James c mohr begins his history of medical licensing with a murder on march 7 1891 george garrison shot george baird dead the shooting was the culmination. Through most of the nineteenth century anyone could call themselves a doctor and could practice medicine on whatever basis they wished but an 1889 us supreme court case dent v west virginia effectively transformed medical practice from an unregulated occupation to a legally recognized profession the political and legal battles that led up to the decision were unusually bitter especially among physicians themselves and the outcome was far from a foregone conclusion. When picking up a book titled licensed to practice the supreme court defines the american medical profession one cannot be faulted for expecting a rather dry legal and perhaps historical discourse on the supreme court cases that cemented medical licensure as the norm of american life james mohr dispels these expectations from the very first page of the volume instead of recitation of legal doctrine on which more later mohr begins with a murder mystery while we know from the very . Buy licensed to practice the supreme court defines the american medical profession by mohr james c online on amazonae at best prices fast and free shipping free returns cash on delivery available on eligible purchase