SOC 201 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Abraham Flexner, Flexner Report, Herbalism
Document Summary
In the nineteenth century there were hundreds of medical schools throughout the united states. Some offered hands-on training while others stressed only theory. Some required three years of study after four years of college, while others required three years of medical study but no college degree. Some taught traditional (allopathic) medicine, while others pursued more novel approaches (such as homeopathy, osteopathy, chiropractic, and botanical medicine). Some had well-endowed laboratories and libraries, while others did not. In the early twentieth century, some members of the american medical profession believed that society would be better off if its physicians were trained in a more scientific manner. In 1910 the american medical association (ama) commissioned one of its members, abraham flexner, to conduct a study of medical schools throughout the country. As he would report to the ama, flexner was appalled at the variety of training methods he encountered.
