ergy more than is practicable if not paid therefor.

We believe the greatest blessing to the profession as a whole will come when medicine is taught only in state institutions, by paid professors who have only the attainment of the highest degree of proficiency by their classes at stake, when the commercial aspect may be forgotten or found less necessary than now.

Besides the unfavorable influences which are noticeable affecting the profession at large, where private corporations conduct medical schools, inside dissentions and jealousies are to be found from the very nature of things.

Ambition and strife become the end to be obtained where no compensation is provided aside from the gain acquired by the most effective impression upon the students. The final analysis as to the conclusion that there exists no real need for medical schools as they are now conducted, and should be supplanted by higher grade state institutions in the interests of the future profession, and a better co-operation of the present. H. C. CROWELL.

THE NEW CITY HOSPITAL.

Kansas City, Mo., is building a new c'ty hospital to cost $225,000. Under the new charter it is proposed to institute a new system of hospital management than the one now in operation, which provides for a city physician who has full control of the hospital department. The provisions of the new charter, however, embodies a radical change whereby the management and control of all hospitals now or hereafter maintained at public expense is vested in a board of five trustees.

From this board all politics is eliminated, as was illustrated in the selections made by the freeholders. To main tain this character none is allowed to hold other public office or even be a candidate for nomination without resigning from the board.

The board is to be a continuing one,

the members serving four years each, save in the case of those first named, and one to be appointed by the mayor every year, except when two are to be named simultaneously. This feature insures a stability of management and policy.

Since no salaries are allowed to the board and no political preferment, there is no incentive to any but high class men to accept the appointment. It follows that a business administration free from political favoritism in the matter of emplyoment of subordinates and from "graft" in the purchase of supplies may be expected-though to make assurance doubly sure the president and secretary must give bond and a system of itemized accounts and reports is de

manded.

The board must provide rules and regulations for the governance of the hospital-and subsequent ones which may be established in future yearsand the treatment of emergency cases is permitted, though strangers are not to be admitted to the institutions to the exclusion of city residents. Patients from a distance must pay the fees provided by the board.

The board shall appoint a staff of visiting physicians and surgeons, who shall serve without compensation. Favoritism in these appointments is guarded against.

Because of the nonpartisan and intrinsically high character of the board the resident superintendent of the City hospital will feel secure in his position as long as he proves his efficiency and attention to the work. He will not be dependent upon political changes in the city administration. The same policy of regard for competence and fidelity rather than for political activity is extended to all subordinate employees, independent of the general civil service regulations, which, however, are made to apply so far as the board may deem practicable.

The full text of the new charter pr vision for the Health department of Kansas City is published with a view of

informing our readers living elsewhere: Article XVI-Health and Public Charities.

A board of five members is created to have control of a department of health and public charities, which is to execute and enforce all measures for the protection of the lives and the preservation of

the health of the inhabitants. Two of the members of the board are to be

qualified physicians and one a qualified veterinary surgeon, who are to be appointed by the mayor as soon as the charter is to take effect, one for one year, another for two years and the third for three years. Their successors are to be appointed for three years. The two remaining members of the board are to be the mayor and the chief of police serving ex officio. The appointive members of the board are to serve without compensation and shall hold no other official position. The board shall elect one of their number president. A secretary shall be chosen from outside the board, his compensation to be fixed by the council. The board is to have sanitary supervision of all municipal institutions except those controlled by the hospital department. It is to establish quarantine regulations and arrange for the collection and disposition of garbage. For this purpose the present powers of this department in the making of contracts are enlarged. The board shall appoint a health commissioner who is to be clothed with police authority. He is to hold office during the pleasure of the board, which will also fix his compensation. All assistants and subordinate officers as may be deemed necessary shall be appointed by the board subject to the civil service regulations.

The present health board consists of the mayor, chief of police, fire chief, superintendent of streets, city physician and health officer, and has control of the hospitals.

Article XVII-Hospital Department.

A board of five members is established to have control of all property, institutions and instrumentalities owned and

controlled by the city for the care and treatment of the sick and injured. The members of the first board are named in the charter. None of the members shall be a practicing physician or surgeon. The terms of the members of the first board are to expire in the order designated in the charter on April 1, 1906, April 1, 1907, April 1, 1908 and April

1, 1909, the successor of each member to of four years. They shall serve withbe appointed by the mayor for a term out compensation and shall be appointed solely for fitness. The board is given power to appoint and at pleasure remove such superintendents, medical officers and employees as may be necessary for the efficient aaministration of service regulations. The board shall apthe city's hospitals, subject to the civil physicians and surgeons who shall serve point a visiting and consulting staff of without compensation.

A NEW CITY CHARTER FOR KANSAS CITY.

It may not be generally known to our readers that Kansas City, Mo., has grown so rapidly that it has already outgrown its original charter and a new one has just been framed which greatly enlarges its powers, indeed.

The new charter practically reorganizes the city government and enlarges the municipal power. The old charter, which the city has outgrown, contains seventeen articles. The new organic law has twenty-two. To prepare an instrument of such importance to the city in the short time allowed, the freeholders have been forced to lay aside their private business, and in the last two weeks have worked day and night. They have been confronted by many delicate and perplexing problems and were forced to give serious deliberations to questions in connection with public improvements to avoid putting in anything that would invite opposition to the charter.

Considering it as a whole, the charter framers expressed the belief that it would carry. It must carry in its en

tirety. Sections, cannot be voted upon separately.

The new charter contains six entirely new articles not in the old charter. It eliminates the article on police because the police department is governed by a state law and the new excise article takes the control of the saloons from the police department.

Some of the sections of the old charter are adopted in their present form and others are more or less revised and remodeled in important details. The six new articles create civil service commission, an excise board, a board of hospital control, a department of health and public charities, a board of fire commissioners and an executive department of street cleaning.

A FEW THINGS THAT KANSAS CITY, MO., IS NOW DOING.

Preparing to adopt a new charter which will amplify and extend powers and functions of city government.

Building new homes, business blocks. and factories. Building in 1904 was 8 millions; 1905 will certainly exceed that.

Financing a toll viaduct that will make a short cut between the two Kansas Citys. To cost 2 millions.

About to bring natural gas to homes and factories from the Kansas fields.

Preparing to build a new union depot and union freight and passenger terminals. The estimated cost of these railroad improvements is 25 million dollars.

CHANGE OF CONTROL OF THE STATE ELLEMOSYNARY AND SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS.

A bill has just passed the Missouri Legislature which abolshise in one stroke all the boards of managers of the various eleemosynary, charitable and re

Ready to spend 1-2 million in improving the already fine park and boulevard

system.

Amplifying the city hospital at a cost of $225,000, so that the unfortunate sick may be properly cared for.

Building one new million dollar packing house and 1-2 million dollar additions to established plants.

Getting ready to build viaducts that

state and places them under one board of control, consisting of three persons appointed by the Governor.

Eleven boards of control will therefore be abolished and all the state instituitnos will now be placed under control of one executive board, which again is named by the Governor. This law goes into effect December 1st, 1905. The salaries of the new commissioners will be $3,000 each per annum. Two of the board are to be of the political party

casting the largest vote for Governor at the last general election and the other member to be appointed from the party casting the next highest vote.

Those favoring the bill argued that it would not only insure better management of the state institutions, but also save the state about $200,000 annually. It will be interesting to watch the effect of this new arrangement, as it is the desire of every citizen of the state who knows the pernicious influence politics has had in the past management of our state institutions to rid them of this great curse, but we fear this new political power will not tend to lessen but strengthen this great outrage upon the more unfortunate of our race. The re

deeming feature, however, which from a medical standpoint might obviate much of the political bossism of the past is the fact that instead of having to provide political jobs for about 50 office seekers the Governor is now only asked to provide for three.

We hope this new board of control will meet the best expectations of its many friends.

SCHOOL INSPECTION IN KANSAS CITY.

School Inspection in Kansas City. The inspection of the public schools of Kansas City has at last become an established fact. The city council passed an ordinance authorizing the creation of an advisory board of medical inspection. This board consists of ten physicians, as follows: John M. Langdale, chairman; Scott P. Child, secretary; E. W. Schauffler, Jacob Block, A. A. Freyman, Frank C. Neff, John Punton, Frank Hall, J. W. Sherer, J. P. Kanokey."

The council gave this body of physicians the power to appoint a corpse of school inspectors whose duties are to visit the public schools of Kansas City at least twice a month and examine the pupils, excluding those suffering from transmissable diseases: All cases are to be reported to the chief inspector, Dr. W. S. Wheeler, who is contagious disease officer of Kansas City. Before pupils can be readmitted they must secure

a certificate from the city Board of Health certifying that there is no longer danger of transmission to others of the disease from which they were suffering. The Board contemplates extending the scope of this work in the near future by requiring all pupils in need of medical or surgical attention to consult their family physician in case their ailment is detrimental to the child's future progress. This will include the various anomalies and diseases of the eyes, and other sensory organs, spinal curvature, chorea and many others.

The work has been taken up with enthusiasm in Kansas City as it has been in other large cities and the public has accepted the action of the board with less antagonism than was expected. The following are the physicians appointed as inspectors: Dr. H. H. Lane, Adams; Dr. O. L. McKillip, Ashland; Dr. A. G. Randolph, Bancroft; Dr. H Hays, Benton; Dr. J. F. Shannon, Bruce; Dr. H. D. Hamilton, Bryant; Dr. William Frick, Chase; Dr. A. H. Wall, Clay; Dr. E. B. Ramsy, Douglas; Dr. J. Freyman, Emerson; Dr. J. H. Lanning, Franklin; Dr. J. Q. Chambers, Garfield; Dr. A. B. McCory, Garrison; Dr. A. G. Knox, Greenwood; Dr. B. Jacobs, Hamilton Dr. F. T. Van Emen, Horace; Dr. V. N. Gayle, Hyde Park; Dr. W. S. Field, Irving; Dr. R. L. St. Clair, James; Dr. Max Goldman, Jefferson; Dr. J. F. Sawyer, Harnees; Dr. A. R. Greenlee, Kensington; Dr. H. Miller, Lathrop; Dr. J. N. Birch, Lincoln; Dr. T. C. Unthank, Page; Dr. G. N. Robinson, Linwood; Dr. C. M. Fulton, Longfellow; Dr. A. J. Welsh, Lewell; Dr. W. H. Leonard, Madison; Dr. R. Callaghan, Manchester; Dr. James Middleton, Martin; Dr. W. R. Trimble, Morse; Dr. O. L. Lambright, Phillips; Dr. F. W. Daily, Rollins; Dr. J. G. Tapp, Scarritt; Dr. C. A. McCamey, Sumner; D. J. H. Ralston, Van Horn; Dr. E. A. Burkhardt. Switzer: Dr. A. A. Freymore, Washington; Dr. William Reed. Webster: Dr. W. A. Armour, Whittier: Dr. E. R. Curry, Woodland; Dr. H. B. Coleman, Yeager. Dr. Anderson and Dr. Dibble are unassigned.