Oregon Historical Quarterly/Volume 27/The Development of Medical Education in the Pacific Northwest
The Development of Medical Education in the Pacific Northwest *
By O. LARSELL, University of Oregon Medical School
Medical education in the Pacific Northwest may be divided quite naturally into two periods. The first of these , beginning with 1865, represents the pioneer stage. In that year was founded the Medical Department of Willamette University, which in spite of many difficulties , had a continuous existence until 1913 , when it was amalgamated with the University of Oregon Medical School . The second period began about 1913 , although many of the factors which make proper the division given had begun to take effect several years prior to this date , and others had not yet begun to be felt . It is with the first of these periods that we shall deal in this paper . Willamette University was founded in Salem in 1842 , under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal denomination . It represents the pioneer effort in higher edu cation in the Northwest , and too much credit cannot be given Jason Lee and his co -workers for their vision and self -sacrifice in establishing a college in the new settle ment . To be sure , it was not a college in the present meaning of the term , but it had the definite aim of giving higher education to the white children of the Oregon country .
In 1865 , twenty - three years after the founding of the institution , another step of significance to the welfare of the state was taken in the launching under the auspices of the university of the medical department . The initial steps in this venture were taken by Governor A. C. Gibbs and others in 1864. They sent a communication to the Board of Trustees of Willamette University asking that body to organize a medical department . They further
- Read at the meeting of the University of Oregon Medical History
Club February 21, 1924.
asked that the department be located in Portland , and
that certain gentlemen be elected officers and professors
of the same . On February 15 , 1865 , the Board voted1
to establish such a department in Portland , to be called
the “Oregon Medical College , ” with certain provisions , in
cluding the appointment of the medical faculty by the
Board of Trustees of the university . The faculty elected
consisted of Judge M. P. Deady , emeritus professor of
medical jurisprudence ; R. Glisan , M. D . ,
professor of
theory and practice of medicine ; J. A. Chapman , M. D . ,
professor of civil and military surgery ; A. M. Loryea ,
M. D . , professor and demonstrator of anatomy ; R. B . Wil
son , M . D . , professor of physiology and institutes of medi
cine ; Hon . A. C. Gibbs , professor of medical jurispru
dence . It is interesting to note that a professor emeritus
was elected before the school had begun to function . A
temporary office was established at number 5 Washing
ton street , which by the present system of numbering is
205 Washington street .
Difficulties arose which made it impracticable to
carry out the plan of establishing the department in
Portland , and for a time the project was abandoned . The
faculty named above never gave instruction . The pro
posal to establish a school of medicine was revived , how
ever , in June , 1866 , and steps were taken to bring the de
partment into operation . Dr. J . H. Wythe , who became
president of the university in October , 1865 , appears to
have played a prominent part in renewing the efforts to
establish a medical department , which it was now pro
posed to locate in Salem , since it had failed to function in
Portland . Dr. Wythe3 was a physician , as well as a cler
gyman , and had practiced medicine in Pennsylvania be
fore coming to the Pacific Coast . He had also held a po
sition of some responsibility in the medical corps of the
2
1Minutes , Bd. of Tr., W. U. , Feb. 15, 1865.
2Pers. com . from Geo. H. Himes, Portland .
3Larsell, Quart. Oreg. Hist. Soc., vol. 26, 1925.
Northern army during the War of the Rebellion . An other leading figure in the renewed effort to initiate a medical department was Dr. Horace Carpenter , who had come to Oregon in 1861 , and had settled in Salem in 1865 . In the minutes of the Board of Trustees , dated June 12 , 1866 , it is recorded that a committee of three was appointed to correspond with the proposed medical department in Portland with reference to moving that department to Salem . This committee reported on July 18 and was discharged , but the nature of the report , which was oral, is not indicated . At this July meeting another committee of five members was appointed to consider the expediency of establishing a law department and other departments , in addition to those already main tained in the institution . Dr. Wythe , who had been a member of the first committee , was also included in the new committee , which " was instructed to confer with the officers of the Medical Department at Portland and re quest them to surrender the organization heretofore granted them , and if they refused to do so , to give notice that after the expiration of one year the connection will be discontinued . " 4 As a result of the activities of this committee the fol lowing resolution was adopted at a meeting on November 14, 1866:5 " Resolved , That whereas the gentlemen heretofore elected by this board of professors of Medical Depart ment of Willamette University heretofore established in Portland have failed to organize or to perform the duties imposed upon them by their election and have also re signed their positions and discontinued their relations to the University ; “ Therefore , Resolved that said Medical Department be and the same is hereby established and located at Salem . That it shall consist of seven or more professor 4Min. Bd. of Tr., W. U. , July 18, 1866. 51bid ., Nov. 14, 1866 .
ships so organized and conducted as to afford a full course
of instruction by lectures and studies conforming to the
latest and most approved practice of the best Medical In
stitutions and of such grade and character as to thor
oughly qualify its graduates for the responsible duties of
a professional life . "
At the same meeting the following faculty was elected ,
composed of physicians in and about Salem , namely , H.
Carpenter , M. D. , professor of civil and military surgery ;
E. R. Fiske , M. D . , professor of pathology and practice of
medicine ; John Boswell , M. D . ,
professor of obstetrics
and diseases of women and children ; J. H. Wythe , M. D. ,
professor of physiology , hygiene and microscopy ; D.
Peyton, M. D. ,
professor of materia medica and thera
peutics ; J. W. McAfee , M. D . , professor of chemistry and
toxicology ; A. Sharples , M. D . ,
professor of descriptive
and surgical anatomy ; W. C. Worimer , M. D. ,
demonstrator of anatomy ; Hon . J . S. Smith , professor of medical
jurisprudence . This was the first faculty to actually give
medical instruction in the Northwest . A committee of the
board consisting of Messrs . Waller , Hines and Moores was
appointed to confer with the members of the medical fac
ulty with reference to a system of rules for the govern
ment and regulation of the new department .
The facilities for medical instruction in Salem at that
time were of the most meager sort , and at the present
time we should say they were non - existent. The entire
equipment of the university , so - called , consisted of one
building , in which college , preparatory and
a
l
l
other de
partments were housed
.
A
new building was under con
struction
,
but was not completed until some time later
.
As
t
o
clinical facilities
,
they may
be
judged by the fact
that Salem had
a
population
of
about twelve hundred
a
t
the time
,
and all
o
f
Marion County about seven thousand
.
Portland itself numbered but about fifteen thousand peo
ple
i
n
1865
,
and one must admire the courage
,
not
t
o
say
the audacity
,
o
f
the men who undertook
t
o
train phy
69
sicians under such circumstances . Yet when one com
pares with other medical schools in the country at that
time, and the standards , or rather , lack of standards ,
which prevailed in all but a very few , the infant depart
ment at Salem does not suffer too much by the com
parison .
The first course of lectures was begun March 3 , 1867 ,
and at commencement of that year there were three
graduates in medicine . These were W. A . Cusick , D. M .
Jones and J. L. Martin . The second term was begun
November 4 , 1867 , for it was decided that instruction
could more conveniently be given during the winter. The
course continued twenty weeks, and attendance at two
courses of lectures was required for graduation .
This department thus established represents the first
attempt at professional education in the Pacific North
west. A short time previously there had been established
in San Francisco the Toland Medical College , so that the
department established by Willamette University was
not the pioneer in medical education on the Pacific Coast ,
but it appears to be the oldest which continued in oper
ation without interruption until its absorption in 1913 .
The new school appears to have met with approval , for
in the Salem Daily Record for June 14 , 1867, we read :
" The Medical Department of the University went into
operation early in the spring with twenty -four students ,
which is considered a very favorable commencement . To
give opportunity for clinical instruction this their first
season , the faculty have offered to perform any needed
surgical operations free of compensation , when the par
ties are unable to render it . Quite a number have availed
themselves of the offer, and thus far the operations have
a
l
l
been successful
.
Some will compare
i
n
skill with any
performed
o
n
this coast
.
Six lectures
a
day are delivered
a
t
the university building
.
The lecturing season will end
61bid
.
,
July
2
3
,
1867
.
at the annual commencement of the college , the 25th of
July . The prospect of prosperity to the Medical Depart
ment in the future is good , as quite a number are prepar
ing to improve the advantages offered . Those interested
are gratified at the success already realized . The next
term will commence April 1st, 1868 , by which time the
expectation is to have provided every appliance necessary
to make the Medical School a first class institution .”
As
already stated , the next term began in November rather
than in the following April.
The spirit which animated the undertaking of profes
sional education in an institution which was as yet able
to provide but meagerly for the simplest type of college
work must not be left in doubt . It is not unlikely that the
initial attempt to establish a school of medicine in Port
land was somewhat mixed with motives of self - interest
on the part of some of the petitioners , for medical facul
ties in that day frequently derived considerable revenue
from consultations and patients sent them , as individual
physicians , by former students after the latter got into
practice . It may be that some such motive had a part in
the minds of some who became members of the faculty
when the department was put into operation at Salem ,
but this was not true of those who revived the idea . It is
doubtful if it could have been true of many of the orig
inal initiators such as Governor Gibbs and others , who
had the interests of the community primarily at heart .
At any rate the purpose of the Board of Trustees of Wil
lamette University in founding the medical department
appears to have been in keeping with the missionary
motive which founded the institution in 1842. Although
there was some hesitation on their part when the project
was first broached in 1864 that the time was not yet ripe
for such an undertaking , " the idea had gained such head
7Ibid ., Nov. 16, 1864 .
71
way by February of the following year that it was adopted
with the results related above . In the language of the
Board , the department was established in the belief "that
the interests of the country would be promoted . ” 8
The worthy ambition to make the young and finan
cially poor institution a " first class school, ” according to
the American standards of that day , was not as difficult
of realization as at the present time . Laboratories were
practically unknown , and elaborate clinics and dispen
saries were known of only as a faint echo from the large
medical centers of Europe . A few cadavers which could
be dissected in any kind of a room , some chairs and pos
sibly a blackboard for the lecture room , constituted the
principal features of equipment at this early date , in
a
l
l
probability
.
There are some references
t
o
a
separate
building for the dissecting room
,
but that appears
t
o
b
e
a
l
l
i
n
the way
o
f
special equipment
,
although more was
contemplated
,
and was added little
b
y
little
.
The story
o
f
the first ten years
o
f
the school's history
i
s
somewhat fragmentary
.
The loose connection
o
f
the
medical faculty with the university resulted
i
n
many
misunderstandings between this faculty and the Board
o
f
Trustees
.
Because
o
f
this
a
resolution was presented
t
o
the Board
a
s
early
a
s
August
1
5
,
1868
,
when the de
partment had been operating less than two years
,
t
o
dis
continue the medical department
.
This proposal was
,
however
,
laid
o
n
the table and apparently not taken
u
p
again for consideration
.
The misunderstandings arose
i
n
part from dissensions within the medical faculty itself
,
and
i
n
part from the inclination
o
f
the majority
o
f
this
faculty
t
o
govern itself and the department without tak
ing the Board
o
f
Trustees into consideration
.
The majority
o
f
the faculty were illy fitted by train
ing for the duties
o
f
medical instruction
,
and probably
81bid
.
,
Feb.
1
5
,
1865
.
9Ibid
.
,
Aug.
1
5
,
1868
.
none of them except Dr. Wythe had ever before been a
member of a medical faculty . Wythelo had for several
years been professor of physiology , pathology and micro
scopy at the Philadelphia Medical College, from which
school he graduated in 1850. He had also written a book
on the microscope and microscopy ( 1851 ) which was
apparently the first of its kind to be published in this
country . He had contributed considerably to the med
ical periodicals in Philadelphia before coming to the
Pacific Coast , and had considerable reputation both as a
scientific man and as a surgeon . Because of his previous
experience and his connection with the Medical Service
of the Federal army during the Civil War , it is probable
that he was the best surgeon in the newly organized fac
ulty , but he became professor of physiology and hygiene,
while Dr. H. Carpenter became professor of surgery .
An illuminating view of the whole situation which
developed from the disagreements within the faculty and
between the faculty and the Board , may be gained from
a portion of a memorial11 presented to the latter body by
two members of the medical faculty , Dr. Wythe and Dr.
Fiske, who were also members of the Board of Trustees .
These two gentlemen describe themselves as " the only
members of the Board who had received a regular med
ical education . ”
They had been asked by the Board to
aid in organizing the medical department , and made the
following statement :
“ In pursuance of our trust we
found the chief difficulty to arise from the circumstance
that a sufficient number of physicians resident in Salem
could not be found to fill the professorships without ap
pointing some whose educational qualifications were evi
dently defective.
“ For the sake of founding the department , however ,
we consented to waive the objection and every regular
10Larsell , Quart , Oreg. Hist . Soc ., vol . 26. 1925.
11Min. Bd. of Tr., W. U. , March 28, 1868.
73
physician in the town who had a diploma or who declared
that he was a graduate of some medical college , was ap
pointed to a professorship .
“
The want of educational facilities and experience
was fully acknowledged by the entire faculty at the be
ginning of the enterprise , and a spirit of fraternity and
mutual assistance was manifest ; but in a few months the
tendencies of human nature became evident , and at times
a spirit of jealousy and bitterness could hardly be sup
pressed . ”
The professorship of surgery particularly caused dif
ficulty for it “ became a bone of contention and it required
a
l
l
the patience and management
o
f
your memorialists
t
o
prevent an open rupture
.
“
A
t
one time
a
l
l
the members
o
f
the faculty except
your memorialists and the Hon
.
J
.
N
.
Mitchell agreed
t
o
request the professor
o
f
surgery
t
o
resign
o
r
meet charges
o
f
gross incompetence and want
o
f
knowledge
o
f
his pro
fession
.
”
A
serious disagreement developed
,
and the faculty
reorganized with Dr. McAfee
a
s
dean
,
but Dr. Carpenter
was soon reinstated
.
Wythe fell out
o
f
favor with all and
was
“
regularly tried
,
found guilty
o
f
charges preferred
against him and expelled
1
2
from the medical faculty
b
y
i
t
s
own vote
.
He appealed
t
o
the Board
,
which voted
t
o
direct
the dean
o
f
the medical faculty
t
o
furnish the secretary
o
f
the Board with
a
copy
o
f
the proceedings connected with
Dr. Wythe
.
This request the new dean
,
Dr. McAfee
,
re
fused
o
n
the ground that the action
o
f
the medical faculty
"
i
n
their own judgment
"
was final
.
The Board
,
how
”
ever
,
disapproved the action and censured the medical
faculty for
i
t
s
presumption
.
The nature
o
f
the charges
preferred
i
s
not indicated
,
but
i
t
appears
t
o
have been
a
quarrel
a
s
t
o
authority and method
.
Dr. Wythe appar
1
2
Com
.
from dean
o
f
medical faculty
i
n
min
.
o
f
B
d
.
o
f
Tr
.
,
W.
U
.
,
Aug.
1
5
,
1868
.
ently wished to have the medical department tied closely
with the university for the sake of standards , while most
of the medical faculty appear to have had the notion so
prevalent at that time that a medical faculty was a law
unto itself and existed largely for the aggrandizement of
its members .
It was following this incident that the resolution to
discontinue the department , to which reference was made
above , was presented to the Board of Trustees . Peace
was finally restored , however , and the department con
tinued to function and to grow . In 1870 it was proposed
in the Board to donate ground by the university to the
medical department for hospital purposes , but this plan
was not consummated . In 1873 the sum of two hundred
dollars was appropriated by the Board for the purpose of
renting quarters for the department in the town .
After Dr. Wythe left Salem to assume charge of the
Taylor Street Methodist Church in Portland , severing his
connection with the university , Dr. Carpenter appears to
have become the storm center for disagreements . Change
of dean was made a number of times , but Dr. Carpen
ter's name always appears as dean in the intervals .
Charges were preferred against him to the Board , but
this body refused to consider them . Changes in the fac
ulty and proposed reorganization of the department are
referred to from time to time . Matters reached a climax
in 1875 when Dr. Carpenter resigned as professor of sur
gery and dean . The president of the university was au
thorized by the Board of Trustees to call a meeting of
the medical faculty , and the agent of the university was
authorized to receive " the books, papers and other effects
of the Medical Department . " 13 These , however , Dr. Car
'
penter refused to deliver to the agent, and doubtless due
to this fact much that would be of interest and value in
this sketch is lost .
13Min.ofBd.ofTr., W.U., Dec. 2,1875.
75
The school continued operation in spite of the contro
versies which arose , and the year following the resigna
tion of Dr. Carpenter , i . e . , in 1876 , twenty -three matricu
lants were registered , and Dr. D . Peyton served as dean .
Apparently the difficulties of giving medical instruction
in Salem became greater or perhaps were more fully rea
lized by the members of the faculty , for on June 10 , 1878 ,
resolutions were presented to the Board of Trustees
unanimously recommending removal of the department
to Portland as better suited for maintaining medical in
struction.14 This recommendation was adopted by the
Board , and a new faculty was named ,, although it in
cluded some who had been connected with the department
at Salem . Dr. O. P . S . Plummer was elected dean 15 and
Dr. R. G . Rex was chosen as secretary of the faculty .
Dr. R. Glisan was appointed to give a public address in
troductory to the course of lectures on the evening of
December 16th , 1878 , when the instruction in Portland
formally began . The term was also lengthened to six
months . The first faculty meeting was held in Portland
on June 18 , 1878 , at which the actions just recorded were
taken , and in addition Dr. J . A . Richardson , who had
been the last dean of the department at Salem , was in
structed to forward
a
l
l
property belonging
t
o
the school
from Salem
t
o
Portland
.
A
committee was appointed
t
o
issue
a
circular and announcement
,
and another com
mittee was instructed
t
o
"
secure rooms for lectures
.
"
The
result
o
f
the activities of this last committee was that the
school was located
i
n
some rooms above
a
livery stable
o
n
the corner of Park and Jefferson streets
.
I
t
i
s
o
f
interest
t
o
record the names
o
f
the faculty who attended this first
meeting
i
n
Portland
.
They are Doctors
J
.
A
.
Richardson
,
A
.
Sharples
,
W.
H
.
Watkins
,
R
.
G
.
Rex
,
W. H. Saylor
,
o
P
.
S
.
Plummer
,
R. Glisan and
L
.
L
.
Rowland
.
141bid
.
,
June
1
0
,
1878
.
1
5
Min
.
faculty W. U.
Med.
Dep't.,
June
18
,
1878
.
The factors which brought about the removal of the
school to Portland appear to be several in number , in
addition to those already mentioned . It will be recalled
that the original desire of those interested in organizing
the department in 1864 and 1865 was to locate it in the
larger city . The population of Salem at that time was
about twelve hundred , while Portland boasted 6068. By
1878 Salem had grown to about 2500 , while the city di
rectory of Portland for that year gives its population as
19,128 . The original desire to have the greater clinical
facilities of the larger cities must have played a large
part.
A second factor of importance arose from the organ
ization of the Oregon State Medical Society on September
1 , 1874 . At the second meeting of this society , held in
Portland September 14 , 1875 , a committee on medical
education was appointed , 16 composed of Doctors F. A .
Bailey , of Hillsboro ; H. W. Ross , of Oregon City , and H.
J. Boughton of Albany . This committee was instructed
" to prepare an annual report on the general condition of
medical education in the state of Oregon , as compared
with the advancement of medical science in other states
of the Union . They shall report on the several medical
institutions in the state , their course of instruction , the
practical requirements for graduation , the modes of ex
amination for conferring degrees , and the number of
pupils and graduates at each during the year , and such
other matters as they may deem worthy of consideration
in reference to medical education and the reputable
standing of the profession . " 1 7 At the fifth annual meet
ing in 1878 , a special committee was appointed 18 to attend
the examinations of the medical department of Willam
ette University , and at this same meeting the presidential
16 Proc. Oreg . State Med . Soc .
, 1875.
171bid .
18Ibid ., 1878 .
77
address19 by Dr. L. L. Rowland had as its topic " Medical
Education . "
These incidents , and others of a similar
nature , indicate the interest which was developing
throughout medical circles in the state , an interest that
was lacking twelve years earlier .
The immediate factor which brought about the re
moval of the school from Salem to Portland was the or
ganization in 1877 of the “ Oregon Medical College ,”
which was incorporated in February , 1878.20 It will be
recalled that this was the name which the first attempt at
establishing medical instruction in Portland had carried
in 1865 , but the new attempt was entirely independent
of Willamette University . The account of its organiza
tion , which appeared in the Morning Oregonian for Octo
ber 2 , 1877 , is so illuminating that it may be quoted in
full as follows :
“
During the past twelve years some two
or three unsuccessful attempts have been made to found
a medical college in Portland , and during these years with
the growth of our city , our state , and the adjoining terri
tories , the facilities for the imparting of medical and
surgical instruction have constantly increased .
" The greatest and most important needs of medical
students who leave their homes or the offices of their
preceptors to obtain them are clinical instructions and
opportunities to pursue the study of practical anatomy ,
with every available convenience in the way of material
and surroundings .
" With two excellently conducted hospitals ( the St.
Vincent's and Good Samaritan ) , containing on an average
a hundred patients , with the Insane Asylum across the
river and the cases which can be brought before a class
of students from the practice of our leading physicians ,
making mention also of a good share of eleemosynary
cases which are constantly with us , Portland certainly
191bid .
20Bancroft, Hist . of Oregon , volume II , page
6
9
1
.
holds out inducements for the establishing and maintain
ing of a college which no other city on the coast outside
of San Francisco can .
“
Fully appreciating these facts and that the medical
college of the Northwest should be and would eventually
be located here , and with no promptings of ill-will to
wards the medical department
of
the Willamette University,
now located
at
Salem,
nor towards any one
o
f
those
self
-
sacrificing men who have
s
o
faithfully labored
hitherto
i
n
its interest
,
a
number
o
f
our leading phy
sicians met
o
n
Saturday evening last and organized
a
medical college
,
t
o
b
e
known
a
s
the Oregon Medical
College
,
t
o
b
e
located
i
n
this city
,
with the follow
ing named gentlemen
a
s
a
faculty
.
The matter
o
f
estab
lishing
a
medical school
i
n
our city has been under ad
visement for some time
,
and last Saturday evening the
thing came
t
o
a
head
.
Several
o
f
our enterprising doctors
met
,
'
i
n
pursuance
t
o
call
'
and
b
y
unanimous vote decided
that
i
t
was high time the ball was put
i
n
motion and that
the Oregon Medical College
b
e
now organized
.
"
Next they proceeded
t
o
the election
o
f
a
faculty with
the following result
Dr. P . Harvey , professor o f the theory and practice o f medicine and general therapeutics
Dr. R . Glisan , professor o f obstetrics and diseases o f women and children
Dr. W. H . Watkins , professor o f surgery , surgical pathology and clinical surgery
Dr. W. H . Saylor , professor o f general and surgical anatomy
Dr. O . P . S . Plummer , professor o f materia medica and therapeutics
Dr. R . G . Rex , professor o f organic and inorganic chemistry
Dr. W. B . Cardwell , professor o f physiology and hygiene
Hon . M . P . Deady , professor o f medical jurisprudence . " Special lecturers
Dr. Saylor , eye and ear
Dr. Cardwell , genito - urinary
Dr. H. E . Jones , clinical gyne cology . " The first regular course o f lectures may b e deferred until a year from this fall , a s the faculty are determined
79
to make this institution not only live but thrive and do
well in their hands , proving a credit to our city , to the
profession of their choice and to themselves as co - laborers
for the advancement of the standard of medical sciences
in our broad growing Northwest , and a proper prepara
tion will involve not only much labor on their part but
also considerable expense in procuring means for use in
illustrating and demonstrating the various branches of
study . "
The faculty also constituted the stock -holders, and
subscribed to fifty -nine shares of stock of a par value of
$ 100 per share . At the first meeting of the faculty , as
distinguished from the Board of Directors , which meeting
was held April 15 , 1878 , resolutions were passed to the
effect that Portland was better suited than any other
point north of San Francisco for the location of a med
ical school , and that "the interests of the medical pro
fession in the Northwestern States and Territories ad
jacent require the maintenance of one ' institution for
medical education . ”
The Willamette medical faculty was
invited to appoint a committee of three to confer with a
similar committee of the faculty of the Oregon Medical
School “ to devise a plan , if possible , whereby the interest
of both institutions may be so harmonized as to lead to
the continuation of one Medical College made capable
of offering the most complete facilities of obtaining a
medical education .” As a result of the conference be
tween the two committees, which were appointed by their
respective faculties , the medical faculty of Willamette
University on June 3 , 1878 , sent a communication to the
Portland group stating that the Willamette faculty was
recommending to their Board of Trustees that the Med
ical Department be transferred to Portland “ on the
abandonment of the projected medical school there . "
Recommendations for a faculty in Portland were also
made , including all of the members of the faculty of the
proposed Oregon Medical School, and several of the
Salem physicians . The Oregon Medical School thereupon
discontinued , and in Judge M. P. Deady's diary under
date of June 8 , 1878 , is entered this item , " Signed mem
orandum of agreement consolidating the medical schools
at Portland and Salem at Portland as the medical dep't of
the Wallamet University . " 21 Thus was the establishment
of a rival school in the thinly populated state , which must
have resulted in detriment to both , forestalled , and at the
same time the Willamette school was strengthened by the
better facilities afforded in the larger city .
The arrangement was evidently not acceptable to
some , or was not understood , for in the presidential ad
dress of Dr. H. Carpenter , who had been closely connected
with the department at Salem for so many years , before
the State Medical Society on June 11 of the following
year , we find the following recommendations :
" Itis
suggested and recommended that this society do organize
and establish under the incorporation laws of Oregon , a
state institution to be called the 'Oregon Medical College ,'
with a faculty of 8 professors
the faculty to be chosen as far as possible from the membership of the State Medical Society . " The examinations for graduation to be conducted by four physicians chosen by the State Society, who shall constitute an advisory council to the faculty and shall take part in the selection of the faculty , as well as in ex amination of all candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine . " It is a true policy that medical men should have con trol of medical education and that they should be respon sible for the professional attainments of those who are to succeed them . “ In order to harmonize the interest of the faculty of the Medical Department of Willamette University , I sug gest that a majority of the members of that faculty be 21Diary of M. P. Deady , in library of Oreg . Hist . Soc .
81
selected as professors in the 'Oregon Medical College ' . "2 2
This was the first suggestion publicly expressed of
state education in medicine in Oregon . It will be noted
that no reference is made , however , to control by the state
university which had opened its doors at Eugene in Sep
tember , 1876. Rather it was proposed to have the State
Medical Society assume responsibility without interfer
ence by lay boards of control , which Dr. Carpenter had
found distasteful in his connections at Salem .
A committee was appointed to consider these recom
mendations , together wth others which had to do with
medical education in general , and to report at the next
annual meeting. On June 16 , 1880 , this committee re
ported 23 in favor of establishing a medical journal to be
published by the society , that the matter of the Oregon
Medical College be referred to a special committee which
should confer with the proper officers of Willamette Uni
versity , and that the society prepare a memorial urging
the importance of a “high standard of graduation and
that higher preliminary attainments be required of all
applications for admission .”
The third recommendation
was unanimously adopted , but the first two were indefi
nitely postponed . It is of interest , in view of subsequent
events , to note that Dr. S. E. Josephi, who had come to
Portland two or three years previously , and who had been
elected to the staff of the Willamette Medical Department
in 1879 , made the motions for indefinite postponement ,
which saved the situation for the existing school .
At this same meeting of the State Society , Dr. E. P.
Fraser , as chairman of the legislative committee , pre
sented two bills for approval before they should be taken
to the legislature of the state . One was entitled " An Act
to regulate the practice of Medicine and Surgery in the
State of Oregon . "
The second was " An Act to establish
22Proc, Oreg. State Med . Soc .,
1879 .
231bid . , 1880 .
1
a State Board of Health . "
Both were approved by the so
ciety, which five years later also approved “ A bill for an
act to establish a State Board of Medical Examiners and
Licensers and to define the duties and powers of such a
Board . ”
These several incidents indicate the keen interest in
medical education and progress which the society had
early in
i
t
s
history
,
and the efforts which
i
t
made
t
o
ele
vate the standards
o
f
the profession
i
n
the Northwest
.
Such efforts could not but beneficially affect the medical
school
,
s
o
far
a
s
its own standards were concerned
,
and
there
i
s
the suggestion occasionally
,
between the lines
,
that they were
s
o
intended
,
i
n
part
a
t
least
.
A
glimpse into the standard
o
f
medical practice
o
f
the
day may
b
e
gained from another portion
o
f
the report
o
f
the committee on medical education
o
f
the State Society
i
n
1879. We read24
"
I
n
this connection we take occasion
t
o
protest against the prostitution
o
f
the title
(
M
.
D
.
)
s
o
commonly practiced
.
While we respect medical knowl
edge and skill wherever found and however obtained
,
the
right
t
o
b
e
called
'
Doctor
'
i
s
possessed only by those who
have that degree legally conferred upon them
,
and the
man who unblushingly calls himself
'
Doctor
'
o
r
encour
ages others
t
o
d
o
s
o
,
when
h
e
does not possess
a
right
t
o
that name
,
i
s
a
s
dishonest
a
s
h
e
who assumes the prefix
'
Colonel
'
o
r
'
General
,
'
without the documentary evidence
that
h
e
has
a
right
t
o
b
e
s
o
called
.
I
f
we would
b
e
re
spected we must respect ourselves
.
The ignorant pre
tenders who brazenly put
'
M.
D
.
'
t
o
their names
t
o
spell
'
sody
,
'
'
sweat
o
i
l
,
'
and
'
blew mas
'
i
n
their prescriptions
,
who cannot tell mumps from erysipelas
,
dyspepsia from
pleurisy
,
who declare they have treated cases
o
f
adhesive
inflammation
a
t
the insertion
o
f
the internal rectus with
the sphincter ani muscles
,
and seen young men with puer
peral convulsions
—
such pretenders
,
we say
d
o
u
s
but
241bid
.
,
1879
.
83
little injury , for their ignorance is so apparent that the
public is not long in perceiving it . It is our recognition
of them which lowers us without elevating them .
Call
ing such men 'Doctors ' and counselling with them de
grades us . They are not capable of imparting or receiv
ing.knowledge . * * *
“ The one great medicine ( to remedy these evils ) we
would employ , almost the only one having any power , is
medical education . Our medical colleges must be edu
cated up to a proper realization of their duties . They
must produce better results . As a rule their work has
been by far too carelessly performed . We would not put
an impediment in the way of any aspirant for medical
honors , but we would insist on ability and character as
absolutely necessary for the procurement of them . Of
what use are laws for the suppression of quacks and self
styled doctors when medical colleges confer the honorable
degree of M. D . upon ignorant and incompetent men ?
Justice to the public and to the candidate for the degree ,
require that more time be given for the acquirement of
medical knowledge and a far more searching investiga
tion made as to the qualifications of those furnished with
authority to take charge of public health . Most of the
evils which now beset us would be removed by proper
care in this direction . "
In another part of the report we read , “Let them rig
orously and unflinchingly reject
a
l
l
who cannot pass
a
thorough and searching investigation
i
n
all departments
o
f
practical medicine and surgery
.
We omit details
,
be
lieving the faculty
o
f
every college amply qualified
t
o
adopt rules which shall secure this end
.
"
With reference
t
o
the local situation the report states
,
“
We know
o
f
but
one medical school
i
n
the state
—
the Medical Department
o
f
Willamette University now located
i
n
Portland
.
Per
sonal acquaintance with the members
o
f
the faculty gives
your committee assurance that nothing will be left undone
calculated
t
o
increase the reputation
o
f
the institution
.
It should be our pride , as Oregon physicians , to point to
the institution as among the best in the nation . *
We are of the opinion that all applicants for admission
to our medical colleges should be referred to an examin
ing board composed of practical and professional business
men , doctors, lawyers , ministers and school teachers and
merchants , who shall impartially judge of the mental,
moral and physical qualifications of the applicants and
the probability of their ultimate success . The man or
woman who does not possess energy enough to acquire a
respectable common school education is not likely to add
much to the honor , or the learning of the profession as a
physician . ”
The standards of admission to the local school in
1878 , as compared with schools in other parts of the
country , may be judged from the following extracts from
the presidential address of Dr. L. L. Rowland to the State
Medical Society . Dr. Rowland was at this time also state
superintendent of public instruction , and had evidently
given considerable thought to his subject . At the meet
ing of the State Society on June 18 , 1878 , he said in part25
“
The requisites for admission to American medical
schools where any exist , can generally be met by the
preparation received in a common school or academy .
“ To this , I for one , do not at present very seriously
object . I could wish for more ; but if this were more posi
tively required , our system of medical education would be
in a more healthy condition . Then we might hope for some
thing even better .
“ Harvard's requisites for admission in 1878 are these :
All candidates for admission , excepting those who have
passed an examination for admission to Harvard College ,
must present a degree in letters or science from a recog
nized college or scientific school , or pass an examination
in June or September in the following subjects :
251bid . ,
1878 .
85
" 1 . Latin : The translation of easy Latin prose .
French or German will be accepted , however , as a sub
stitute for Latin .
Physics : Candidates will be required to show such a
knowledge of this subject as may be obtained from Bal
four Stewart's elementary works on Physics .
This examination will be conducted in writing , and ,
in judging the work of the candidate , the spelling , gram
mar and construction will be considered .
" Toland Medical College requires in general terms
that applicants shall furnish ' satisfactory evidence , show
ing them to be of good moral character and of appropriate
elementary education .'
" Willamette University , our own school , provides that
' Every person desiring to attend as a student of medicine
in this University shall satisfy the Dean of the Medical
Faculty that he is possessed of the elements of a good
English education . The adoption and observance of this
law by our college last year very materially diminished
the attendance it would otherwise have enjoyed ; but this
was , it is believed , more than compensated for in the im
proved character of the work accomplished . Most Amer
ican colleges , however , say little and do even less , in re
spect to acquiring a suitable preliminary education . "
Referring to methods of instruction in medical col
leges of the time , Dr. Rowland continues , " The usefulness
of many a bright, promising youth , has in my opinion ,
been worse than wholly destroyed by the peculiar method
of college instruction to which he has been subjected . For
two or three years he has done scarcely anything but
listen to orations on anatomy , physiology , materia medica ,
etc. ,
etc. "
Rowland would substitute a closer study of
text books on the part of the student , and advocates
sticking to the tried and reliable methods of treatment
there found . He frowns on experiment in the following
words :
“Besides while adventurous originality may be
pardonable in the aged , yet inexperienced youth should
ever pray in the words of Propertius, 'Let me strike
waters with one oar , and with the other scrape the sand ' . ”
Apparently Willamette had not been one of the insti
tutions deserving of this harsh criticism , or else Dr.
Rowland was charitable when making reference to his
own school. He continues : " In conclusion , permit me to
urge that the Medical Department of Willamette Univer
sity whose best interests this Society will ever guard ,
labor assiduously and continuously for the best possible
results in thorough , critical medical education . It has
been deemed wise by the Faculty and concurred in by the
Trustees to remove the college from Salem , where it has
accomplished nobly in the past, to Portland , as a more
suitable location , where , it is believed , it will achieve
grander results for the future . Portland is the chief city
of the Northwest and she is fast growing into leading
prominence and importance on the entire Pacific . Her
claims as a center of medical education , will , therefore be
speedily and cheerfully recognized ; and this Faculty will ,
no doubt , industriously utilize to their amplest extent
those boundless resources and facilities at their command .
Our legislature will doubtless , at an early date , take such
action as to facilitate the process of obtaining material
for the successful study of Practical Anatomy . Such
ought legitimately to be laid under contribution to prac
tical science . "
These long quotations are made for the purpose of
affording an insight into the expressed purposes and
ideals of the men who were largely responsible for the
beginnings of medical education in this part of the
country , and also afford a glimpse of conditions as they
existed at that time with reference to medical instruction
in the country as a whole . We cannot but commend the
high purpose expressed in these quotations . The fact
that accomplishment sometimes fell short of the vision
of some of those engaged in the work is but a common
experience of pioneers in any field of human endeavor.
87
Reference has been made to other attempts to found
medical schools in Portland . In the records of the late
seventies of last century , there are several references to
a Homeopathic Medical College in the city . Bancroft26
states that this was a society rather than a school , and this
statement is borne out by other sources of information .
The officers were as follows :27 President , H. McKinnell ,
M.D
.; secretary, G. W. Wilcox , M. D
.; trustees, H. W.
Corbett , Rev. J. L. Parrish, W. D. Hare , H. McKinnell ,
G. W. Wilcox , A. Pohl, F. C. Paine and Wm . Geiger.
These gentlemen evidently had the purpose of establish
ing a homeopathic school of medicine , but it never ma
terialized .
In other parts of the Northwest , we find several
sporadic attempts . At LaGrande , in 1874 , the cornerstone
of Blue Mountain University was laid . By 1878 the
school was in successful operation , with G. E. Ackerman
as president . Colleges of Medicine , Law and Theology
were promised at an early date , but were never estab
lished , as the so - called university soon ceased to exist .
In 1885 provision was made for a medical department
at the University of Washington , but no attempt was
made to give instruction in medical subjects until 1917 ,
when courses in anatomy and other medical sciences were
offered in connection with a pre -medical course which
had been in existence for some years .
There is reference28 to a " Washington Biochemic Med
ical College ,
"
organized in North Yakima in 1889. It
moved to Spokane in 1892 , and assumed the title of
" Northwestern College of Biochemistry .” Ten days after
the charter was obtained , George M. Carey , a non - gradu
ate in medicine , registered a diploma which he had issued
to himself . The school , which was fraudulent , became
26Bancroft, Hist . of Oregon , volume II , page 690 .
271bid .
28American Medical Directory ,
6
t
h
e
d
.
,
1918
.
extinct in 1893. Another attempt to found a medical
school was made in 1890 , when the University of Spokane
Falls organized a College of medicine.29 No sessions were
ever held . The university itself became extinct .
Returning to the Willamette Medical School, now es
tablished in Portland by 1878 , we find in the minutes of
the faculty of June 2 , 1879 , a record of the adoption by
the school of the articles of confederation of the Associa
tion of American Medical Colleges , with the standards
set by the Association . Under date of August 30 , 1880 , it
is noted that the school has been admitted to membership
in this association .
In 1879 an important addition was made to the faculty
in the person of Dr. S. E. Josephi , who was elected lec
turer on diseases of the mind . Dr. Josephi had recently
come to Portland from San Francisco , where he had
graduated from Toland Medical School in 1877. He had
located in the part of the city then known as East Port
land , and was connected with the Insane Hospital, then a
Portland institution . In 1880 he was also elected to the
chair of anatomy , which position he continued to fill ,
according to the records , until April 21 , 1882 , after which
he was assigned to other work , while continuing also to
lecture on nervous diseases .
A new dean30 in the person of Dr. E. P . Fraser , was
elected on September 25 , 1880 , to succeed Dr. O. P. S .
Plummer , who had served since the school moved to Port
land , but who found it necessary to resign from the
office . The following spring the new dean was author
ized to negotiate for a building or rooms for lectures, the
inference being that the rooms above the livery stable
had become inadequate and perhaps uncomfortable . Ap
parently the location of the school was not changed , for
we find reference again several years later to the site at
291bid .
30Min . faculty W. U. Med . Dep't ., Sept. 25, 1880.
-
t
h
e
Willamette University Medical Department erected
i
n
1887
,
and located
a
t
Fifteenth and Couch streets
,
Portland
.
89
Park and Jefferson streets . In October, 1884 , however ,
plans for a new building were discussed . As an interest
ing side light , the dean reported at the same meeting of
the faculty that he had been obliged to resort to law to
eject the janitor from the premises of the building then
occupied .
The undertaking of the erection of a new building
which should be designed especially for medical purposes
was evidently initiated by the medical faculty . The pro
ject was delayed for a time , apparently because of finan
cial stringency . On May 21 , 1884 , the Board of Trustees
of Willamette University granted a request of the medical
faculty that Rev. F . A . Tower , financial agent of the
university , be authorized to devote part of his time to the
work of securing funds for the proposed building .31 In
1886 the work of construction was begun , and the build
ing was occupied for teaching purposes in 1887. This
edifice , which was a source of pride to the school , was
located at Fifteenth and Couch streets , in what was
designated " the heart of the city . ”
It contained an audi
torium capable of seating one hundred and fifty people .
A dissecting room with a capacity of twenty tables is de
scribed , and a new refrigerator large enough to care for
thirty bodies was provided to insure sufficient and proper
dissecting material .
The school was now housed in a building erected for
the purpose it served . Apparently it was well adapted
for the medical instruction of the time . Here the school
continued until its removal back to Salem in 1895 .
On the educational side not much progress is evident ,
but it must be remembered that this was true for medical
education all over the country until the establishment of
the Johns Hopkins Medical School in 1893. The require
ments for admission to Willamette Medical School at the
time it moved to Portland have already been mentioned .
31Min . Bd. of Tr., W. U. , May 21, 1884.
In the catalogue for 1881-82 it is announced that the can
didate for admission must be not less than eighteen years
old , of good moral character , and must pass an examin
ation , the subjects of which are not stated . It is prob
able that the entrance examinations were more or less
perfunctory .
The course of lectures still continued twenty weeks
and attendance at two courses was required in order to
be eligible for medical examinations . In 1883 this re
quirement was increased to three courses of lectures . It
was specified that the student in the first year must study
anatomy , physiology , and chemistry , and attend lectures
on all other subjects . In the second year there were
added as specified subjects materia medica , therapeutics ,
theory and practice of medicine , surgery , obstetrics , dis
eases of women and children , and all the special branches .
Clinics were held in the " practical branches . ”
At the end
of the second year final examinations were given in
anatomy, physiology and chemistry , but attendance on
lectures in these subjects was still required during the
third year . The specified subjects of the third year in
cluded surgery , theory and practice of medicine , materia
medica and therapeutics , obstetrics , gynecology, and spe
cial branches , together with clinics . We see here the be
ginnings of a graded curriculum , such as had been estab
lished at Northwestern Medical School ( then the Chicago
Medical College ) in 1878 , for the first time in this
country . Apparently the local school made an effort at
progress , although results were meager .
On May 3 , 1883 , it was voted in faculty meeting that
“
A preliminary course of one month be instituted to com
mence October 1 , 1884. " 3 2 Perhaps the most notable
event of this year for the future of medical education in
the Northwest was the election to the faculty of Dr. K. A.
32Min . faculty W. U. Med . Dep't ., May 3, 1883.
1
E
W
i
l
l
a
m
e
t
t
e
U
n
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
C
o
l
l
e
g
e
of
M
e
d
i
c
i
n
e
,
e
r
e
c
t
e
d
in
S
a
l
e
m
in
1
9
0
5
.
91
J. MacKenzie , as lecturer in anatomy.33 This took place
on September 17 , 1883 .
Passing over the period between 1887 , when the new
building was occupied , and 1895 , we find that in the latter
year the Willamette school moved back to Salem . Some
of the factors which led to this departure , and the history
of the school during the period of eight years from 1887
to 1895 , will be considered in connection with the incep
tion of the University of Oregon Medical School . The
immediate cause of the return to Salem is recorded in
the minutes of the Willamette Board of Trustees as " sud
den withdrawal of all hospital facilities ” 34 in Portland .
This evidently has reference to the closing of the old
Methodist hospital located at East Thirtieth and Stark
streets at that time . This hospital was closed in 1895
after considerable criticism had appeared against it in
the public press . 35 Other hospital facilities apparently
were not available to the school , so the faculty appealed
to the Board of Trustees for aid . This body was unwilling
to see the school discontinued after so many years of
effort to establish it on a sound basis , and provided quar
ters for it in Salem again , after seventeen years of exist
ence in Portland .
In 1905 it occupied a new brick building which was
erected for the purpose on the Willamette campus as a
gift from the citizens of Salem . It is described as “ new
and modern in every detail ,
" 3 6 but this statement requires
some qualification . The dissecting room at any rate , in
1910 , was far from modern . It was located in the unfin
ished top floor of the building , and consisted of a bare
room in which the rafters and studdings were exposed .
Aside from some tables on which cadavers reposed , there
were no modern appurtenances to an anatomical labor
381bid ., Sept. 17, 1889 .
34Min . Bd. of Tr., W. U., Oct. 7, 1895.
35Pers . com . from Mr. George H. Himes .
36W . U. Catalogue , 1908.
atory . The school continued to occupy this building until
1913 , when it was discontinued by merger with the Uni
versity of Oregon Medical School .
Attempts were made from time to time to increase
the standards of the school. In 1902 the standard of ad
mission was rather vague aside from the statement37 that
the applicant must be not less than twenty -one years of
age . Four courses of lectures of six months each were
required , no two of which could be taken the same year .
With the session of 1908-09 , which was the forty -third in
the history of the school , a high school training was an
nounced as requirement for admission to the medical
course . In the catalogue announcements emphasis was
placed on the practical in the teaching of the school. In
1908-09 there were thirty - four students in attendance .
The number increased year by year , so that in 1911-12
there were sixty students in the medical department . At
the close of 1913 , when the school discontinued , the num
ber of graduates since the first class in 1867 , was two
hundred and thirteen . They included such well -known
names in Oregon as J. N. Bell , 1869 ; C. H. Raffety , 1869 ;
A. J. Giesy , 1876 ; Harry Lane , one time United States
senator , 1876 ; R. E. L. Steiner , 1898 , and others .
A new chapter in medical education had its beginning
in 1887 , when the medical department of the University
of Oregon was organized . It will be recalled that the
Willamette school was erecting a building in Portland in
1886 , and a period of progress seemed to be in store for
it . This would undoubtedly have been the case had not
a serious schism arisen in the faculty . The causes of this
misunderstanding are somewhat obscure , but were ap
parently concerned in part with a reorganization of the
faculty , and the election of a professor of obstetrics .
At a faculty meeting on April 8 , 1887 , a motion was
made by Dr. A. D . Bevan , at that time professor of
37W . U. Catalogue .
93
anatomy , which " gave rise to a protracted and acrimon
ious discussion during which much personal bitterness
was manifested , and an apparently irreparable breach
created in the faculty . " 3 8 The discussion was finally
terminated by the resignation of the entire faculty and
the expunging from the minutes of the greater part of the
record of the meeting . Dr. Fraser continued to serve as
acting dean, and in the minutes of May 7, 1887, is re
corded the following communication dated at Salem on
the same day :
“ Dr. E. P. Fraser , Acting Dean , Medical Department ,
Willamette University :
" Dear Sir :-You are hereby notified that at a meet
ing of the Board of Trustees of Willamette University
held in Salem on Wednesday , May 4 , 1887 , the following
proceedings relative to the Medical Department of Wil
lamette University took place :
“The resignations of Dr. K . A . J . MacKenzie , as pro
fessor of obstetrics ; Dr. H . C . Wilson as professor of
theory and practice of surgery ; Dr. Geo . M . Wells as pro
fessor of materia medica and therapeutics ; Dr. S . E .
Josephi as lecturer on psychological medicine , and Dr.
K. A . J . MacKenzie as lecturer in clinical medicine and
surgery , were presented and accepted .
" Dr. Richmond Kelly was transferred to the chair of
obstetrics . ”
Some other transfers were made and the positions still
vacant were filled by election of practicing physicians ,
many not previously connected with the school. There is
a discrepancy in the statement that Dr. MacKenzie re
signed from the chair of obstetrics , over which the con
troversy largely arose . There is no record of his having
been elected to that chair at any time, so the statement is
probably due to an error . The names of Doctors Wilson ,
Josephi, MacKenzie and others who later became prom
38Min . faculty, W. U. Med . Dep't ., April 8, 1887.
inent in the development of the University of Oregon
Medical School were not included on the new faculty list ,
although they were at the time numbered among the
ablest and most prominent physicians in the city .
Under these circumstances a group of physicians , in
cluding a number of those who had resigned from the
Willamette faculty , undertook to organize a rival school .
One of the most active in this project was Dr. C. C.
Strong , a brother - in - law of Judge Deady, who was at the
time president of the Board of Regents of the state uni
versity . Judge Deady's interest in the new venture was
sufficiently kindled so that the Board of Regents were
prevailed upon to grant a charter to the proposed school,
giving it the name of the University of Oregon . This
charter was granted at a meeting of the Board of Regents
on June 16 , 1887 , and reads as follows :39
" Whereas , Holt C. Wilson , Curtis C. Strong , Otto
S. Binswanger , Arthur D. Bevan , Kenneth A. J. Mac
Kenzie,Frank B. Eaton, A.J. Giesy,W. H. Saylor, G. M.
Wells , C. H . Wheeler , Harry Lane , William Jones , Henry
E. Jones , R. B . Wilson , and S. E . Josephi, doctors of medi
cine and practicing physicians in the city of Portland ,
have petitioned the regents of the University of Oregon
for the establishment of a school of medicine at the city
of Portland , and ,
Whereas , It appears from said petition that there
is an opening for such a school at said place where it may
have many exceptional advantages ; therefore ,
Be it Resolved , That a School of Medicine be and the
same is hereby established at Portland , Oregon , with the
following chairs and professors :
Principles and Practice of Surgery and Clinical Surg
ery - Holt C. Wilson , professor .
Obstetrics and Diseases of the Mind and Nervous Sys
tem -S . E. Josephi . Professor .
Practice of Medicine and Clinical Medicine - Kenneth
A. MacKenzie , Professor .
39Min. Bd. of Regents , U. of O. , 1887.
95
Materia Medica and Therapeutics — A . C. Panton ,
Professor .
Physiology and Microscopy— ( record blank ) , Pro
fessor .
General Descriptive Anatomy and Clinical Surgery
Arthur D. Bevan , Professor .
Medical Chemistry and Toxicology - Otto S. Bins
wanger , Professor .
Gynecology and Clinical Midwifery - Curtis C. Strong ,
Professor .
With the power and authority , under the direction and
sanction of the regents , to teach the science and practice
of medicine in all its branches by lecture, experiments ,
demonstrations , clinical instructions and examinations ,
and to recommend for graduation therein such students
as may attain the requisite proficiency in the knowledge
and practice of medicine .
“ The professors or occupants of the aforesaid eight
chairs constitute the faculty thereof and they , or a ma
jority of them , have power , subject to the approval of the
regents , ( 1 ) to fill any vacancy occurring therein , ( 2 ) to
select from among themselves a dean , treasurer and sec
retary of the faculty , ( 3 ) to make
a
l
l
necessary and
proper rules for the government and conduct
o
f
the school
including the time and course
o
f
study therein
,
(
4
)
t
o
employ and discharge lecturers
i
n
the school and
(
5
)
t
o
prescribe
,
collect and receive such fees and charges for
tuition therein
a
s
they may think proper and expedient
,
and apply and dispose
o
f
the same
i
n
the support and
maintenance
o
f
said school
but said faculty have no power t o incur any debts o r enter into any obligation for , o r o n account o f , which the university o r the regents thereof shall be liable under any circumstances . The course o f study i n said school o f medicine prepar atory t o graduation therefrom shall embrace two years . " June 1 5 , 1899 , volume IV , page 3 8 . " The medical faculty made the following request and asked that the following resolution b e adopted
Whereas , The original charter o f the school o f med icine o f this university o f date , June , 1887 , limited the number o f the medical faculty t o eight members and b y reason o f the growth o f the school and the enlargement o f
i
t
s
sphere
o
f
usefulness
i
t
has been found expedient
,
from
time
t
o
time
,
t
o
increase the number
o
f
professors and
i
t
i
s
desirable
t
o
include
i
n
the faculty all active professors
therefore , Be i t Resolved , that the board o f regents hereby amends the charter o f the medical school s o a s t o make all professors assigned o r who may b e hereafter assigned , by the medical faculty , t o active work i n the school mem bers o f the faculty , with the same rights and privileges a s faculty members appertaining t o each a s were orig inally granted t o the eight members mentioned i n the original charter , and further Resolved , That i n order t o remove any doubt that may exist a s t o the legality o f any acts that may have been performed by the medical faculty by reason o f the par ticipation o f other than the eight faculty members men tioned , a l l such are hereby confirmed and legalized s o far a s the Board o f Regents has the power t o d o s o . Whereas , On June 2 4 , 1887 , a t a meeting o f the medical faculty , Doctors W. H . Saylor , G . W. Wells and Wm . Jones were designated t o b e nominated t o the Re gents t o the chairs respectively o f Genito - Urinary Dis eases , Pediatrics and Clinical Surgery , and through a n error o f the then secretary o f the faculty said persons were designated a s having been elected " Lecturers
" and o n August 1 0 , 1887 , Dr. W. A . Flinn was inadvertently elected by the faculty " professor o f Physiology " instead o f being nominated t o the Regents for said chair , now therefore be i t Resolved , That the Board o f Regents does hereby confirm a s o f date June 2 4 , 1887 , W. H . Saylor , Professor o f Genito - Urinary Diseases and Clinical Surgery
G . W. Wells , Professor o f Pediatrics
Wm . Jones , Professor o f Clinical Surgery
and o f date August 1 0 , 1887 , W. A . Flinn , Professor o f Physiology . ” Dr. S . E . Josephi was elected dean o f the new school , and Dr. C . C . Strong was elected secretary o f the faculty . Instruction began i n the Fall o f 1887 , i n a small frame building o f two rooms.40 This was erected for the pur 4 0 Pers . com . from Dr. S . E . Josephi .
versity of Oregon Medical School in 1887
MEDICAL • DEPARTMENT S OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY.306 8.E JOSEPHI, M.D, DEAN , C.O.BTRONG , M D., SEOY. Price zle freunce to pay tetke urdu Pillant 0. Augurt and Nuachi ,da o p l a d a t e , wethoutga 1 7 t h e findi takuuawariat fucava arécined w i t h witeerd a f t e maakivily , v i a l i k e adiec t h e r a t e o f e i g h t f o r c o u t f o r a n until paid a n d s a c a u r crékos baked ' tadbiet t h i natin a n g poster thereof m e pune brucevete f a z cock astering she I . Bangi Autuh Berau NAS WH , Baylor UKUL on the beach need etto 8 6.7.0 hiliena yra bustis t o durong M Chill Verwand Brandbu y r a Atlanton Photograph o f joint note for $ 1000 , with which the first building o f the University o f Oregon Medical School was built i n 1887 .
97
pose on grounds belonging to the Good Samaritan Hog
pital, at what is now the intersection of Twenty - third
and Marshall streets . The hospital authorities loaned
sufficient ground to the school for the purpose of the
building , and from the announcement , which states that
the school was located in the Good Samaritan Hospital,
it was evidently intended to maintain a very close rela
tion between the school and the hospital .
According to the Oregonian ,41
" The building was
erected with funds provided out of the private purses of
the faculty . It was a small affair , and though hardly
equal to the demands of even a small class, yet it answered
its purpose for a year or two , when an addition was built
for increased attendance . "
The building consisted of a
lecture room on the ground floor and a dissecting room
above . The latter accommodated two or three dissecting
tables. The cadavers were hauled up through a trap door
in the floor by means of a pulley . With respect to the
means for erecting this building , while the account in the
Oregonian at the time was substantially correct , more
accurately the money was secured from the First National
Bank of Portland on a joint note for one thousand dollars
signed by members of the faculty.
The organization of the new school , which must necessarily be a rival to the Willamette Medical Department, led to some bitterness. This is reflected in the vigorous language of the report for 1888 presented by Judge Deady as president of the Board of Regents of the state university . The report42 reads in part : “Some question has been made by persons interested in a private school of medicine in Portland as to the right of the regents to maintain or conduct a school of medicine at that place. And this too , in the face of the fact that this same school a 41 0regonian , Oct. 6, 1896. 42 Report of Pres. Bd. of Regents , U. of 0., June, 1888.
is part of and maintained by the Willamette University ,
whose act of incorporation declares that it is ' established
in the town of Salem.'
"
Certainly , if the Willamette University , established
by law ' in Salem ' can conduct a school of medicine or any
thing else , at Portland , and grant diplomas to the stu
dents therein , the University of Oregon , ' located at Eu
gene ,' can do the same. The objection illustrates the
danger of sawing off the limb on which the objector sits ,
between himself and the tree .”
He continues , “The ob
jection however is mere cavil .
The facilities for conducting schools of law and medicine in Portland are much greater than those in any other place in the state . Indeed , it is the only place in the state where there are any special opportunities for clinical instruction and ob servation . " The feeling of rivalry is also reflected in the charge of Dr. Strong to the graduating class on March 30 , 1889 . Because this address 43 also states in their own words the motives of the organizers of the new school , it may be quoted in part , as follows : “ As a faculty we desire to place on record the motives which influenced us in organ izing the medical school . We felt that the abundant and rich clinical material which we possessed should not be allowed to go to waste . We felt that the time was ripe for the organization of a medical school on a broad , non sectarian basis and on the highest moral grounds . We felt that this was due to the profession of the Northwest, as well as to those who should commence the study of medicine . “ This summer we shall build a permanent house which shall turn the vituperations of a l l malignant enemies o f the university a s easily and a s thoroughly a s i t will turn the gentle dew drops o f a n Oregon mist . Upon these several principles the faculty have been a s a 43 0regonian , March 31, 1889 .
University of Orėgon Medical School , erected in 1893. Destroyed by fire in 1919.
99
unit and have thrown into their work
all
the energy
of
which they were possessed.
How well we have done our
work and how faithful we have been
to
our trusts,
time
and the character
of
our graduates will tell.
”
When Marshall street was opened up
in
1889
,
the
little building first erected was moved
t
o
Twenty
-
third
and Lovejoy streets
.
Here
i
t
continued
t
o
serve until 1893
when
i
t
was moved
t
o
the adjoining lot
t
o
make room for
“
the sightly
,
compact
,
and well
-
equipped medical college
building
"
which was erected that year
.
The new building
continued
t
o
serve the purposes
o
f
the school
,
with some
alterations and additions
,
until
i
t
was destroyed by fire
o
n
May 29
,
1919
,
a
s
the equipment was being moved
t
o
the present building
o
n
Marquam Hill
.
Although the school
i
n
its infancy would have suf
fered by comparison with the best schools
o
f
the day
,
yet
i
t
also was much ahead
o
f
many which had been longer
established
,
both
i
n
i
t
s
material equipment
,
after the new
building was completed
,
and
i
n
its standards
.
There
appears
t
o
have existed from the first
a
desire
o
n
the part
o
f
the faculty
t
o
maintain good standards and
t
o
make
real progress
.
I
n
this connection we may quote again
from the Oregonian the contemporary feeling with refer
ence
t
o
the advance already made when the new building
was completed
" The two buildings , a s they stand today , the one a poor insignificant structure , devoid o f any pre tense t o architectural symmetry , the other beautiful i n its lines and arches without , admirably fitted t o its purpose within , may almost b e regarded a s symbolic o f the ad vance made i n medical science and medical education since the first session o f this college was held i n the little building o n borrowed ground around the corner . " 4 4 A much greater advance , particularly i n medical i n struction , was just beginning about the time these words were written , and the development o f laboratory instruc 440regonian , Oct. 6 , 1896 .
>
a
tion was destined within fifteen years to render the build
ing obsolete and entirely inadequate for even the small
classes of the period from 1907 to 1915. At the time it
was erected it appears to have been a source of pride to
the city . In the Oregonian for July 16 , 1896 , we find
such phrases as these in a description of the school—
“Un
equalled facilities for carrying on its work ;" "Now stands
abreast of the best schools in the United States , " etc.
These statements were of course inspired in part by local
pride and by the booster spirit characteristic of growing
communities , but there was a certain element of truth in
them , as one may readily gather from even a cursory
glance at the conditions of medical education at the time
in the country generally . Many so - called colleges had as
their sole material equipment " a blackboard and some
chairs " 45 as late as 1906. Others “were mere quiz classes ,
where students were given just enough text - book knowl
edge to attempt State Board examinations , and where
the teacher looked for his compensation in consultations
sent him by his illy qualified pupils . "' 46 It is not likely
that conditions in 1893 when the new building of the
University of Oregon Medical School was designed , were
better throughout the country generally than when the
first survey was made by the Committee on Medical Edu
cation of the American Medical Association , thirteen
years later , from whose report the above quotations are
taken . It is therefore much to the credit of the dean and
the faculty of the local school that they undertook the
erection of a plant which , for the time and size of the
school , was quite adequate .
The decade between 1880 and 1890 , which has been
called the " Etiological Period " of medicine , was destined ,
along with other factors , to bring about a great change in
the teaching of medicine . The development of the so
45Report of Council on Med . Eude., A. M. A. ,
1907.
461bid .
or called laboratory sciences , together with the discovery of the causative agents of a number of diseases , brought new a wine into the old bottles of medical instruction , and as usual , the old bottles were soon found inadequate . A few medical schools in this country began early to meet the demands of the highest type of medical education . Har vard in the seventies , after the medical school had been told by the president of the university to clean house or close up shop , advanced rapidly . Johns Hopkins Medical School , from the time of i t s opening i n 1893 , took the lead i n medical teaching i n this country . A few other excel lent schools upheld a high standard . But whereas Johns Hopkins required a bachelor's degree i n arts o r science from the start for entrance , most o f the schools , i f they made any pretense a t all o f entrance requirements , were satisfied with four years o f high school work . As recently a s 1908-09 many well recognized medical schools required only one year o f college work for admis sion , and s o excellent an institution a s the University o f Pennsylvania , among others , were satisfied with one year o f college preparation for admission t o its school o f medi cine a s late a s 1910. Many other schools which are i n the front rank today adopted the requirement o f even one year o f college work a s late a s 1910 , when i t was forced upon them . With this brief survey o f general conditions i n the country , a s regards medical education , we are i n a better position t o evaluate such steps and efforts for pro gress i n the standards o f medical instruction a s were made i n the Northwest . I n 1886 , when the Willamette Medical Department was about t o move into its new building , the terms o f admission were listed i n the catalogue a s good moral character , a diploma from a good literary and scientific college o r high school , o r first grade teacher's certificate , o r i n lieu o f these an examination i n an English education , including the subjects o f mathematics , English com T
position , elementary physics or natural philosophy . With
reference to the methods of instruction we find the fol
lowing statements :
“ The faculty , recognizing that no
institution is complete which does not include a certain
amount of personal experience have given clinical teach
ing a prominent place in the curriculum . Clinical lec
tures will be given at Good Samaritan and St. Vincent's
Hospitals twice a week , and four clinical lectures will be
given each week at the College . " 47 With regard to dissec
tion , the statement is made that the students work under
the immediate supervision of a demonstrator of anatomy ,
and “ are required to dissect all parts of the cadaver at
least once ," 48 to be eligible for graduation . An abundant
supply of dissecting material is stated as being available .
The first announcement of the University of Oregon
Medical School , in 1887 , gives under requirements for ad
mission , "
satisfactory evidence of knowledge of the com
mon English branches, including reading , writing , spell
ing , grammar , geography , arithmetic , etc. ”
Under re
quirements for graduation are attendance at two full
courses of lectures, at least one course of practical
anatomy and clinical instruction , and the study of medi
cine for not less than three years . The candidate must
also pass examinations in the usual branches , which are
listed .
In its teaching the University of Oregon Medical
School had from the first the advantage of good connec
tions through its faculty with the Good Samaritan and
St. Vincent's hospitals , and an effort was apparently
made to make use of the material available , both in sur
gery and medicine . The second announcement of the
school includes a long list of surgical operations which
were presented at the clinics during the preceding session .
In 1889 the school announced a preliminary course
47W . U. Catalogue , 1886.
481bid .
1 i commencing September 11 and continuing until the open ing of the regular course on October 2nd . This course was strongly recommended , but not required . To en courage students to take it , no fees were charged. The following subjects made up this preliminary course : physical diagnosis , urinalysis , bandaging , and minor sur gery , medical electricity , throat and nose , and practical obstetrics . The previous requirement of attendance at two courses of lectures was also increased to three courses of six months each , and two courses of practical anatomy and clinical instruction . In the announcement of 1890 it is claimed that the school stands in the front rank of medical colleges in the United States , and that its diploma receives general recognition by the medical examining boards of all the states and territories. The preliminary course was apparently discontinued in 1892 , for no men tion is made of it after the first announcement . Some attention had been paid to microscopy , histology and physiology , but only by lectures and some demonstra tions . In the earlier catalogues the student is promised some demonstrations of “ vivisection " in physiology , but apparently the instructor encountered difficulties, pos sibly from using the term , and in 1892 we find the simple statement that the lectures on physiology "will be illus trated by such means as can be used to best advantage in the lecture room . " A real advance , however , was made in this year by the introduction of the beginnings of a laboratory course in bacteriology by Dr. A . E. MacKay . It is stated that “ The advances in medicine on the line of the theory of germs makes it essential that students should receive practical instruction in this branch . " 49 Dr. MacKay is said to have demonstrated the first tuber culosis bacillus to be seen under a microscope in the Northwest . He kept cultures of many pathogenic organ isms for the benefit of the students . To obtain cultures h 49Catalogue, U. of O. Med . Dept, 1892.
of the anthrax bacillus he was obliged to send to Japan .
A real advance in educational method was made in
1895 , when the school was established on a graded basis .
At this time the course was also lengthened to four years
instead of three . A knowledge of physics and elementary
Latin was required for entrance , in addition to the sub
jects previously specified . In 1898 the school adopted as
necessary for admission the requirements of the Amer
ican Association of Medical Colleges , of which it became
a member . An interesting note first appears in the cata
logue of this year as an appendix to the statement of ad
missions requirements , namely :
“ It is earnestly recom
mended to the students intending to take entrance exam
inations that a careful review be given the studies men
tioned in order that he may be spared the humiliation of
rejection .”
In 1903 the session was extended to seven
months , and the work in histology , bacteriology and path
ology was somewhat augmented , so that the students were
at least ostensibly required to do laboratory work in these
branches under direction of a demonstrator . Except for
some microscopes , which the school purchased , equipment
was almost lacking , however , for this type of work . Some
of the more enterprising of the demonstrators , who were
young physicians beginning to work up a practice , and
many of whom were recent graduates of some of the
better schools in the East , gave work of good quality in
the laboratory . Some of the other branches however
were as good as not taught at all . The uncertain attend
ance on their classes by practitioners whose primary aim
must be to care for their own practice , was not conducive
to good teaching or connected work in laboratory sub
jects . The new wine was beginning to ferment , and the
old bottles were already beginning to be found inadequate .
About 1905 the American Medical Association ,
through
i
t
s
committee
o
n
medical education
,
began its
far
-
reaching investigation into the conditions prevalent
i
n
medical schools
i
n
the country
,
with the subsequent
> demand for higher standards of instruction and equip ment . In the meantime criticism of the local school had appeared from various sources . By 1907 this criticism and reflections of it had become so severe in the Portland press that the student body as well as the faculty were much concerned . At one time, in 1906 , the faculty re solved to engage an attorney to determine if the attacks on the school could be considered libelous . The pace set by the Association of Medical Colleges and the American Medical Association was so fast in the way of increased requirements and standards that the school found it dif ficult to follow . In 1907 it was criticized by the Association of Medical Colleges for failure to meet certain require ments of this association , although it had apparently taken some steps to measure up to the standard set . There was considerable resentment on the part of the faculty at the criticism , and the dean wrote to Dr. A. D. Bevan , chair man of the council of medical education as to the course to follow . It will be recalled that Dr. Bevan was one of the founders of the school in 1887 , and was its first pro fessor of anatomy . Since that time he had left Portland and established himself in Chicago as one of the outstand ing medical men of the country . As a result of the reply from Dr. Bevan , which was read at a faculty meeting50 on November 12 , 1907 , the faculty voted that the school resign from the Association of Medical Colleges. The troubles of the school were just beginning , how ever , for in 1910 it was the object of a scathing criticism in the famous report51 of Abraham Flexner on medical education in the United States . For a time it appeared as if the institution must succumb , as had so many others . In 1906 there were one hundred and sixty -one medical schools in the country , of which number not more than eighty had any claim to recognition , according to the re 50Min . faculty U. of 0. Med. Dep't ., Nov. 12, 1907. 51Flexner , Medical Education in the United States , 1910
A
port of the council on medical education . The necessity
of meeting the requirements for equipment and salaries
for full time instructors for at least the laboratory sub
jects of the curriculum soon resulted in the extinction of
many of the weaker schools , or their absorption by others .
By 1910 the number had been reduced to one hundred
and thirty -five , of which seventy -two were rated as class
A and twenty -nine as class B. The local school was in
cluded in the class A list , although the Willamette school
at Salem was placed among those of class C at this time .
The financial affairs of the Portland school became
more and more difficult because of the insistent demands
for higher standards , and it was compelled to appeal to
the regents of the university for more aid . Under the
leadership of President Strong , in February , 1900 , the
university had been reorganized , with the medical school
on a par , so far as rank was concerned , with the other
schools of the university . Financially , however , it re
ceived but $ 1000 per year from the general funds . The
remainder of its budget was derived from fees for tuition .
It is of interest to compare the budget of the school at
different periods under this system . For the year end
ing June 30 , 1888 , the first of the school's existence , when
it received no financial aid whatever from the university ,
the gross income was $ 2329 . There had been expended
on building and repairs $ 1132 , and for current expenses
$ 600 . The balance of $ 597 was evidently distributed
among the faculty . At the close of 1900 , the financial
statement of the school showed receipts of $ 7171 , dis
bursed $ 3016.64 , arrears collected $ 697 , and surplus
$ 4154.36 . The surplus was distributed pro rata among
twenty -five lecturers who had given 932 lectures, so that
they received an average of something less than five
dollars per lecture.52
62Min . faculty U. of O. Med . Dep't .
} X Some funds were spent from time to time for equip ment and other purposes which had for their object the strengthening of the work given , but when the demand for full - time instructors came as a result of the agitation for higher standards of teaching , the local school had not the necessary funds . The result of the appeal to the regents was an increase, on January 19 , 1910 , from $ 1000 to $ 2500 per annum as appropriation from the university . In the report of the president of the Board of Regents submitted on September 30 of the same year , it is stated that the school would be obliged to receive aid from the state of at least $ 10,000 annually to meet the require ments for continued recognition by the standardizing authorities . The next session of the legislature came to the rescue with an appropriation of $ 10,000 for equipment and $ 20,000 for maintenance for the biennium , 1911-12 . This was followed by further appropriations by subsequent legislative assemblies, so that the institution was placed on a substantial financial basis. Thanks to the earlier aid of the regents an advance step was also taken in the employment of the first full time instructor engaged by the school . This was Dr. David N. Roberg , who was appointed acting professor of anatomy on June 16 , 1910. On November 4 of the same year , Dr. J . D . MacLaren was nominated as acting pro fessor of physiology , and the follwing year , with the legislative appropriation in hand , it was possible to ap point both Dr. Roberg and Dr. MacLaren to permanent professorships at a salary of $ 2000 each.53 The school had engaged to have six salaried instruc tors on its staff by 1912-13 in order to maintain its rating with the American Medical Association . In Sep tember, 1911 , Dr. F . C. McLean and Dr. R. B. Dillehunt 531bid .
were recommended 54 to the regents as acting professors
of materia medica and anatomy , respectively , and they
assumed their duties the following January . Dr. Ro
berg , in the meantime, had been transferred to the chair
of pathology . The two additional instructors on a full
time basis were provided in the persons of Dr. R. L. Ben
son in microscopic anatomy , and Dr. J . M. Connoly in
physiological chemistry and bacteriology .
The new standards of instruction also demanded in
creased hospital and dispensary facilities for the students .
In May , 1909 , preliminary arrangements55 were made
with the county authorities to use the county hospital for
teaching purposes , and in August the dean was authorized
to arrange for clinics at this hospital by
i
t
s
staff
.
Prior
t
o
this time there had been some pretense
a
t
maintaining
a
dispensary56
i
n
a
n
old chapel
i
n
South Portland for
a
time
.
A
few bottles
o
f
medicine were left on the shelf
,
but
n
o
one was
i
n
regular attendance
.
As
a
result there
were
n
o
patients
,
and the dispensary was
a
failure
.
I
t
was then moved into
a
room
i
n
the medical school build
ing on Twenty
-
third and Lovejoy streets
,
but this location
was then
i
n
a
residence district
o
f
relatively well
-
t
o
-
d
o
people
,
and here also the dispensary failed
t
o
receive pat
ronage
.
The present dispensary
i
s
the outgrowth
o
f
the activi
ties
o
f
the People's Institute
,
which had rooms
i
n
a
build
ing
a
t
Fourth and Burnside streets
.
I
n
the Fall
o
f
1908
a
clothes closet on the second floor
o
f
these quarters was
utilized for dispensary purposes
.
The janitor
o
f
the
building made
a
table
,
and with some funds which had
been raised by the Mothers
'
Club
o
f
the People's Institute
some instruments and other necessary supplies were pur
chased
.
A
few physicians attended
,
and patients were
occasionally sent
t
o
the offices
o
f
physicians
.
Later
,
541bid
.
551bid
.
5
6
Pers
.
com
.
from Dr.
C
.
J
.
McCusker
,
Portland
.
1
y. . additional facilities were provided in the Men's Resort on the first floor of the same building . The number of patients from 1908 to 1910 was small , but by January of 1910 the average number had reached fifteen to twenty five per day . The advantages of affiliation with the medical school were recognized and in November , 1909 , preliminary ar rangements were made by which the medical faculty67 appointed three of the trustees of the Institute and as sumed responsibility for twenty - five dollars per month toward the payment of an attendant at the dispensary . Later Dr. K. A . J . MacKenzie was appointed chief of the clinic . The affiliation with the school took effect on January 1 , 1910 , and thus the struggling school obtained in some measure the required dispensary facilities . A gift of $ 1000 was provided by Mr. Jacob Kamm , with which to equip and maintain the dispensary on a better scale.58 Additional funds were secured through monthly subscriptions by members of the Arlington Club of Portland , which provided for running expenses such as laundry , drugs , etc. In February of 1916 the present quarters at Fourth and Jefferson streets were secured . The affiliation at first was little used for teaching purposes . From 1910 to 1913 students from the school were not scheduled for attendance at the dispensary , al though many sought instruction there nevertheless . In 1913 the faculty made dispensary attendance compulsory , and credit was granted for such work Thus in this fateful year for the University of Oregon Medical School , another important step was taken toward present day standards of medical instruction . In this manner several emergencies were met , and the school passed through i t s most critical period , a t the same time completing its first quarter century o f exist 5 7 Min . faculty U . o f 0. Med . Dep't . 58Pers . com . , Mrs. Etta McOmber , Portland .
ence , at the end of 1912. At the close of this year also
Dr. Josephi, who had served as dean from the time of the
school's inception , asked to be relieved of further service ,
and Dr. K. A. J. MacKenzie was chosen as his successor.59
Thus the school and its first dean completed the twenty
five years of pioneer work together . Foundations had
been laid , and medical instruction in the Northwest estab
lished on a permanent basis . At times the structure had
been shaky , and in the light of present standards , far
from sound , but to change the figure and express the
situation in the spoken words of the first dean , “ You must
creep before you can walk . "
The Willamette Medical Department , since its return
to Salem in 1895 , had made a valiant struggle for exist
ence , but the limited facilities of a town no larger than
Salem , and of a private university no wealthier than
Willamette , made the effort to maintain the standards set
by the Council on Medical Education impossible of realiz
ation . As already indicated , the school was rated class C
in 1910. At a meeting of the University of Oregon
Medical School faculty on January 10 , 1913 , Dean Mac
Kenzie read a telegram from President Campbell of the
University of Oregon , reporting the advisability of ab
sorbing the school at Salem . A telegram to its dean , Dr.
W. H. Byrd , proposing consolidation was read and ap
proved for sending . At a later meeting , on February 12 ,
1913 , it was voted that the dean be empowered to conclude
the merger , and by March 23 this was accomplished , under
an agreement which protected the alumni of the Wil
lamette school . The University of Oregon Medical School
thus became the only school north of San Francisco and
west of Denver to offer a full medical course . In June of
the same year the Alumni Association was organized .
The University of Oregon Medical school now began
its second quarter century of existence with the active
a
59Min . faculty U. of O. Med . Dep't.
the University of Oregon Medical School
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support , although limited as yet , of the state legislature , with its laboratory staff on a full time basis, with a dis pensary organized for instruction of students, although far short of the best standards in either organization or equipment, and with harmony , so far as competition in the field which it serves , was concerned . The difficult days of its youth had been passed safely , and it now entered upon the second period of its history . Thanks to the high character of its first dean and original faculty , and to the wise foresight and statesmanlike planning of Dean MacKenzie and his colleagues in the earlier years of the second quarter century , it is now established with excellent facilities and the prospect of a bright future , educationally and scientifically . If the foregoing account has appeared , in spots, too sympathetic , in the face of serious defects as judged by present standards , and even by the best standards of the time during periods when the school was passing through difficulties , it is more charitable , and perhaps more just , to measure its relative accomplishment in a young com munity , rather than to judge it altogether by the stand ards of the long established and relatively wealthy eastern institutions . If we may adapt the words of Dr. J. S. Billings , written in 1876 , with reference to American medicine in general , namely : " We have no reason to boast or to be ashamed of what we have thus far accomplished ; it has been but a little time since we have been furnished with the means of investigation needed to give our observa tions that accuracy and precision which alone can entitle medicine to a place among the sciences , properly so called ; and we may begin the new century in the hope and belief that to us applies the bright side of the maxim of Cousin , “ It is better to have a future than a past, " 60— so we may say of medical education in the Pacific North 6 60 Billings , J. S . , A Century of American Medicine , 1876.
west also , we have no real reason to either boast or to be
ashamed of what has been accomplished . We have but
recently been furnished with the means necessary to
carry on medical instruction in an adequate manner , and
for us indeed it is better to have a future than a past .