Flexner

Survey Results

Roper Hospital, 1905
Roper Hospital, 1905

The Medical College of the State of South Carolina was one of the schools surveyed in February 1909. In the published report, Flexner was highly critical of the Medical College despite its “traditions and a certain present dignity” (Flexner, 1910, p. 85). The report criticized the school’s poor physical facilities, lack of full-time faculty, lack of equipment, and lack of money. While the report did not come out and directly say “close the Medical College” it was clear to Dean Robert Wilson Jr, MD, that the school needed to change or face closure.

South Carolina

Population, 1,510,566. Number of physicians, 1141. Ratio 1 : 1324.

Number of medical schools, 1.

Charleston: Population, 56,659.

MEDICAL COLLEGE OF THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA. Founded 1823. An independent institution.

Entrance requirement: Nominal.

Attendance: 213.

Teaching staff: 34, of whom 11 are professors, 23 of other grade. There are no whole-time teachers.

Resources available for maintenance: Fees, amounting to $19,447 (estimated).

Laboratory facilities: Comprise very meager equipment for elementary chemistry, pharmacy, and anatomy – the dissecting room in bad condition. The instructor in pathology and bacteriology has a fair private laboratory, to which students have no access; student work in those subjects is mostly confined to looking through the microscope at slides that he prepares. There is no museum, except old papier-mâché and wax models, no library, except some antiquated publications. It is without other teaching aids.

Clinical facilities: The school has access to the Roper Hospital, an unusually attractive institution of about 200 beds a mile distant. There were 80 patients at the time of the visit. Complaint is made that it is difficult to induce graduates to serve as internes. Obstetrical work is rare. There is no other school of organized dispensary.

Date of visit: February, 1909.

Roper Hospital, 1905

Abraham Flexner, circa 1895-1910

Waring Historical Library, MUSC, Charleston