Learning to Heal. The Development of American Medical Education.

By the late 1800s, a typical American physician had received his formal train ing at one of the nation's two dozen proprietary medical schools. Admis sion standards were lax, the curriculum covered two four-month terms, no writ ten examinations were required, and little clinical experience was offered. Ludmerer provides an engrossing nar rative history of the rise of the modern medical college and teaching hospital from these rather shaky beginnings. He has compressed a considerable amount of historical data into readable prose, often providing fresh perspective on the major social, scientific, and peda gogical forces that have shaped the course of medical education since the 19th century. Especially interesting is an extensive section on early reform movements and their influence. Rec ommended. Richard H. Quay, Miami Univ. Libs., Oxford, Ohio
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