Medical Dean, A.M.A. Attack Lack of Funds

Medical schools are in danger of 'starving to death" from lack of funds, Medical School Dean George P. Berry said yesterday, agreeing with an American Medical Association report.

Charging that the current problem is a "very serious one at Harvard," Berry pointed to the fact that operating costs have risen far above endowment resources, thus curtailing medical school activities.

"We just don't have the comparable endowment strength as before," Berry said. "But it's not just a local problem or a new one. It's something that's caused by inflation, and we're actually better off than most schools."

"It's a serious thing because the weaknesses of the med schools of today become the weakness of the medical profession of tomorrow," Berry added.

He was commenting on the results of a six-year study of the country's medical schools by the AMA.

Difficult to Hire Instructors

Berry admitted that the Medical School was having trouble hiring instructors because of salary problems, but claimed that 'it's the same all over." He agreed with the report's conclusion that the increased cost of printing has forced restrictions upon the School's library facilities.

However, he denied the report's charge that medical schools are reluctant to experiment in true at Harvard. "I think we've taken a lead here, and I think our faculty is aware of the problems of teaching," he said.

Answering the AMA's criticism that schools were sacrificing study time and student's elective choice by rigidity of curriculum which included too much material and too many exams. Barry, said, "That's a problem that confronts every school and I think we are pretty free of it here."

In 1952, when Seymour Harris, professor of Economics, proposed a plan in have all medical students remit part of their incomes after graduation, Berry took issue. "I am convinced that eventually we will have to get direct federal and state aid to medical schools," Berry said.

Claiming that fear of government interference with medicine is unfounded, Berry added "if we can maintain a hard core of our own private funds, and get only about one third of our support from government aid, then we will not be financially dependent, and will be able to move out at the firs sign of government interference."