Examinations in Materia Medica.

The following resolutions were adopted by the Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York, February 1,2, 1908:

Whereas, There is an evident movement on the part of the chief organization of the old school of medicine—allopathic—to effect changes in the medical laws of the various States so that therapeutics and materia medica shall be excluded from the list of subjects that candidates for medical licensure must be examined upon before the State Boards of Medical Examiners; and,

Whereas, A thorough knowledge of these subjects is absolutely essential to prepare physicians to use drugs intelligently in the cure of disease; and,

Whereas, It has long been claimed by advocates of examining boards that the knowledge that they would be required to go before State boards for examination upon any particular subjects before they could obtain a license to practice medicine caused medical students to give better attention to such subjects; and,

Whereas, If the above be true, the exclusion of therapeutics and materia medica from the State examinations must necessarily lessen the interest of the students in those subjects during the college course; and,

Whereas, Therapeutics and materia medica are the points upon which Homeopathy depends for its advantage over other systems of medicine, and must be protected; therefore be it

Resolved, That this Homeopathic Medical Society of the State of New York, in convention assembled, does hereby declare that therapeutics and materia medica should be legally included in all examinations of candidates for license to practice medicine.

Medical Century.

COMMENT.—Everybody, even the best authorities of the regular school, recognize the truth of the second whereas. It is a glaring fact that the laity take for granted that the profession is based upon the necessity to know of drugs with which to cure disease, but it is not consistent to acknowledge it in the making of state laws, as it is an argument for the appointment of all medical sects on state boards of examiners.

Ellingwood's Therapeutist, Vol. 2, 1908, was edited by Finley Ellingwood M.D.