The Regents' Meeting

The meeting of the board of regents of the University of Michigan held on Wednesday was of unusual importance to the institution. Regents Barbour, Cocker, Kiefer, Fletcher, Dean, Cook and Butterfield were present. Regent Butterfie'd, of the executive committee was given one more month time in which to report on the time for vacations as recommended by the University senate. The degree of A. B. was conferred on Henry Stoup, '94. Regent Kiefer, of the medical committee stated that before accepting the resignations of the homeopathie professors he asked that Dean Obetz be heard. This was granted and Dr. Obetz read a most pungent paper. After recapitulating the history of the establishment of the homeopathie school and its contest with the medical department resulting in adding professorships to duplícate lectures on kindred topics and in the building of two separate hospitals at an extra expense, one of which he claimed was full while the other was half f uil, many patients being turned away because they did not know that if they went to the homeopathie hospital they must ask for it by that distüictive name, he took up the subject of the cost. He said the homeopathie school has graduated 309 students. It has cost the state $204,213.45 and has paid back in fees $49,430-62, a net loss on every student graduated of $500. He charged that since 1875 the pay roll of the medical department had increased from $16,641.66 to $48,644, with an increase ir. students of only twelve; that since 1875 the pay roll had been $515,906.76 and the fees paid into the treasury have been $236,732.45, making a net loss of $169.57 fr each student graduated. He favored amalgamation of the faculties and thus outlined his scheme. Following is a brief resumo' of Dean H. L. Obetz's communication read to the board of regenta at yesterday's meeting. Dr. Obetz among other things said that he believed the medical department should be reorganizad in the interest of justice to all students and in the interest of economy. "In doiug tliis I woukl allow each school a professor oí materia medica and of the theory and practice of medicine. 1 wouíd divide the operativo chaira equally between theni, thus saving repetition. Thus surgery and obstetrics should go one achool ándgynae cologj1 and opthalmologv to the other. Thia ia económica! ana perfectly fair. i The rest oí tlie chaira, ihould bo singlo, üd sóme of thé uM'lrss chaira now exHting in the medical departmentshpuld be ëntirely abolished. "The salary üst for thisfacultyehould be .f28,500. This allows $2,000 salary for the practice chaira and $2,500 for the laboratory men. There should be added eiht assistauts totne practico chaira, who are to carrv 011 the domonstration eourses at 200, making this item íl ,600. The laboratory men should each have one assistant at $000, $2,400 in all for this item. Each of the same chaira a sub. at $200, makin;; this item $800. "For tlie anatómica] laboratory, a demonstrator and lecturer at $1,200 and thre sub-demonBtrators at $200 each, niaking this item $1,800. A.dding these items we have a salaiv list of Professors -- $28,500 Practico chaira 1,000 Laboratory assistanta. 3,200 Anatomicnl laborator; l,SüO $35,100 i iie lemuuiM say iui.- wouiu agres to tlus if tiie name Homeopáthy n as left out. Tlie Homeopaths say it coulil be done if tlie name ííomeopatliy wae usetl ; that tlie man wlio proposes to drop the name, aa 1 did, is a traitor to the cause of Homeopathy, a Beuedict Arnold, .ludas Iseariot, and worthy of professional ostracism. ín other words, the fight is not un principio, but over a name only. "It has been estimated that I ain íroni ten to one hundred years ahead of my time in adyocating this amalgamation, which has sound business principies and common senae back oí it. This is not true; the press and public both are ready for it, and were it put to a vote of the people it would carry by a large majority. The regents and public should knovv that the parent of the American Medical Assoeiation, the old New York State Society, voted in 1882 to do away with the restrictive clause of the code of ethics and to recoguize and fraternizo with all reputable medical men reeoujnized by the laws of the state, and although theirdelegates were excluded from the meetings of the American Medical Association, they have reuiained steadfast to the present time. "They say that oil and water will not mix. We do know that by adding a little mucilage oil and water will mix and that the conibination is a soothing emulsión. Let U8 mix a little common sense with our medical oil and water, and I think the product will also be of benefit to humanity. Reorganization is not onlyneeessury in the homeopathie but in all other professional departnaenta on the campus. At this time, with a large physical laboratory, we have physics taught in both the medical and phartnaceatical faculties. Embryology is taught by three and histology by two eeturers. Repetitions occur on every hand, and thousands of dollars annually could be saved to the state by proper regulatiou of all departnients. "The eclectic school of medicine, a very reputable set of men practicing in this state, is now knocking at the door of the legislature fov admission to the medical department of the university. They ask four chaire to start with ; this means more anón, with a hospital and all the other cost of running expenses. The only trouble is they are numerieally weak, and the experiment must end in even greater financial loss than has attended teaching in other schools. "Thereare less thau 200 eclectics in practice in this state, although sorae claim 220. Only one doctor in ten on the average has a student. This would give them twenty students in the state. Tlien all could not beexpected to atteud the university and on an average onethird will go out of the state, leaving fourteen students from this state to attend the school. Now f as many come from without the state, the school could open with a maximum of thirty students, and eould never be expected to have mach of an increase under present conditionsof entrance, time of service, etc. "These men are taxpuvers and so are their patients and in time, if not now, some concessions will have to be made to them. Any business man can guess the taxpayers' end of the movenient after glaucingat the history of the other medical schools. "Hundredsof guesses have boen made as to the inotive for my advocating amalgamation. The homeopaths claimed that I was selling out;, the regslin called, th;it I had a deaire to ruin their school. "My desire ia to see medicine taught in the university ; allopathy is only a part of medicine, and homeopathy is albo a pari oí medicine. I want to see every Btndeni tanghi all of medicine, and pass la i r exaniiinuions on every coursp, and thon in his future practice use his judgment when Cftlled to treal the sick, as to the agenta he wiil ose. IÍ the principies underlying homeopathy are taught 1 1d not consider that the ase of the name is essential, as loop; as the other school or schools of medicina use no distiuctive titles. Wnat is fair for one sliould be fair for the other; n less, no more, Bhould be tlie motto of each. "Whcn I lirst made my proposition ti' your honorable body, 1 made it knowntr :i 1 1 the financia] facts l have here reeited. I hoped amalgamation in á fair basis conld be brouglit about by your aid and inflttence. I was happy to be assured by you that you desired to correct the eviis we all knew to exist, aiui that you were unanimons in wishing to settle all questipns fairly and Bouaróly. "Homeopathie calamity howlera raised the cry that you desired to gel rid of homeopathy and that I was selling out. Some of my friends on this board pointed out that if I persisted il would end in my losing ray place, and advised me not to do it. I chose to per.sist, as I did not care for the professorship onder existing oonditione. "If a ni'w Eaoulty takes hold they irill lind mies which close the door apon uil hut the very best of studente, and these will not stay here for fouryears and linally face a jury, the vote of nny one öf which is liable to put the stainof ineompetency on them and canse the loss f their time and mimev. The school must always be b dismal financia! failure uder existing conditions. I donotbelievc the (■mnnionwcalili should Bquandei lïioney in this way, when honest me am without work and women and helpless childron aro cryinj fur bread." Recent Butterfield difïered esseiitïally from Dean Obetz in that he charged Dr. Obetz with favoring b;fore the regents one hospital. This was denied by Dr. Obetz. Prof. Nancrede was granted two weeks' absence to recover from a case of bloodpoisoning, received while performing an operation. Dr. C. G. Darling was appointed to act in place of Dr. Nancrede's during his absence. The medical committce state that Dr. Vaughan requested to know on what conditions the board of regents were willing t ■ e the proposed átate c ■mstwuption hospital. Regent Fletcher said that it seemed to him that the board did not want to have anything to do with the matter until after the Legislature passed upon it. A. F. Reed, of Chicago, was appointed special lecturer on copyrights. Regent Cook said that before they went into executivesession he moved that the resignations of the homeopathie faculty be accepted. This was aruended to vote upon the names separately. There being some question as to the board being in executive session, on motion of Regent Fletcher the motion to go into executive session was reconsicered, Regents Barbour and Butterfield voting no. The first vote was taken on Dean Obetz. Regent Kiefer explained his vote. While he did not agree with all that Dr. Obetz said he agreed with his plan of amalgamation of the two medical departments and therefor he would vote no. Thereupon the vote being taken Regent Barbour and Kiefer voted no on Dr. Obetz and on all the other members of the faculty Regent Barbour voted no. Regent Cocker thought some of the regents wanted to go into executive session. Regent Barbour intimated that the reason they opposed an executive session was because there was to be some "Grand Stand" exhibition. Regent Dean said there was not to be any grand stand exhibition. He was not afraid to express his opinión. It had gone over the state that these resignations were merely a bluff. He thought they should be accepted. There was no occasion for an executive session; it was no grand stand business. Ragent Cocker thought if any member of the board wanted to go into execative session it was no more than courtesy to do so. Regent Fletcher said the resignations had been asked for in open session, and if there was any discussion on the subject it should be before the reporters. The medical committee were directed to present names to fill the vacancies in the Homeopathie college, October i.