0"T' LAERT> "! - USP

MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS. 263
by the medical faculty to those who were actively engaged
as teachers of medical science. This was the case at most
of the academies as early as the 13th century. And as
the right to teach was possessed by every medical man who
was legally qualified for the practice of his profession, so
also was the title of Doctor gradually conferred upon all
legally qualified practitioners. When people began to
distinguish between the Doctores legentes et non legentes,
—between those who made a practice of teaching and
those who neglected to do so—the custom arose of calling
the former Professors.
This expression also draws its origin from ancient times;*
it comes from profiten "to practise or teach publicly an art
or science." At the German universities the title "Professor"
came first into vogue in the 16th century and only
those academical teachers were designated by it who were
commissioned to hold lectures and for the instruction they
imparted in this way drew a salary or remuneration. They
were in fact members of the College of Teachers, called,
at an earlier time, Doctores legentes.
The change in the significance of titles and forms of
politeness, which is effected in course of time, has its
foundation for the most part in human vanity. At the
present time it is the case with the title of Professor as it
formerly was with that of Doctor; it is bestowed on
members of the medical profession who hold themselves
quite aloof from the function of teaching, whereas many
academic teachers are already less inclined to bea.r the
title of Professor than such titles as Geheimrath, Hofrath,
or Regierungsrath.
Anyone who possessed a qualification to practise
medicine could obtain the dignity of Doctor of Medicine.
No special examinations were necessary for this ; on the
other hand it was demanded that the candidate should be
* CELSUS: Prsef. and ii, 6.—SUETON : Rhetor. 5.—QUINTIUAN : Inst. orat.
Prooem, and i, 9. xii, 11.—SAVIGNY op. cit. i, 396.—H. CONRING: Antiq.
acad. i, 24. - , >