The psychological training of Abraham Flexner, the reformer of medical education.

The great reformer of American medical education was Abraham Flexner. His basic emphasis was to insist that medical education should be solidly based on science. Not a physician, Flexner's specialized training was in psychology. This paper traces the major influence on Flexner's thinking (primarily the works of Hall, Stumpf, and Lotze) and relates these influences to his emphasis on the importance of basic science.