12 THE FOUNDING AND EARLY YEARS appropriate arena for what would turn out to be a historic yet fiery confrontation. The meeting came to an abrupt conclusion when the entire California delegation responded to the fierce criticism by exiting the House of Delegates in a visible show of disgust, thereby signaling to those assembled that the merger plans would continue. By May 1962, serious concerns were being raised about what was actually going to happen with the exchange of degrees. What would be the fate of those accepting the exchange? This question would go unanswered for more than a year. In a series of articles published from 1962 to 1964 in the JAOA, Dr. Northup pointed out that organized medicine had in fact legitimized the DO degree in the degree exchange. He alluded that despite being seen by some as inferior, the DO degree represented training equivalent to that of the “little MD” degree. The situation revealed an interesting and ironic twist of fate for a profession split over its very existence. In August 1962, Dr. Northup penned an editorial that was especially sharp. The California amalgamation was a complex affair. It was motivated by many factors, one of which was a feeling of inferior social status among some osteopathic physicians. In the wake of a poll of DOs outside of California that showed a surprisingly strong sentiment to retain the profession’s identity, Dr. Northup pointed out that the profession “has expressed its desire to bring increasing prestige to the DO degree rather than to accept an identification created by others.” This statement is as relevant today as it was when Dr. Northrup first proposed it in 1962. The California media conducted a survey of Californians on the fate of DOs in the state. The results indicated that most Californians were not happy with the elimination of the DO profession. Despite these poll results, Proposition 22 on osteopathic licensure was placed on the California ballot and passed by the voters November 6, 1962. With the payment of a $65 fee, nearly 2,400 DOs, including a majority of the signers of ACOFP’s founding charter, chose to be awarded “little MD” degrees as loyal AOA members called it. The measure also prohibited the California Board of Osteopathic Examiners from issuing any new licenses and would disband The American Medical Association (AMA) had decreed that only those graduates of the converted college who graduated after February 1962 would be deemed to have graduated from an accredited medical school. Prior graduates would not have an acceptable degree. Meanwhile, the AOA determined that any DO who accepted an unearned degree would most likely not be eligible for AOA membership.
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