Free Dispensary.  Tennessee Medical College and Its good Work.  Hundreds of Charity Cases Treated free of Charge by the Members of the Faculty

The Tennessee Medical college in this city is more of a blessing to the indigent of the country than that class of people of the country than that class of people seem to know, and in fact the public generally seem ignorant of that fact, though its benefits have freely been distributed every year of its existence.

The faculty of this institution is composed of our best physicians and poor people who are in need of medical or dental treatment can not only be treated free of charge at this institution, but be assured of a high professional character, men who have already attained a reputation for skill and ability.

The fact is that this college is one of the most charitable institutions in the land.  It offers free medical attention on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays — absolutely free of charge.  On the other days of the week dental treatment is served free except that a charge is made for the cost of the material which is made for the cost of the material which goes into the teeth — usually a very insignificant sum.

There used to be a foolish sort if [sic] superstition among the poor whites and blacks that a medical college was the abode of a lot of devils and if they got one inside of its walls it was good  bye.  This was of course a very silly lot of nonsense.  Common sense would tell anyone better things.  The gentlemen composing the faculty of this college are all of our best citizens and men of good judgment and of course the best decorum is observed.

Should any bad treatment of malpractice occur it could not be possible to keep it from the knowledge of the public long and when it became known the result would simply be the ruin of the college and not one knows it better than the medical authorities of the college, and so poor people who may desire to avail themselves of free treatment really have more assurance of proper treatment here than those who are treated by a private physician, who may be pressed with business and be thus compelled to give his patients hurried attention.

Citizens of the city ought to take enough interest in this institution to spread the knowledge of the free clinics of this institution among the poor classes and if they meet up with any foolish superstition, ridicule it world without end.

Source:  Knoxville Daily Journal and Tribune, October 14, 1895, page 5