Suggested Research Topics - Nineteenth-century Medical Education in Michigan (as revealed through student notebooks)

Nineteenth-century medical education was a creation quite unlike the modern model. Preceptors, open admissions, competition between homeopathic and allopathic therapeutics, and the fact that very little of the education was based on clinical experience and laboratory work made for a much more democratic UM Medical School. In spite of these less than auspicious attributes, the UM came to be highly regarded for the medical education it provided. By the turn of the twentieth century, it was esteemed as one of the best medical schools in America. The Bentley Library has rich sources from which to develop some sense of what occurred in the course of a nineteenth-century medical education. These sources include the expected course listings in UM calendars and general registers, a long span of student theses (1851-1878), and a rich and diverse array of student notebooks. With these sources at hand, students can test the validity of Ludmerer's and Hudson's assertions that American medical education became more rigorous in the 1890s.

What was nineteenth-century medical education designed to do? Transfer knowledge? Inculcate professional ethos? Develop a scientific frame of mind? Enrich university professors? Do these objectives change over time? Was there a revolution in medical education in the 1890s? What was expected of medical students at UM? Did these students have a sense that they were learning the arcania of medicine at the feet of masters? Do student notebooks accurately reflect the body of knowledge professors were attempting to convey? (This would involve examination of professors' lecture notes.)

Examples of Primary Source Collections and Other Resources:

Published primary sources

Archival and other primary resources

Secondary sources

Caveats

These student notebooks are a fragmentary and scattered source and might not be rich enough in content to support a rigorous seminar paper. There just might not be enough there to support any theoretical assertions regarding medical education in Michigan. This might be countered with a sophisticated reading of the secondary sources and the published primaries. The student could also augment meager student sources with faculty papers. I suggest this as a topic largely on the basis of the possibilities should any of these student notebooks and diaries prove rich.

Topic suggested by Matthew Schaefer, Bentley Historical Libray, September 1990.


In an effort to encourage creative thinking about possible research topics for students unfamiliar with archives and their inevitable complexities, archivists and student employees of the Bentley Historical Library have authored "suggested research topics ." The purpose of these is not to define a topic but rather to stimulate thinking about a topic where the holdings of the Bentley Library are particularly strong.