The University Clinic

The Evening News of Jan. 16 attempted to throw discredit upon President Angell's report on the question of removing the clinic to Detroit. Again we eay that what the News asserts on this question should have no weight with candid people. He who wishes to destroy cannot be trusted to foster and protect ; henee, when the News devotes columns of editorials to the end of moving the clinic to Detroit, there are two plausible surmises: 1. That it seeks to injure the University of Michigan ; or, 2. That, for its own reasons, it hae joined hands with its old enemy, Dr. Maclean, and is now lending him the use of its columns. President Angelí cited certain European medical schools, as Tubingen, Bonn, Jena and Wurzburg, as proof that medical colleges can be successfully carried on in email cities. The News declares that there is uot the slightest resemblance between our medical department and those medical schools. Why? Because the Germán medical schools have "elabórate clinical facilities." Well, that acknowledge3 all Ihat we want to prove by citation to the German schools, and all, we imagine, that vhe president thought of proving. Medical schools can be successfully conducted in small towns. The News gives away its case. Wliile we can cite to medical schools liaving fair clinical facilities in email towns, we do not know of a medical school that conducts part of its work in one town and part of it in another. Does the News know of one such instance? It may be considered, then, as settled that there is no great obstacle to eecuring fair clinical facilities in Ann Arbor. The only plea leftfor the Detroit schemers is, that these same advantages can be secured without expense to the state by removing the clinie to Detroit. We can say in reply to this that Detroit's clinical facilities, as shown by President Angelí and as aeknowledged by the president of the state medical society, are not so vastly greater than are now afforded in Ann Arbor as to warrant any such experiment,- an periment certain to cause deep annoyances, and fraught with dangers to the medical department. PosBibly, the annoyances and dangers might be braved if Detroit were really a large city where diseases of all forma are bred, and ■where hospitals arecrowded with everything useful and curious to the student of medicine. But such is not the case with Detroit : its hospitals are not crowded, and they are on an insecure flnancial basis. The fact which we pointed out that medical studente here desiring larger hospital experience do not stop in Detroit, but pass on to New York or to European cities, fits in with the fact that the Detroit medical college does not pretend to comparison with our medical department. Even the Detroit medical college flnds it necessary to keep its own hospital, in spite of the clinical advautages which the News claims for Detroit. Even if Detroit possessed superior clinical advantages ihan are supplied by our medical department, we think it would be unadvisable to attempt running the department in two places. If any part of the scheme carried, it would result in taking the whole medical department to Detroit, and once theie, the tendency on the part of the legislature inight be to say to Detroit, "Now that you have the medical school, look after it yourself." That is exactly what the News would like to see. Furthermore, with the medical department removed to Detroit, there would be seen the necessity of duplicating some of the chairs; for the medical department fits into other departments here. On July 12 last, The Register said : "A large number of the professors who do work in the medical department are engaged in work in other departments. The clinics are matters referred to by leclurers every day, and these lectures are often illustrated by subjects from the hospitals or by reference to theui. These same professors, of whom we can name Drp. Vaughan, Sewell, Stowell, Ford, Hendricks, Martin, Herdman, Langley, Prescott, Prof. Spalding, and others, with their assistants, are connected in important work in the other departinents, as Hornoeopathy, Pharmacy, Dental, Literary and Law. Most of them and perhaps all and some, of course, more than others use the clinics or make reference te them, while certainly the majority o their students are expected to attent them regularly. Take, for an example one case with which we are familiar Prof. Sewell lectures to the students o the Literary, Homoeopathic, Medical Dental, Hygienic, and sometimes Phar macy deoartments; and there is scarcely a lecture in which he does not refer to the clinics. often time?, to be snre, in general terms, but fully as often in particular tenue, and always wiih the heartiest and sincerest advice to the lower-class men to attend them and think upon what they see there with a view of understanding better the subject that heteaches. Exacily the same may be said in regard to Dr. Vaughan, whose students come froni every department on the campus. The same will apply, too, in varying degrees, to the others mentioned. It could not be supposed that without iucarring tremendoUB expense these gentlemen could divide their work between Ann Arbor and Detroit. Without their work, too, as a supplement, what would the clinics amount to as benefltting the student, and without the clinics here it is easy to see how seriously crippled their work would be. All departments and every part of every department of the university are dovetailed into a whole that cannot be dismembered without great injury resulting." This quotation will serve toshow that the subject of removal so ignorantly urged by the News is a large one; that the question of the details ia appalling in size ; that the injury which might result to other departrnents would be considerable; and that considerably increased expense might be expected for the remaining departments. Thb city board of health has worked hard, amid curses and complaints, todo their duty in this sinall-pox scare, and every sanitary precaution has been taken. The rumora th&t have been started of other cases are entirely without foundation. The people have displayed the most unreasonable credulity in spreading gossip. One man or woman would say, "Wonder if small-pox isn't in that house?" The next person ' would Eolemnly declare that he heard small-pox was in that house. The third person would hint that his authority was a certain doctor well known. The fourth person would poBitively declare that Dr. had reported a case of small pox in that house. And all the time there would not be the slightest reason for such idle talk. That is the way such idle guesses comè to be alarrning. Any one knowing of a case of small-pox is by law obliged to report it to the health officer. The gossipers shouldn't be believed. The farmers claim that tbey pay an undue proportion of the taxes, and henee they propose to get all the can from the state treasury. The executive committee of the state agricultural society recently adopted the following: Resolved, That this society shall join with all other agricultural societies in this state in requesting of the legislature an appropriation annually to aid the various agricukural societies to an amount equal to twenty per cent. of the premium lists paid by the several societies, and that the secretary of tbis society be and is hereby directed to notify the president and secretary of each agricultural society in this state of the movement. There ought to be a good vigorous kick against such a proposal. TnK amall-pox outbreak in Azalia now includes 14 cases. The town is well guarded, and no one is allowed to leave except one or two whose business it is to provide necessities. The presence and work of three university medical students there is greatly appreciated. Azalia is but 27 miles from Toledo, on the Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern railroad, and its 200 inhabitants are largely composed of railroad employés, lumbermen and charcoal burners. The epidemie and consequent quarantine bas resulted seriously for them. They are mostly poor men, and with the stoppage of work has ceased their source of revenue. LlEUTENANT GOVERNOR MaCDONALD, for whoBe sad death by a railroad accident the flags in Ann Arbor have been at half mast this week, was bom in northwest Invernesshire, Scotland, nearly 57 years ago. For 27 years he had been a resident of Michigan. While employee! as roadmaster on a división of the Chicago & Northwestern ie made some land investments in Delta county, which proved to be very valuable. His income from royalties from these iron ore lands is said to have been upward of 150,000 a year. He had been a justice of the peace, and was put on the ticket with Gov. Luce in 1886 and again in 1888, at the earnest request of the upper península delegates, among whom he was very popular. He was not fitted in anyway to preside over the Michigan senate, but knew it and quietly allowed the president protem to do the real work. His good qualities made him well liked in Lansing. The Ford congressional commktee has submitted its report relative to iinmigration, and tells what was known before. It recommends that a tax of $5 be levied on all aliens coming into the United States, excepting diplomatic representatives. There seems to have been a tremendous amount of labor in bringing forth so little, and the expense of the committee was great. The report declares that we have not room for so many people. What becomes of our brilliant Fourth of July orations of a foriner period, in which this country was pictured as a home for the oppressed, and teeming with its hundreds of millions? The taxation committee of the Wayne county board of supervisors went to Lansing yesterday. The moveinent for fair and equal taxation among the counties of this state, cominenced by ex-Senator Calvin C. Crosby, it is expected, will receive a great Ímpetus during this session; and the whole subject in connection with A!d. Amos's efforts to have railroads taxed on property owned in Detroit bids fair to become one of the most interesting topics of discussion in the legislatura. A DispATCH from Rondout, N. Y., of Jan. 14, says : '' The new propeller, Calvin Toinpkins, arrived here tonight from Newark, N. J. It was her first trip, and she was the first boat to arrive here in midwinter froni another state in the history of navigation in this place. The Hudson all the way up was as free from ice as in the month of August." According to Poor Superintendent Martin of Detroit, the poor commission of that city is supporting; wholly or partially 2,000 families. The Península car works, which employs 800 or 900 men, has been shut down for some time, and only resumed work with a diminished force last week. Hon. Wm. Ball, of Hamburg, Livingston connty, president pro tem. of the Michigan senate, succeeds to the lieutenant governorship made vacant by the death of J. H. Maodonald, and in the event of the death or disability of Goveruor Luce, he will become governor. _________ Judge Van Zile, of Charlotte, has withdrawn as a candidato for the su.preme court before the Republican convention.