Rapid Responses to:
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Rapid Responses: Rapid Responses published:
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Affirmative action in Communist Hungary
- Andras Pal Barabas (23 April 2008)
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Notes from a hypocrite
- Robert A Watson (24 April 2008)
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Re: Affirmative action in Communist Hungary
- Phillip J. Colquitt (24 April 2008)
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Andras Pal Barabas, retired consultant surgeon I am retired from West Suffolk Hospital ten years ago
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I started to read the views of dr Des Spence in the last week’s issue of the BMJ with foreboding. The title, “Are there too many middle class doctors?” made me fear that he is going to argue in favour of more candidates from working class families for admission to medical schools. I was much relieved to read that he was not. I entered medical school in Budapest in 1953. This was the time when Hungarian Communists decreed that the social composition of university intake should reflect the social class structure of Hungary. This meant that only about twenty percent of medical students should have come from the middle and eighty from working and peasant classes. Fortunately, university administrators sabotaged this directive and the final composition of my year was about fifty-fifty. Even in this diluted form the consequences of this policy were disastrous. Many able and motivated middleclass young men and women were excluded from medical school causing severe distress to them and their families. Less able working and peasant candidates were persuaded to apply and allowed to enter with lower scores at admission examinations. Unexpectedly, they suffered more than those unjustly excluded. About half of them dropped out before qualification and four committed suicide either during or soon after finishing their studies. (We had over four hundred students in my year). Admittedly, the Communists practiced an extreme form of affirmative action, but the outcome of their policy should be a warning to those who advocate this type of social engineering. Andras Barabas MD FRCS retired consultant surgeon Competing interests: None declared |
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Robert A Watson, transplant surgeon UNC 27516
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I wish to thank the author for this article which at first seems a little flippant but on reflection is quite profound. The premise of the article is stated in the second paragraph- “the greatest inequality in selection to the medical profession- the universal dominance of the middle class?” The reason is, I believe, given in the first paragraph- “I am now thoroughly middle class, although I wasn’t always.” –me too The socio-economic inequalities are deep and hard themes - as those of us from the state comprehensive school experiment can testify to when that inner hypocrite/Darwinian instinct in us emerges and we decide to move houses to a better school district or send our children to private school to help our genes (I mean children). Thus we ourselves disturb any real goal of a meritocracy that most of us profess but do not follow. The real heart of the problem is the inequality of opportunity at school. An interesting social experiment comes from Texas ( WIKI- ‘Texas House bill 588’ – if anyone is interested) where a top percentage of EVERY school (private or public- I think) are guaranteed a good University place thus incentivizing those in less well performing schools (or de- incentivizing – some may say- those in the better ones?) thus creating local meritocracies within all schools! Obviously with any such change some of the middle classes (and real estate agents) may have to take one for the team! – ‘The good of the many versus the good of the few’ – however this is very unDarwinian I’m afraid. R A Watson FRCS Competing interests: I am a current middle class hypocrite/parent and according to a prior responder was from a less able peasant class! |
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Phillip J. Colquitt, Technician/RN Independent Comment
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So the equivalent experience of Cuba was the same as in your country? eg. dropouts, suicides. Cuba is a communist country. It produces many doctors. It's statistics on health don't seem to be "a disaster". Competing interests: None declared |
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