1765. Under this system a student attached himself to a practitioner, who was called a preceptor. He read the medical books of his preceptor and was quizzed on what he had read, he assisted in compounding the crude drugs, and he accompanied his preceptor on his professional calls, and on the long rides between these calls discussed with his preceptor what they had seen.
At the end of his apprenticeship of three years, if he had been diligent, the student received from his preceptor a certificate of proficiency. The recording of this certificate with a town clerk made the young man a legal practitioner.
Just before the Revolutionary War began the formation of medical societies, first in Connecticut. After the war medical societies extended to Massachusetts and before 1810 to all the states.
Each of these societies had a group of examiners, called a board of censors, before whom an applicant must appear. If he passed the examination he was given a certificate of proficiency, called a diploma, which was accepted as evidence of qualification to practice, and upon registration with a civil authority he became a legal practitioner. The method of qualification through medical societies brought more uniformity than the method of certification by the individual preceptor.
When medical schools were established they took over that part of the duties of the preceptor which had to do with text books and recitations, and the professors in these schools, each restricted to one or two subjects, carried on the didactic features of a medical education better than the single preceptor teaching all the subjects could possibly do it, but all the clinical teaching to train in the art of medicine was left to the preceptor.
The student was required to study medicine three years under his preceptor. If in this time he attended two courses of lectures and passed the examinations, he might be graduated by the medical college, and under its chartered powers be given a degree and a college diploma. This diploma was accepted as evidence of qualification and on registration with civil authorities made him a legal practitioner. Thus there were two methods by which one might become a legal practitioner, either by
