established as a required course for graduation — one of the first in the United States.
As early as 1902-3 in the description of the Department of Medicine in the yearly Calendar there appeared a statement of the teaching of diseases of children: "The peculiarities of medical diseases in childhood are discussed in the lectures and recitations. Clinical instruction is given in the various hours mentioned above. Most of the infants born in the Obstetric Clinic are artificially fed, and furnish abundant material for instruction in this important branch … Contagious Diseases are demonstrated in an Isolation Ward." This latter statement was perfectly correct.
In 1901 Mrs. Love M. Palmer, widow of the late Alonzo B. Palmer, made a bequest of $20,000 to the University for the building of a memorial ward, to be known as the Alonzo B. Palmer Ward. She also established an endowment fund of $15,000 to be used for the medical care of patients brought there. The building was completed in 1903. It was decided by the Board of Regents to dedicate the ward to the service of children. The urgent need for quarters for obstetrical patients, however, persuaded the Hospital staff, with the permission of the Regents, to use the first floor of the building for that purpose. Another pressing need determined them to use the second and third floor for a nurses' home. Accordingly, there was no special place in which to house the patients of the children's division of clinical medical study.
The children's clinic grew very slowly. The greatest number of yearly registrations during the first eight years was 228 (1912). Much pressure was being brought to bear on the Regents to transfer the clinical years of medical study to Detroit, and the need for more adequate teaching material in pediatrics was being stressed. Dr. Cowie decided to organize a campaign for a revision of the congenital deformity act (No. 42) of 1897 or for the passing of a new act by the legislature that would permit any indigent sick child in the state who needed medical care to be sent to the University Hospital as a so-called free case. Dr. Peterson, hearing of this, informed Dr. Cowie that he had been thinking of a similar plan for the admittance of pregnant women to the Hospital and requested that he be allowed priority for his plan. Cowie agreed that his was the greater need. The babies born at the Maternity Ward were turned over to the Department of Pediatrics for feeding and medical care (see Hospital, p. 975) .
In due time the proposal for the new children's act was revived and pressed with vigor. It was not difficult to secure favorable legislation when the legislators saw the needs. Accordingly, in 1913 the now well-known children's act (No. 274) was established. In Michigan the legislature has always acted wisely in matters pertaining to public health. Michigan stands second to none in devising ways and means for the care of its unfortunate and underprivileged children.
Since the establishment of this law the children's medical clinic has had a phenomenal development. It progressed from twenty-two patients for teaching purposes in the first year, to a yearly registration of 6,346 in 1932 and a monthly attendance of 2,580 in August, 1935.
The new law stipulated that a place should be provided for all children brought to the Hospital by properly authorized agents. The space that could be used for them was soon exhausted, and more beds had to be provided. The Palmer Ward originally had been set aside for the care of children. As arranged, the space assigned to obstetrics became inadequate, and buildings were moved to the hospital grounds to provide better accommodations for the patients of that
