s such as transportation, telephones and hospitals helped welcome the professional world. The sick no longer lay in bed at home, but went into the hospitals to confide in the physicians for healing. Science began to get respect, forcing the scientific world of medicine to be recognized as well. No longer was it up to the woman of the house to keep remedies for illnesses on hand and care for the sick of the house. Domestic medicine was fading out of the picture by the late nineteenth century and professional medicine was rearing its costly head. Professional medicine began to gain legitimacy. It began to convince the public of its value, a necessary component to becoming a dominant profession.Physicians began to raise their standards and prestige through medical schools and licensing. Professional standards were established, although the cost of an education in medicine was low, making physicians popular and readily available. Unlike today, many physicians found in difficult to support themselves solely from medical practice. Although, there were still definite prestige inequalities among doctors. The wealthier families received help from the elite of the medical professionals the poor received from physicians of lower status and less training. The elite might have gone to Europe to study, expanding their knowledge, demanding more money from their patients. Despite the status of the physician, it was guaranteed that he still earns more money than the average factory worker. Physician’s incomes never increased as much as the early 20th century. The income and prestige of medical professionals grew immensely. Twice as many people were applying to medical schools as were being accepted and highly selective admissions had come about. The profession was developing high entry standards, another component necessary to achieving high status in the professional world.The Civil War brought an enormous amount of experimentation for those in ...
