Foreign physicians in the United States.

Abstract

To the Editor.— While endorsing Long's good recommendations for the training of foreign physicians in the United States ( 217 :688, 1971), I do want to raise a question about the 1966 data that he cites in his article for drawing the conclusion that 80% of foreign physicians came from developing countries receiving direct United States Foreign Aid. Unfortunately, Long does not give the source of his data. The AMA's recent publication entitled The Profile of Medical Practice—1971 indicates that of the 53,552 foreign physicians in the United States on Dec 31, 1969, over 24,000 (45%) came from European countries, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Israel, countries that are classified as developed. Physicians from Asia, the Far East, Middle East, and Africa (excluding South Africa), number about 20,000 or 38% of the total. Physicians from Latin American countries comprised 17% of the total. As of Dec 31, 1969, the United