Medicine: Masters of Science

Columbia University last week took steps to make the Doctor of Medicine degree a great deal less valuable than it is at present. It wanted to make it difficult “for a physician … to go to a medical centre … for a few months and return to his community as a self-labeledspecialist.” The University proposes that the graduate M. D. spend one post-graduate year as interne and three more years as student of one of the medical specialties. For the extra study he will receive a certificate of special proficiency, a Master of Science degree. He will be 30 before he begins to earn his own living and look clown at unlettered M. D.’s.