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538 MODERN TIMES.
fesseur et la banquette de I'etudiant, as SABATIER says.
By the law of the 18th August, 1792, all universities,.
faculties, and medical schools were abolished; and for this
act next to no compensation was given. In medicine as
in theology, morals, and other things a desire was shown
to retrograde to the primitive condition of mankind. It
was hoped thus to reintroduce the conditions which
obtained in the times of the ancient Greek philosophers ;
all that was really done was to open the gates to superstition
and impudent quackery. The mistakes and deficiencies
of scientific medicine were ridiculously exaggerated and
were made use of for drawing up a heavy indictment
against its representatives. In the National Convention a
speaker rose to the sublime height of declaring that doctors
should be dealt with like priests—both alike being mere
jugglers.* The wars carried on by the Republic soon,.
however, became the means of demonstrating how
necessary and useful doctors are. When it was communicated
to the National Convention that the army had
lost about 600 doctors within 18 months, and that the
troops in the Eastern Pyrenees were almost entirely devoid
of medical assistance, it was decided to reopen some of the
medical schools. By a law of the 14th of Frimaire, year
III. (4th December, 1794) three medical schools were
established at Paris, Montpellier, and Strassburg; they
were called ecoles de sante. They were at first intended
only a former les officiers de sante pour le service des
hopitaux et specialement des hopitaux militaires et de
marine. Every district of the country sent a pupil to these.
military schools of medicine, and there, at the expense of
the State, he studied medicine for three years. At Paris
there were 300 students, at Montpellier 150, and at Strassburg
100.
The need of educated medical practitioners, however,.
soon led to civilian students, not supported by the State,,
being admitted for the purpose of receiving instruction.
In 1796 the medical school at Paris was reorganized and.
* P. FRANK, op. cit., vi, 1, Abth., S. 221.