Flint’s Medical and Surgical Directory of Physicians of the United States & Canada - 1897.

Cat No.:   CA0428:

As far as we can tell this is the one and only publication of this Directory by J. B. Flint & Co. of 104 Fulton St., New York, and their “Compiler,” A. L. Chatterton. The directory provides its own excellent description of its aims and contents so we have copied it here only adding a couple of words of explanation about one area where progress has made significant changes which may make the books words a little difficult to understand for today’s reader:

“INTRODUCTORY.

In the compilation of this Medical Directory, the main intent has been to furnish as accurate a list of physicians as possible. As it is proposed that this shall be the first of an annually published book, any errors which may be detected either of omission or commission in the present issue, and of which we may be advised, will be promptly corrected. To facilitate this purpose, the entire work is kept standing in type, and the assistance of all who are interested in the maintenance of a correct list is solicited to the end that in each succeeding annual issue there may be attained the greatest possible correctness.

For many years a list of physicians has been maintained by this publisher, and therefrom it has been learned that the average changes exceed twenty thousand annually, evidencing the need of a frequently revised and frequently issued publication.

. . . . . . . .

A feature of this book, which will be much extended in the 1898 edition, is a list of Sanatariums, and in future issues much additional information respecting medical institutions, patterned after New York State in this book, will be given.”

The publication of this directory came in a period when the regulation, and standardization of medical education was just beginning. This being a State by State & Province by Province activity, it was more advanced in some areas than in others. Before these regulations were brought into force anyone could “hang up a shingle” and call themselves a Physician, and indeed many who did so were as skilled as could be expected in their age. Unfortunately there were also the less skilled and it was to rid the profession of these individuals that the regulations were being introduced. This then was a period during which some Doctors may have come about their education by self-learning, experience and practice, while others had come through some Board Approved School of Medicine and perhaps a period of supervised practical experience. The way this directory dealt with this dichotomy is explained, in the books words, as follows:

“In addition to the name, where obtainable, there is also given the date and college of graduation. The instances in which this information is wanting are those from whom by direct application or by other methods we have been unable to secure the required data. It does not in any sense follow, however, that these practitioners are not in every way accredited members of the profession. It is even true that there are many of the older and most capable practitioners who are not graduates of medicine at all. Graduates of medicine not engaged in the practice of their profession are not included in this work.”

No. of CDs is:  1 ;   Format is:  PDF ;   Searchable?:  YES;

FastFind:  Yes;  ISBN No.:   978-1-927503-41-6 ;