Bulletin of the American Academy of Medicine Volume 3 (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1899 Excerpt: ...suggested by what has come under my observation for some years past, and is uttered as a warning which those most interested in the well-being of the profession at large should seriously consider. The would-be specialist of to-day too often plans to enter a specialty from the first, or while in the medical college, instead of being led into it by circumstances, after experience in general practice. With this end in view, if the means are at hand, he will often go at once abroad, immediately after graduating at a medical college, and by a longer or shorter stay at the principal capitals of Europe seek to become acquainted with the particular branch which has been chosen. Here again is a double error; for, with the rudimentary knowledge of general medicine acquired in college he is not fitted even to assimilate the clinical material which is at once given, much less to appreciate any relationships which the lesions of the particular organ may have to the general economy. The result is too often, very great attention to the diagnostic elements of the branch and very little attention to rational therapeutics, and practically no consideration of the greater relationships of the special diseases to the condition of the rest of the system. Fortunately the tide of general medical opinion is turning, and constitutional influences are beginning to be again recognized in many directions where local pathology held high sway a few years ago; but it often takes the young specialist a long time, and sometimes hard experience to find this out practically. Returning to this country the newly-fledged specialist, with an illy-digested European experience, seeks at once to put in practice what he has there acquired, having in the meantime forgotten much that had been learned i...