THE MEDICAL' EXAMINER.
PHILADELPHIA, NOVEMBER, 1850.
SOUTHERN MEDICAL STUDENTS.
“ We are sorry to find in a Southern religious paper the folio wing’ar-
ticle, so unjust to the North, and so prejudicial to that kindly feeling
which has heretofore been perpetuated between the northern and south-
ern colleges, and it is believed, to the advantage of both. The writer is
eulogizing one of the southern medical colleges, earnestly and no doubt
justly lauding its Faculty, which all seems proper and right. But is it
necessary for the prosperity of any southern school, that so unfounded
a statement should be put forth, as that which here alleges that ‘ in
Philadelphia and New York, southern students are uniformly held in
the utmost contempt,’ and subjected to ‘brutal treatment;’ and hence
urges upon such the duty of deserting northern schools ?
There are scattered through the south many thousands of physicians,
who were themselves professionally educated at the north, either in the
schools of Philadelphia or New York, and whose pupils have annually
been sent hither ; upon whom the duty would seem to devolve, to repel
these unheard of accusations, by testifying what was their reception and
treatment from the ‘ Northerners ’ in these cities. It does seem to us
that at the present crisis, when conciliation and compromise between
citizens of our common country, is encouraging the hope of abetter feel-
ing both in the north and south, the introduction of so offensive an arti-
ble, in relation to our medical colleges, into any public journal, is singu-
larly unfortunate.
On behalf of Philadelphia, as well as New York, we utterly deny
that there is any foundation for the allegations made here against the
Northerners ; or for the prejudices here sought to be created against
any of the medical colleges in this region. Nor can we believe that
medical students from the south can be deterred from coming hither, by
reason of such accusations made by an anonymous writer, without any
semblance of evidence, or any attempt at proof.
We honour the laudable and successful efforts of our professional
brethren in the southern section of our country, to found and sustain
medical colleges, and other southern institutions of learning, so that they
may no longer be dependent on the north, as they formerly were, to
some extent and for obvious reasons. And when they shall be able to
present facilities for the pursuit and cultivation of medical science, and
clinical attractions to students, at any of these colleges, surpassing those
so long existing at Philadelphia and New York, southern students will
not be slow in estimating their claims, and awarding their preference to
those teachers and schools which excel; and this without reference to
their geographical position. Let our friends in Virginia make a greater
and better medical school than we have here, and northern as well as
southern students will flock thither. But until they do this, they should
have higher reasons than ‘ abolition encroachments from the north and
east,’ to offer as inducements in favor of ‘ southern institutions and
should not draw on their imagination for their facts by creating prejudi-
ces, as ungenerous as they are untrue, against their northern brethren.
c It is probable, that the reaction which must soon take place in favor of
southern institutions generally, against the north and east, in repelling their
abolition encroachments, will influence the prosperity of this excellent School.
It is a matter of astonishment, that southern students should continue to
throng northern medical schools, especially those of Philadelphia and New
York, when they are uniformly held by Northerners in the utmost contempt;
and when, too, they have experienced so many acts of unkindness, not to
say brutal treatment at their hands. Southern students seldom ever receive
their due measure of justice from the civil authorities of Philadelphia, should
they chance to become embroiled with the citizens of that place. It is not
unusual for a southern student, in such cases, to be held to bail, while the
Philadelphians are exempted, and generally, too, when they are the aggres-
sors. It is high time that southern students should resent such indignities,
and this they can effectually do by deserting their schools, and patronizing
southern institutions, which, generally, are little inferior to them in the means
of instruction and fully their equals, if not their superiors, in point of talent
and ability of their professors.’ ”—R. C. Advocate.
We have extracted the above from the New York Medical Gazette,
to the Editor of which our thanks are due for his defence of Philadelphia.
We are sure that all he says of New York is true, and we know that in
this city, students from all sections are uniformly treated with kind-
ness by all. That they do occasionally become embroiled with the citi-
zens is doubtless true ; but that they receive fulljustice, and even indul-
gence from the authorities, the following letter from the Attorney General
ot the Commonwealth will show.
Philadelphia, Oct. 22d, 1850.
Dear Sir,
There is not the slightest foundation for the idea that Southern
medical students are, or ever have been, unjustly, or even unkindly, treat
ed by the authorities of Philadelphia. For more than two years have
conducted the public business, as prosecuting officer for this City and
County, and have of course had full opportunities of observation.
Nothing of the kind has occurred; so far from it, that in a few instan_
ces within my recent recollection, there has been a strong disposition to
look mercifully on outbreaks of irregular and excited young men. The
Professors in our colleges here, many of them being Southern gentle-
men by birth and early association, have always been ready to enter
bail for those young gentlemen who get themselves into trouble, and
discredit their respectable families at a distance ; and here the matter
usually drops. I am happy to say that, within the last few years, there
has been a great improvement in the demeanor of medical students
from abroad. They are generally very respectable and decorous young
men, are cordially welcomed, and kindly and justly treated when they
come and whilst they stay amongst us.
I hope you will peremptorily contradict this absurd story.
Truly yours,	William B. Reed.
Db. F. G. Smith.
We have often said with pride, of medical students, that we did not
believe that an equal number of young men of any other profession
could be assembled, against whom so few causes of complaint could be
urged. We do them no more than justice in bearing this witness, and
to them we look for the refutation of the charges that have been so un-
generously urged against New York and Philadelphia.