October 6, 2016 Thursday
Bedtime Story
Recommendations of Flexner Report Implemented
To my utter astonishment, almost all the recommendations of
Abraham Flexner was implemented!
How on earth he or the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of
teaching or the American Medical Association did it confounds me!
I thought such drastic actions can only be made to happen in
nations like Stalin’s Soviet Union, Nazi Germany, Mao Zedong’s Communist China
or Kim Jong-un’s North Korea.
Between 1910 and 1935, nearly half of the medical schools had been
shut down or forced to merge with larger ones!
By 1935, the number of medical schools in North America had
dropped from 155 to 66 of which 57 were part of some university!
Nearly all the so called “proprietary” medical schools were shut
down.
(The word proprietary means panacea as compared to propriety which
stands for correctness).
It goes with my philosophy that if you seek quality, then numbers
has to come down, whether teachers, doctors, judges or whatever.
It also explains why the so called “population dividend” of India
never turned out to be a dividend.
One can very well imagine that such a thing would be impossible in
a nation like India where all the private professional colleges are run by
powerful barons of politicians who have monetary power to both challenge such
orders in higher judiciary and influence members of legislative assembly to
format the laws in their favor.
Flexner went further, being downright racist criticizing black
physicians and considering them fit only to treat their own race.
In his words, “…The practice of the Negro doctor will be limited
to his own race…Not only does a Negro suffers from hookworm and tuberculosis;
he communicates them to his white neighbors, precisely as the ignorant and
unfortunate white contaminates him.”
Quite an appalling and ferociously prejudiced point of view I dare
say.
He adds on to say quite wisely though, “The Negro must be educated
not only for his sake, but for ours. He is, as far as human eye can see, a
permanent factor in the nation.”
That again was true as a negro went on to win and hold the highest
office of the United States for 2 terms.
Another crucial aspect which Flexner emphasized upon was the practice
of alternative medicine which was widely prevalent then in America as it is
today in South Asia.
He clearly doubted the scientific veracity of all such forms of
medicine which the Indian government recognizes as AYUSH system of alternative
medicine.
He came down heavily on them labelling them as quackery and
charlatanism.
Once again he was heard and all the colleges offering such
programs of alternative medicine were either asked to drop such courses or lose
their accreditation.
Some resisted these changes but finally most relented and gave in
those recommendations.
It boggles my mind how a nation as large as the United States
could user in such radical reforms based on the report of a mere school teacher
(albeit backed by the powerful Carnegie Foundation.
Stay tuned to the voice of an average storytelling chimpanzee or
login at http://panarrans.blogspot.in/
Good night mon ami and my fellow cousin ape.
Another great educator and teacher that I am aware of is Professor
Subhashish in Bangalore, India.
While I narrate stories, he actually does and teaches real
mathematics and physics.
He started the participation of Indian students at the
International Physics Olympiad.
Do visit him here:
All
his books can be downloaded for free through this link.
For
entertainment may I suggest Kids Songs channel.
Implementation of the Flexner Report was the first step in human history towards evidence based medicine.
Most people consider ancient medicine most wonderful with modern medicine spoiling the pristine magnificence of the past glory. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Flexner did not mince his words
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