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566
MODERN TIMES.
sultative functions. The Dean, who is elected from among
the professors in ordinary, presides at their meetings ; he
in many respects takes the place of the former Director of
Studies, a functionary whose office has been abolished.
In Vienna and Prague some remnants of influence were
preserved for the doctors' guilds and medical corporations,
inasmuch as they were still regarded as parts of the
university and were designated as faculties, and received •
the privilege of electing a Dean, who had a seat and vote
in the assembly of professors, and co-operated with them in
the medical examinations. It was not until 1873 that a
complete separation was effected between the doctors'
guilds on the one hand and the faculties and universities
on the other.* The doctors' guilds from this time forth
have been nothing but medical clubs, concerning them­
selves with the management of their property, the granting
of pensions, etc., but without any official obligations.
As early as 1848 the abolition of the inferior education
given to the country doctors was mentioned in a ministerial
decree as a measure desirable on principle.t But many
difficulties stood in the way to prevent this being carried
out. People could not help being afraid that if the schools
intended for the education of the country doctors and
inferior class of surgeons were suddenly closed a decided
deficiency in the number of practitioners would be brought
about, and they consequently wished to provide substitutes
in time. Then the courses of instruction which had
hitherto been given at the universities of Vienna and
Prague for the country doctors were discontinued, while
the medico-chirurgical schools at Graz and Innsbruck were
shortly afterwards promoted to actual medical faculties,
and were incorporated with the universities of those places.
The other establishments of this kind which existed at
Salzburg, Olmiitz, Laibach, Lemberg, and other places
were o-radually closed.. With this the lower class educa­
tion came to an end.
* THAA op. cit., S. 615 et seq. t THAA op. cit., S. 497