Doctors that can read and write? Are you INSANE?

>Professor of Surgery [Henry Bigelow](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Henry_Jacob_Bigelow_c1854.jpg), the most powerful faculty member, protested to the Harvard Board of Overseers, “[[Eliot](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Charles_W._Eliot_cph.3a02149.jpg)] actually proposes to have written examinations for the degree of doctor of medicine. I had to tell him that he knew nothing about the quality of the Harvard medical students. More than half of them can barely write. Of course they can’t pass written examinations… No medical school has thought it proper to risk large existing classes and large receipts by introducing more rigorous standards.” _________________________ **Source:** Barry, John M. “The Warriors.” *The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History*. Penguin Books, 2009. 33. Print. _________________________ **Further Reading:** [Henry Jacob Bigelow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Jacob_Bigelow) [Charles William Eliot](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_William_Eliot) ________________________ **If you enjoy this type of content, please consider donating to my [Patreon](https://www.patreon.com/HistoryLockeBox)!**