The Regents And The "pathies."

in Bhiwer to an official callmade by the ÏIouso investigating temmittoo upon tha ïiïgcnts oí the Üniversity the foU oommunioation was prepared : ïo Bon A. D. Gilmore, ohairman of the Committeo of the House ui' Repreoutatives oí' Michigan: Tn; l!o:ii-.l of Regenta of the Universitf, in answer to the questions proposedto ifc by yoar cotnmittee, beg leave to gay: _ Tn nnswer to tlio first question, as f o t'ie RRcturian charapter of instruction in the Medioal Department of the University, th.it this department was founded t.hirtv ynars mto, wten !;c qnestions tiow extiint in medicine woro oompaïatively iihknown. The professors v!io founrled the department are still wïth ua, having (tivon thoirlives' work to ita upbuilding! They nul til theircolloagups, is well as fcnown, l'olonp: to the so-oalled regular school of pliTsiciiins, and uaturally teach nocording to thcir belief. AVhcn this Boiird t('ii yeara as;o assumed the mannKenient of the Üniversity it found the niedte! sohbol most progperoua and efficiënt, attd it made no radical changos in its management. 1 1 has labored to afford o all stndents broad and liberal culture ín medicine, to tea'oh general pri coinmon to all medical education. How far nnv particular doctrines of any spe ci-d school have been taught, instead of ponera] principies, the oómmittee will havo fnlly learned from the testimony of tüe professors who have appeared beforo it. No student has been questioned in the least as to his peculiar beliöfa, or any distinctions iriado of any oharacter on account of sectarian sentiments in medicine among studente, ïhere aie homeopuhic students in every medical class who receivo degreea upon exarinat!on preoisely like their iellows, and not a few of our own graduatea ara now distinguished practicing komeopathic physici-.ins. Secondly. Aa io the reasona which havo influenced the Board in its past action on iiio subject oí' hoineopathy : That thia bas been the vexed question for the ten yea:s of the adininistration of this Board ; t'aat it has for that time givbu its earnest attention to the ■which it has alwaya oonsidered the most troublesoine and threatening question affeoting the success or prosperity of this the noblest and most successfnl of the institutions of the State. The Board in tbia matter have h wi no sectarian prejud:ces, fuul have only souarhtihe bestgood of the ïnstitutlou placed by the Constitution and the law undr its "control ; that wfien in 1867 the L igistature attaobed to its appropriation ut' one-twentieih of a mili on a dollar upon the valuation of the State, the " ; bic provisión," so-called, this Board uudertook in ro rt fiiith to carry out tbe will of the Legislatura. It passed a resolution in April of that ycar nccepting the appropriaiion upon the conditicn proposed. Tho result iras that the rosignation of every medical professor was placed in its hands. After the most strenuor.s and earnest efforts to reooncile the matter and retain tho integrity of the department the Board carne reluctantly tl the conclusión that such a reconciliation was an impossibility, and that tho two svslems could not exist together in tho samo institution. Eather than destroy a, department wbich had brought such honor and reputatiou to tho Univerpity (it being the largest ïnedical .school out of a metropolita! city in the world), the Board receded from its position, and in March, 180H, it undertook to coinply with the " proviso " by organiziug pri;hool of homeopathy away from Arm Aiboi', and appointed Dr. Heuipel one of tUo professora. ïho Board then asked for the appropriation frora the State Treasurer, bui were refused. Upon an appücatioii for a -s the Bupreme Court dpcided that a school out of Aun Arbcr was not a complianca with ♦iie act of 1807, and refused tho writ. - The Board tben appealed to the Legislature of 18öy, statcd its reason for noncempjiance with the proviso of 18(i7, and that proviso was rcpealed and the ncoumulated money in tho tieasury given to the Board with provisión for the future. That in the iuvestigation and study of this matter which has engaged the attention of the Board for se many yoars, it luis como to tho conclusión that tho causes which in this country render the unión of twQSchoolg in one institution snliroly fanj racticablo aro : First - The intenso and irreconcilablo fieünr of hostility which exists between the diffc'reut schools of medicine. Secoud - The thorough sygtein of organization existing in the so ealled regular school of medicine, extending from city and country to State and naíionai socio ties, which is so imperious nnd perverse that : 1. Jy"o professor can teach in a school conuected with homeopathy without absoluto professional ostracism. ?. No .student who believes in the regular aystem, so-called, will attond such a school, because his studies and lectures in an institution irregular and wnreeoguized by these sociuties will not adjmt hnn.into the professional rankg of the school fco wbieh bo belongs. ïheso rcason.1 are apart ontiroly froiu anythin-; peouliiir to this State ór this t'nivi isity, bnt belong to the present position ot' medical scieace and ethics in tho United iStutes, and can neithei be controllod nor ignored by tbosa who are plaöed in practical i living inRtitutions, and tor tbein the Rsgents eau in no vise be held responsible. The Board will most oordially unito with the Lfgislaturo in anything practicable wliich shall harmoni liöicult mat tor. . (Signed) E. C. WALKER. THO8. D. GILBEBT, HIRAM A. tfURT, JÖSEfrH EsTABltOOK, J. H. MoGOWAN, O. B. ültANT, CHAS. EYND. Tho follbwíng is Regent Willard'a report Tuo undersigned, wlulo assentiag to the above oanimunioation as a, statement of the t'aets which havo influen.red the past acfrion of the Board of' Regenta in the management of the Medical üopartment, desires to state that ho retaius the opiniun which he has hitherto indulged that the appointment of a professor to teacli the homeopihic theory and practicc of medicine is alike required by the dictates of equal justice to tho large class of oitizens in tho State who patvonize suoh piT-ctice, and is justifled by a defeiv enco to those. sentiments of enlightened Jiberality so choracteristic of our edueational systom. At thu gaine timahe depre'oates any action on the part of th Ijegislature looking to intetfers with the internal regulation of the Univereity or the general management ot' .ita atfïirs, save by way of resolutions of reeommendation, since he regarde guch action to ho fraught with great peril to ihi future usoi'uiupss. He beliovcs that to the Kogen ts ought to be left the solo responsibility ot' dicteting the kind ot' instructiou to be given in every departmon. which the Constitution ot' tho State has contidod to their charcre and control.