Medical education and the midwife problem in the United States / J. Whitridge Williams.

  • Williams, J. Whitridge (John Whitridge), 1866-1931.
Date:
1911
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Medical education and the midwife problem in the United States / J. Whitridge Williams. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    From my own point of view, it is only from those who combine obstetrics with gynecology that thoroughly well-equipped teachers can be recruited; as I consider it essential that the obstetrician be a competent surgical operator and the most feasible method for him to obtain the necessary technical experience is by means of gyne- cologic work. On the other hand, i-t by no means fol- lows that all who limit their work in this manner will be ideal teachers, as it is probable that a certain propor- tion are poorly equipped or regard their professorial duties as distinctly secondary in importance to the demands of private practice. QUESTION VII Did you serve as a hospital assistant or intern immediately following graduation ? To this question, fifteen professors, including three in high-standard schools, answered in the negative, seven- teen replied that they had served for less than one year, and eleven for a longer period. At first glance this appears far from satisfactory, but when it is remembered that many of the professors graduated twenty or more years ago, it is not quite so poor; as at that time the facilities for serving as an intern in a general hospital were much more limited than at present. Consequently, it merely indicates that many of our professors did not receive rigorous hospital training in their youth, but gained their practical experi- ence almost exclusively from private practice. QUESTION VIII Why did you take up obstetrics? The forty-one answers to this question may be divided into four categories. Eight professors deliberately chose obstetrics as their life work and endeavored to obtain as ideal a training for its pursuit as possible. Thirteen stated that they were always interested in the subject, and nine that they were very much interested before taking it up seriously. On the other hand, eleven stated that chance alone led them to teach this branch of medicine. Several accepted the professorship merely because it was offered to them, but had no special train- ing or liking for it, while others succeeded to it after having taught various other branches with more or less success.