In the early 1870s, Harvard Medical School was still lagging behind science. At least one of its professors of physiology professed ignorance of the microscope. Meanwhile, Harvard demanded no prior science training from its prospective medical students. Indeed, its graduates could afford to have flunked 40% of their medical courses. In this regard, Harvard Medical School was not alone, unfortunately. Its peers such as Yale also failed to make the grade. Why? Because (1) medicine was taught and practiced as folk medicine, and (2) medical students paid their professors solely and wholly. Diplomas in medicine were practically for sale. What turned things around were these developments: (1) Europe-trained American doctors had their voice heard and respected on their merits. (2) Philanthropists like John D. Rockefeller were somehow persuaded to underwrite the advancement of American medicine in the absence of government funding. Interestingly, Rockefeller himself stubbornly trusted and used homeopathic medicine.
Today, the Ivy League is at the forefront of medical education and research, and deservedly so. However, it has yet to acknowledge, let alone address, the fact that its medical school enrollment is reaching a crisis. One could write a book on this subject. But let me try to sum it up as follows:
Harvard Medical School, for example, is quite openly proud of its diverse student body in terms of skin color and ethnicity. Truth be told, its diversity is only skin-deep, no pun intended. When it comes to ideas and beliefs, the Ivy League medical school is no champion of open-mindedness. Admission-wise, it overwhelmingly prefers liberals to conservatives, other things being equal. Harvard's enrollment policy, by default, easily denies pro-life applicants an access to its medical education. That is not right. That is not fair. Liberal or conservative bias should have no place in medical education because it makes no medical sense.
Progressives do not own progress. No one does. It is regressive to pretend otherwise.
Author: Lingyang Jiang
