I was asked to do a little searching of the
Flexner Report for a board member, and as always, I find it to be a treasure
trove of fascinating information and horrifying reports. From Wikipedia: The
Flexner Report is a book-length study of medical education in the United States
and Canada, written by Abraham Flexner and published in 1910 under the aegis of
the Carnegie Foundation. Many aspects of the present-day American medical
profession stem from the Flexner Report and its aftermath.
Essentially, each medical school in the US and
Canada was examined on a sliding scale, using Johns Hopkins as the ideal.
After
the report was issued, the number of medical schools dropped from 155 to 31, and
the number of medical schools requiring an undergraduate degree soared to 92%.
The Flexner report changed medical education from often primitive conditions to more like what we know now.
Medical schools became more standardized with educational and graduation requirements, exams, and curriculum to include both classroom and textbook work, as well as a specific amount of clinical work.
There were some failings, including fewer women and minorities in medical schools, and the oversight and regulation of medical education by state governments. However, much of what is in the report is still relevant today.
