This exercise of the unrestrained prerogative of dispensing life or death may gratify his Excellency's sense of the supremacy of his official position; but we beg to assure him that, as far as any medico-legal evidence in the case is con cerned, there is every probability that in directing the execution of Dr. Schoeppe, he is ordering the murder of an innocent man." "INTERCESSION FOR DR. SCHOEPPE.-Dr. J. Roesing, North German Consul General in this city, states that he has received intelligenee that Baron von Gerolt, the North German Minister at Washington, has seen Governor Geary at Harrisburg, Penna., relative to the Dr. Schoeppe case, and that the Governor has declared himself willing to revise the case from a memorandum which is being prepared at the office of the North German Embassy." THE Indiana Medical College has seventy matriculants, sixty. eight of whom are males and two females: such success must be very encouraging to those who inaugurated and are conducting this enterprise. And now, without any unkind feelings towards this youthful institution, let us hope that its Faculty will never again issue a “Cir cular," announcing a four months' course, and their willingness to confer "ad eundem and honorary degrees": we seriously question the propriety of organizing new medical colleges that do not take advanced ground in the period of medical instruction, and in higher qualifications for medical degrees-three years in attendance upon lectures, each course being at least six months, annual examinations, those who finally examine for degrees entirely independent of the teachers→→ these are some of the steps a new school might take creditably to itself, and thereby earn the respect and gratitude of the people and of the profession of the entire country. Such an institution, by the way, we hoped to see established at Indianapolis, and the plan had been discussed by some medical gentlemen in the State, though probably nothing would have been definitely determined for some three or four years. We can not believe it wise, to return, to have merely a four months' course-it is retrograding, not advancing. And as to honorary and ad eundem degrees, more especially the former, these ought to be exceptional, and no public offer made of them, or medical college diplomas, now low enough, will still depreciate in value. We have made these remarks, which can not be misunderstood by honest and intelligent gentlemen, in all kindness, and with the hope that they may accomplish some good. We recognize in some of the members of the Faculty of the Medical College of Indiana men of industry, ability, and honor, and we heartily wish their success. AT A RECENT meeting, November 4th, of the Clarke County (0.) Medical Society, some valuable observations were made by Dr. Wray on the subject of Legalizing Dissections. Dr. Wray is a member of a committee upon this subject appointed by the Ohio State Medical Society; and we are glad to see that he is so early and ably moving in the matter: we trust he will meet the hearty co-operation of every member of the profession in the State. While Pennsylvania and New York have liberal enactments upon this matter, it is a shame that in Ohio, with some eight or ten medical schools, bodies for dissection must be obtained by stealth and violation of strict and unjust laws. Indiana, and Kentucky too, should be moving to the same end: let these States, let all our States, have upon their statute books laws legalizing dissections. (This note was received just as the last form was being made up: we have room only for its publication, and will answer it in the next:) MR. EDITOR: In your November number you quote from Dr. Tilt a sentence of Cicero's, as follows: "Nescire quod antequam satus esses factum sit, id semper esse puer." The same quotation is used, very appropriately, by Osiander as a motto for his "Geschichte der Ent findemgs kunst," but in a little different form: 'Nescire, quid, antequam natus sis, acciderit, id est semper esse puerum.” Can you turn to the original and inform us which is the correct reading? THE Times obituary of the 21st inst. records the death, at North Tawton, of Catherine Budd, in the ninety-first year of her age. It is impossible to let this brief statement pass without notice, or without one word of respectful sympathy with her distinguished family. The deceased lady was the mother of nine sons, of whom the two youngest are members of the bar, and the other seven are physicians, all of more than ordinary repute. Among these seven, Dr. Budd, late of King's College, and Dr. Budd, of Bristol, will at once occur to the minds of our readers. We trust that they may inherit their mother's longevity, and may thus be spared for many years to do good work in the interest of mankind.-Lancet, Oct. 23. PAY UP.-We beg our subscribers, who are indebted to us, to pay as promptly as possible. Remittances may be made to Robert Clarke & Co., Cincinnati, or to the Editor at Indianapolis. Again, we say, PAY UP. "WHAT BECOMES OF MEDICAL STUDENTS?"-This is the heading of a brief and brilliant article that forms a part of the fifth volume of the St. Bartholomew's Hospital Reports, recently published. Mr. Paget, the author of this article, has, with much labor and considerable perspicuity, given the reader an analysis of the careers of one thousand medical students, all of whom have been known to and observed by him, or by his colleagues, Mr. Callender and Mr. Thomas Smith, during a period of fifteen years. He has placed them in eight divisions, and tells us that twenty-three have achieved distinguished success, sixty-six considerable success, five hundred and seven fair success, and one hundred and twenty-four very limited success; that fifty-six failed entirely, ninety-six left the profession, eighty-seven within twelve years of commencing practice, and forty-one died during pupilage. Distinguished success is accorded to those who have gained important public appointments in hospitals or elsewhere, have maintained leading practices in very large towns, or have been teachers in great schools. Considerable success is ascribed to those who hold high positions in the public service or good leading practices; and fair success to those whose lot has comprised "that measure of welldoing which consists in having a fair practice (enough to live with), maintaining a good professional and personal reputation, or in holding ordinary appointments in the public services or in the colonies, and gaining promotion in due course of time." It will be seen that this last class constitutes rather more than half of the total number, and hence it is to this class in prospective that our observations on these statistics should be specially and particularly addressed. There can be no doubt that the lives of all professional men in this country, as in all other walks of life, are made up of constant and continual struggles, and that the so-called battle of life has to be fought with more than ordinary energy and perseverence by medical men. But these figures appear most happily at the beginning of the winter's work, and show our neophytes that a fair and reasonable measure of success may be and is attained by those who enter the profession, and labor therein honestly, perseveringly, and well. Mr. Paget's paper is commendable, chiefly because it encourages all to work; because it shows that honest work results in fair success; and because it proves, as far as figures possibly can, that if a proper and persevering course of study be pursued, failure is very much the exception, rather than the rule. And, as Mr. Paget very pertinently remarks, "nothing appears more certain than that the personal character, the very nature, the will of each student had far greater force in determining his career than any helps or hindrances whatever. *** The time and the place, the work to be done and its responsibilities, will change; but the man will be the same, except in so far as he may change himself." London Lancet, Nov. 6, 1869. |