of the new
Library Building. To him in no small measure is due its acknowledged
success as a working library which has won the praise of all practical
librarians throughout the country.

CHAPTER VII

THE PROFESSIONAL SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

The first steps toward the establishment of a Faculty of Medicine and
Surgery were taken in 1847. The Medical Building was not completed,
however, until two years later, and the formal opening of the new
Department did not take place until October 1, 1850. On this occasion
Abram Sager, the first President, or Dean of the Faculty, as we should
now call him, delivered an address to ninety matriculates, at a time
when there were only sixty-four students all told in the Literary
Department. The period was propitious for the installation of a strong
school, for although there were a few struggling medical institutions in
the West, the vigorous growth of the new Department showed how
inadequately this part of the country was served in medical education.
The entrance requirements were simple; a fair high school education,
with Latin and Greek sufficient for the understanding of medical terms.
For graduation, at least three years' study with a reputable physician
was required; but this might include the two six-month courses of
lectures which comprised the work of the Department. Even this very
slender medical preparation was not required of college graduates, or of
students who had already practised medicine four years, for whom one
course was deemed sufficient. A thesis was also necessary for
graduation, and tradition has it that in a few cases during the earlier
days of the Department, they were actually written and delivered in
Latin. Special attention was given to laboratory work in chemistry and
anatomy, though for the most part the training was given through
lectures and quizzes. The conservatism of the Literary Department in
educational methods here also found its parallel, even in the
comparatively new sciences.

The introduction of clinical methods came slowly, though the growing
city of Ann Arbor furnished many opportunities for actual diagnosis and
treatment. The lack of practical facilities for study was early
recognized, however, and within a few years some of the members of the
Medical Faculty established a school for clinical instruction in
Detroit, which eventually led to the first effort for the removal of the
school mentioned in the last chapter. In spite of th