Beyond Flexner: Medical Education in the Twentieth Century

This book offers a feast for medical educators interested in the origins of today's medical education in the United States. Each of the dozen chapters delves into carefully selected issues, standing alone, complete with updated and annotated references. This collage allows for individual tastes to guide the order in which chapters may be read. However, I recommend that the introduction and initial chapter be read as a preamble to the rest of the book. The titles of the chapters are well chosen and reflect their content. As I write this review, the 1992 Olympic Games are in full force, and I am tempted to give some ratings of my own. A "10" goes to the chapters "Abraham Flexner in Historic Perspective," "The Growth and Divergence of the Basic Sciences," "Women in Medicine Since Flexner," "Abraham Flexner and the Black Medical Schools," "Clinical Education Since Flexner," and "Trends in the Financing