The Legacy of the Flexner Report: How a High School Teacher Changed the Course of Medical Education

Part II: Criticisms, Scapegoating, and Conclusion

Many of today’s doctors may pride themselves as following the ideas put forth by Flexner in his report. There’s much to be said about the need for science to become incorporated into the field of medicine, however it is only now where the ramifications of Flexner’s Report may be seeing the light of day.

The Flexner Report came about at a time of great medical turmoil. The field of medicine did not receive the same admiration that it does today (sans COVID), and plumbers were likely to be more respected and wealthy compared to doctors. At the time, many doctors were concerned about the direction, as well as the public perception of medicine, and thus a small Reformation of sorts was developing within the medical community, and it is during this time that the Flexner Report served as the crux for said Reformation.

Here, we will look into further details about some of the criticisms of the time, how they may relate to what is going on today, and whether Flexner himself truly was the architect of his report, or if he was merely a mouthpiece for a grander idea.