Minimum

You may argue, “Yes, it is true that we must take the ability of the applicant into consideration. However, is it all that important to admit only the crème de la crème of the youngsters? Or, isn’t it reasonable to admit schoolchildren who are really enthusiastic and are able enough to become doctors – although they may not be the most high flying few?”

That's a perfectly correct statement, but a few questions remain.

The first, and the more easy one, is this: Take aside the humanistic quality, what is the minimal intellectual capability that is needed so that one could study medicine?

Not low, of course. But neither is it incredibly high. In my experience, and I must declare I have some in this regard, anyone with an average intelligence could pass all examinations and graduate, sooner or later. (Alas, the really average ones may have a hard time for themselves - as well as their teachers!)

The second, but also more difficult consideration is: Should medical schools accept enthusiastic applicants with good enough but not-so-brilliant a capability?