viii, 91 p.This thesis examines the enforcement of medical licensing laws in the United
States between 1875 and 1915. Since all of these laws operated at the state level, I focus
on the actions taken by various state medical boards around the country. These medical
boards were typically composed of organized physicians, both regular and irregular, who
worked together to purge the medical field of frauds, charlatans and unorganized
sectarians through quasi-judicial self-regulation. I will argue that between 1875 and 1915
state medical boards effectively consolidated their control over medicine and unified the
medical profession by relentlessly prosecuting various types of irregular medical
practitioners including midwives, osteopaths, opticians, magnetic and electric healers and
Christian Scientists. By eradicating unorganized irregulars, state medical boards not only
eliminated their competitors, they laid the foundation for the reform of medical
education.Adviser: James C. Moh
