It Was Knocked Out

At the Regents' meeting last Friday evening the following resolution was adopted : Resolved, That it is neither practicable nor desirable to remoTe any portion of the medical deartment to Detroit, or elsewhere; and that it 1 Ihe settled policy of the Board that the Unlversi ly fhall be maiutained in entirety, at Ann Arbor as it is at present established. Regent Moses W. Field, of Detroit, was the only one who voted against the resolution. PRESIDENT ANGELL OS THE CMltlC. President Angelí made his annual report for the yoar ending Spt. 30, 1888. That portion relative to the remo val ol the clinio is vry complete and able, and it is given in full. Tie scheme to dismember the U. of II. is probably killed: As I suggested in my last report, it Is very esaential to the good of the department that the mrestion of removing the clinical teaching to Detroit be settled at an early day. The subsiantial import of the proposition which kas been most strongly urged is, as I understand it, thatour medical studeiits, after spendingtwo years here in pursuing what are called the more didactic branches, shall repair to Detroit where, during the third year of their courae they shall receive clinical instruction in connection with the hospitals of that city. At the outset it is obvlous that there are very grave objections to the plan, whieh can be outwelghed only by very great advaatages to be gained. Let us notice briefly some of the objections, and then inqulre wht are the advantages. 1. It is clear that the administratlon of the department will be made more complicated and difflcult. There must be a special organization for the conduct and supervisión of the work in Detroit. A considerable number of professors resident in Detroit, and not teaching on the UniTersity grounds, must be added to the Faculty. Uuestions not altogether easy to anewer, concern ing relative authority and power of resident and non-resident professors and concernius other points are not unlikely to arise. 2. It will be more expensive for ouretudents and for such of our resident professors as have clinical iustruction to give, I doubt if students can flud comfonable homes and board at Detroit for the same rates wdich are paid by them here and their incidental expenses are in my opinión certain to be larger there than here The resident professors coulü not be asked to go to Detroit to teach without having their adUitional expenses borne by the Unlversuy. 3. The üniversity would probably soon be called to make a more serious addition to its expendítures than that just referred to. We have been told that Detroit physicians who would be necesarily added to the Faculty, are willing to serve for liitle or no compensation. Possibly nat would be the case at the outset. But we have a pretty larg-j and suggestive experlence which indicates that the üniversity cannot be fjrtunate enough to secure the services of competent men for any considerable time on so favorable terms. Nor ís this a fact to be complained of. We can hardly ask eminent practitioners in Detroit to take time lrom their remunerativo prolessional woik to serve us lor less proportlonate compensation than our resident professors receive. 4. The iiudents would be deprived of the use of the ünivereity library and of the other incidental advantages of Uulversity Ufe. With no desire te overrate these. I believe that they have very considerable valué in enlarging and enriching the culture of the student. The undergraduates catinot asa class Uve herethreo yea s without oatching something oi the breaiith and spirit of a true Üniversity training, which all will admit is far better than a mere narrow technical professional training. 5. But what assurance can we have that the students will go to Detroit, if we make the proposed arrangement? The opportunities proposed to be ofl'ered for clinical instruction are I now open to the students of the medical college already establisned in Detroit. Do these opportunities now attract our students in any considerable numbers? We kuow that they do not. Oar student who wish for larger clinical advantages than we have offered.passby Detroit and go to New York or Philadelphia. Will they not continue to do so ? Is there not good grouud to lear that the very object for which the proposed change is suggested will not be attained even if we make the elfortrecommended? 6. It seems probable that, il apart of the work of the department is carried to Detroit aud is successfnlly prosecuted there, a strong pressure will be exerted on this Board to transfer the whole work of the department tnere. ThedifBculties of divided administraron, contrasted with the obvious advantages of concentration and unity.and and the larger opportunities lor remunerative practice of the professors in Detroit, the possibilily. not to say the probability, that at no distant day a majority of the Faculty would be residents of that cay, will inevitably produce a strong inüuence in that dlrection. The dicussion of the subject would renew in the college the unrest, which has been caused dunng the last few years by the debate upon the expedieucy of moving the clinical instruction to Detroit. To some the transfer of the whole work of the department to that city may seem desirable in itsell. To me it seems most undesirable, whether we consider the luterests of the department or of the whole üni[Vontlmted on Secund Page.] Continúen f rom First Pago.] veraity. Statluties show beyond dispute that the departnient by itsgrowth has contributed most powerfully to the growth of the other departmenta, a they hare contributed to its streugth. Medical students who have pursued their course here on the ground have been instrumental in turning many students hither for work in other departments as well as in their own, and in turn the students in other departments hare commended the medical school to their ueighbors and friends. But if it should ever come to pass that the Medical studentsdo all theirwork Ín Detroit, they will have none of the pride or interest In the general work of the ünivcrsity which now ai.imates khem, and lead theiu to urge men t't come here tor collegiale or legal iistruetion. In fhct. they wUl have no opponuuity to learn froin personal observatiou and experienco Rnythingot the life and spirit of ihe University. On the other hand the átudents in the other departments have here feecome familiar enough with the work of the medii al depattmentto direct ihe attention of their friends to it, bui tbeir knowledge of it and intereBt Initwouldbe farleas.if it were transferred to Detroit 7. ltmust furtherbe remembered that cvery trgnmeut which can be urgvd tor removing ihe clinicsl instruction in Ihe depirtment of Mediine and Surgery to Detroit ík equally valid for Kmoving the HoniíBopatnlc Medical college there also. A large ho-pital,to be plai-ed in charge of Homocfipathic physicians is in process of erecBon in that city We may be sure there would be a demand on us from friends of the Homceopath1c college that their studenis should have facilitieefor clinicol m.struciiou in Detroit, if the arTaneemeut pmposed should be made. This would be nrged and with justice, on the ground that fcoth schools should be treated alikc. The result wonld be that tor a time at least, we should have four medical schoois or parts ol schools to manage aud matntatn. Indeed, it is not certain that in dne time there would uot be a demand by the dentists that a part, at least, of the work of the demal college should ab-o be transferred to Datroit since the work of the dental studenis is losely assoclated wilh that of the medical students, since they must lecelve soire instruction in eurgery, and since also the Faculty could then be enlarged by the artdition of (he Detroit practitioiiers who conld assirt in clinkal teaching. Boes not all this mean a dangerous disintegratiou of life and celamltous diffuBion of force ? 8. Al present there is not alittle valuaWeanistance renderod by the departments to each othei which would have to be surrendered in large degree or altogether. Professors tn one department give briefcourses of lectures In one or more ef the olher departmen's and so supplement or enricli the instruction. This would be much more diflleult. lf it were at all practicable, in cate of thedisintegration suggested. 9 There is dangei Ihat the branch in Detroit and the fragment of the school here would soon tome to have rival imerests It would be natural that the uetroit branch, haviDg perhaps a larger number of professors eounected with it and emphasizing the vulueof its share of the work which, being clinlcal, impremís the public and impresses students more than the dryer. but not lest important, didactic work. thould claim more attention aud more help from the regeota than the portion of the school which is here. At any rate, a strong and troublesome dlfference of opiulon on that poini aud on other pointe might easily spring up. 10. Is it not quite possible that If the department, either in whole or In part should be planted ta Detroit, it might receive a less hearty support from the state? Is it not altogether conceivable that the Legislatura would say, " Detroit has Mked for the department ; Detroit is quite a 'Ie to rapport it. Li t her take care of it." Small and lacking in wealth as this city is, we have more than once heard from legislators when we asked tor help the inqulry, " What hs Ann Arbordone? Why does she not show some interest in the UulTersity?" How much more emphatically should we hear the inquiry concerning the populous and wealthy city of Detroit. These objections to the proposed scheme, I think it must be confessed, are serious. Are they eutweigbed by the advantages which may be secured by the adoption of it ? What ate the adTantages which are promised? 1. ft is said that the hospitals of Detroit which would be made acce&sible to our students, furnish more cases and more valuable cases than our hospital to illustrate the iostruction in surgry, gynecology, and obsteirics. This is true. But it is possible to overrate the advantnges which they offer In comparison wilh those oftered here. lf I am correctly informed, the average ■umber of patients in Harper's hosnital and In 6t. Mar y 's hospital, which are the principal ones on whose help we thould depend, is oi.lytwo or Ihree times as great as the numbtr the L'ulverslty hospital accommodates, and a considerab e proportion of the persons in the Detroit hospitals are private patients, who would not be brought before the classes. When acommittee of this Board risited Harper's hospital at the invitation of cilizens of Detroit some umn ths ago, they were surprised to flud tbat it had not then as many patients as the hmpitalac commodates. The statement which the president of the Michigan Medical hsociatlon, a praciitioner In Detroit, made In his address at the la&t meeting of that body, indicates that the condition of the hospital in that city leavea much to be deaired. He said, "Thi re is no hospital iu thiH city (Detroit) which is properly equipped, or which hus money enough to pay its running expenses without flnancial embarmsfiment." It must be remembered. alsi, that the Detroit hospitals cannot be placed uurier the control oi this Bnard. Is there not a possibility that uuder the influence of some rival medical Bchool embarracsmenta migbt arise in our relations with one or more of the hospital boards? 2. It is argued that the tmnsfer of a part of our medical work to Detroit would awaken a deep interest in the University In that city and would even secure large benel'actions from it citizens. The Interest and the benefactions would be most acceptable, and we are glad to say that the past generofrityof some of the citizens of Detroit to the University makes such a result seem not improbable. But thus far no distinct propositlons of asilstance have been made to this Board. 3. It is predicted that the transfer would lead to the dissolution of any medical schools now existing in Detroit, and would prevent the establishment of new schools, Thus concentration in medical teaching in the State would be Becured. It Is also afflrmed that the students who now attend the Detroit schools would be added to our number. I we no suffleient grnund for asauming that there wül be no other medical school than oura In Detroit, especially if we do not remove the whole department there. Wherever there are aspirine physiciangin a city as large as Detroit, and particularly w here medical schools have ex isted for some years, certaln practitioncra generally find it advantageous to their own interests to joiu in carrying on a medical school. We can hardly expect that the accomplished physicians of Detroit who have had the enterprlse to conduct two medical schools for years, will refrain from mainlaining a school because of our giving vlinlcal lnBtructiou In IWroit to our senior class. Nor do I see any good reason to exptct that if the schools in Detroit were abandonen, we should receive auy considerable number of their students. For their classes are largely made up of those who wisii 9, short course in medicine, and are not willing to take our three-years course. They would be more Ukely to turn to some school which glves a degree on the oompletion of a briefer course. . So far as I know; the advatxtages here consideredjire all which have been sdggested as likely to accrue from the plan before us. It is for tbis Board to decide wíjetber Uwj so far outweigh the objections named as to mako the adoption of the plan wise. Myown conviction is that they do not, and therefore that it is inexpedient to transfer any part of our work to Detroit. Tfhe, balnc3 of what President Angelí had td say oa tliis subject was to show that Germán Universitiei had done well in ainsll toivns, ndJitd never experienced themed oí being in a gfeat city. He algo emphasized the factthst the flniveraity of Michigan netded a lying-in hospital. THE MBBARY. From the librarian's report it appears that the total number o( volumes in all the librnries is now 67,759, and of pamphlets, 13,892. WOMEN IN THK UNIV'gRSITr. President Angelí showed that the nuujber of womeü in attendance in 1886-7 was 265 ; in 1887-8, 284. He eaid : " The relative, as well as the absolute number of women in the Unlversity continúes to increase very slowly. Last year they formed 16.8 per cent ; thlï year they lorm 16.9 per cent. of the total attendance. Last year they conslituted 25 per cent., thisyear they constitute 26.7 per cent. of the entire attendauce In the Uterary department. Twelve of the 53 graduates studying for higher aegree during the year are women. . ' It may be of interest to see in what proportions ihemen and in what proportions the women choose the different courses. The following table shows the per centage of the men and tne per centage of the women, in both cases candidatos for degrees in the literary department, who chose each during the last year : Per tent. Percent. _. of men. öfwomeu. The A. B. course 80.7 32 8 The Ph. B. course _ 1.8 31.4 The B. 8. course „. lg.O 9.3 TheB.L course 15.0 ■ 27 The Engineering courae . 25.0 uone. Prof. H. E. Arndt waa granted a leve of absence until the -begiuninp; of the seoond semester in 1889 without loss of salary. Dr. ■9-6.. Chaffee wae fppojnti'd'ias' si8,tlnt of. Hy F.Lter.' Dr. W. A. Campbell was made sssistant to Dr. C. L. Ford and curator of the museum; salary, $600. Moses Gomberg, assistant in organic chemistry. On the advice of the University cénate, the ppring recess was changed so as to begin on Friday eventog before the third Wednesdav in April. Dr. G. H. Conklin was appointed assistant to Dr. Stowell, salary, $300. Chas. P. Beckwith had been appomted by the expcutive committee ai assistant in quali tative chernistry; salary, $250. J. O. Schlotterbeek, Ph. C, asaistant in pharmacy; ealary, $192. J F. Abbott, M. D., as?istant to Dr. Maclean; salary, $100. N. S. Hoff, D. D. S., was appointed for the ensuin" year assistant professor of practical deotistry; salaiy, $l,'200. Albert A. Stanley, professor of music; fBlary, $1,200.