, or else immigrate to the West, thus draining our State of what might be a valuable portion of the white population. If many were [to] asked if it is desirable to apply a further stimulus in

3 this direction by offering free medical instructions to so large a body of young men, who can serve the Commonwealth more usefully in other capacities.

As already intimated the consum mation of this scheme will bring the profess ion in Virginia into great discredit with the leading minds in the medical fraternity all over the U. States. One in two medical Colleges has attempted to cheapen medi cal education in this way, and has en countered genderal conemnation, for it has invariably been found that this is only the entering [urge?] for other and less repu table ways of cheapening the process of manufacturing doctors. A lowering of the standard for graduation always fol lows this over-crowding of the schools wil im perfectly educated students.

As the number of [these?] students thus proposed to be introduced into the Richmond Medical College, to be paid for by the State, is fully [apeal?] to the maximum which ought

4 to go out annually, it is clear that the Uni versity school will either be annihilated or will be compelled to adopt the same sys tem. Such a necessity is [deprecated?] or alike [infurious?] to the aspirations for medi cal honors, and to the school itself.

Lastly, it is not worthy of inquiry whe ther it is wise or even admirable policy for the State to undertake to confer profess ional education gratis! Professional school, like other places for the highest education, may very well be so aided by private or by State [liber-] [tality] as to bring the cost of the institution which they give within the [work?] of the bulk of those who by capacity, energy and previous training are likely to profit by the education [received?]; but to make them [free?] to all is to impose a burden on the many, in order to confer a very doubtful benefit upon the few.