Changes

Logan’s bill was not the only one presented that year. The San Francisco Medical Society also proposed a similar law, but that one authorized the creation of a “Board of Medical Examiners.” This board would be composed of seven practicing physicians who would be responsible for evaluating diplomas and conducting a “critical examination” of all medical licensing applicants. If an applicant presented a valid diploma and passed the licensing exam, the board would confirm the identity of each applicant to ensure that they were not practicing under an assumed name. The <i>Sacramento Daily Union</i> questioned whether it was necessary for every physician who wanted to practice in the state. The <i>Union</i> argued that it would be inappropriate for a select group of California physicians to question the judgments of American medical schools and “the Medical Colleges of Europe.” The editors of the Union believed that California lacked physicians who possessed either the skill or credibility to question these august institutions. They argued that California would be better served if they relied on these schools to furnish “evidence of competency” for the prospective physicians.<ref> “Legislation Against Quackery,” <i>Sacramento Daily Union</i>, Volume 1, Number 232, Nov. 12, 1875: 2.</ref>

[[File:The_City_of_San_Francisco,_panorama_by_Currier_&_Ives,_1878.jpg|thumbnail|left|380px|San Francisco 1878]]

Finally, in March 1876, after a year of debate in the legislature, the California Assembly and Senate passed an act to “Regulate the Practice of Medicine in the State of California.”<ref> “Annual Address by the President”, A.B. Nixon, M. D., <i>Transactions of the Medical Society of the State of California During the Years of 1875-1876</i>, (Sacramento, 1876): 25, http://books.google.com/ebooks.</ref> It permitted graduates of medical schools to practice without being tested by an examining board, but it differed somewhat from other licensing laws passed the 1870s, because it authorized “each State Medical Society, incorporated and inactive existence” when the bill was passed to appoint seven people to separate boards of examiners.

===Conclusion===

Essentially, the three dominant medical sects got what they wanted. All three sects were officially recognized by the state and were given control over the medical marketplace. It also set a precedent that would extend throughout the country over the next 30 years. The three medical sects often worked together create licensing in order to freeze out physicians they believed were substandard. This cooperation would ultimately lead to a breakdown of these sects and their combination during the early 20th century.

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