Nebraska advertiser., 1859-03-10
= T5r The Advertsser-I
TO the People Of Nebraska.
.PAPER THIRD.

Ma EBTT0R-
In conformity with promise, I call the
attention Of your Nebraska readers to a
consideration Of the subject Of
medical men, with the confident hope Of
eIicitng the views Of the profession at
large, on this important and Interesting
subject.
Anew eountEY1 or strange community,
has ever been the refuge or asylum for
uniformed professional men, IN law as
wei as physics A field Of this kind has
many attractions tOa man who has not
completed a collegiate course Of study
settles down in a place where he Is not
known to a single individual, announces
himself as a physician, and Immediately
some unsuspecung patient falls into has
hands. No one knows his antecedants,
and il IS a most singular fact, few of Us
take any pains to find them out, resting
satisfied and contented for cur lives 70 be
committed to his charge-Of whom we
know nothing at al, have no evidence Of
previous qualification for the discharge Of
the responsible duties Of a physician, and
Of course. the risk Of such an act cannot
be compared with any other.
The West is a kind Of Botany Bay for
quacks of all trades. and especially It Is
the spot for "qUack DOCTORS" not that The
people Of the West are less enlightened
but are wholly unacquainted with each
others past history.
In my last l spoke Of the mOdus oPeT-
audi Of making true medical men, intim-
ating briefly the requirements Of every
candidate for the degree Of Doctor Of
Medicine. l now call your attention to
what some delight IN styling self-made
medical men. All physicians are self.
made to a great extent. Without rigid
system Of self-culture, the graduate of the
best school would fail In the accumulation
of genuine medical honors. / do not re.
fer to the graduate, but to that individual
who builds exclusively upon a self-madC
foundation, and IS not more than a few
days or months in completing the entire
edi6ce.
Instances are frequent all oTer Til
country where men have acted In the ca
pacity Of ne~ighborhoOd nurses for a brie
season, and without any other medica
education, have assumed the management
Of disease, protesting to be perfectly ia
miliar with the human system, In healtl
and disease, and fully competent to reg
ulate every disordered function. 1t can
not be denied much valuable information
can be obtained by the nurse, and thes.as
sistance of a person of this kind is i
many cases highly useful both to the me
dical attendant and the patient. Again
it IS a lamentable fact, many Of these gra
duates Of the NURSES school do not knoy
how to read and write their vernScuIa
language, but yet arrogate to themselve
the ability to comprehend the nature
human complaints, and to increase th
longevity Of life. This is strange, never
theless true.
Your attention IS called to a secoE
class of self made doctors" and legio
, is their name. These are not particular
{ Iy nurses. They have turned their after
ticn to medicine from various causes, th
most prominent Of which Is "they are to
D proud to work and too lazy to steal
, Money is their God, and consequent
2 they follow the practice Of Medicine, Nd
: to benefit mankind, but to fill their col
I fers with filthy lucre." Now, In Orde
> to accomplish their purpose, they subje
= themselves to as little trouble and expeI
> Sc as possible. Read some obsolete ire;
? tise on the practice of medicine, unde
standing none of the "hard Names" abb
however, by pausing a long while al
spelling, to gain some glimmering al
cloudy idea Of the meaning Of the acetho,
S In an incredibly short time they imagir
themselves preparation all medical enc
n gency, at least In a ~pecuniary point
view. lam Of the opinion that if maj
7 Of these home manufactured, domest
graduated, seIf-made doctors, would di
close the real incentive to the practice
Il medicine. you would find that it was m
ney-that they have taken it up as a sir
, pie trade, and are following 1t for no OF
er object-that they feel but little inte
est In the welfare Of the science, and ca
e less for the health and life Of mankind,
$ their sordd desires are a~ppeased.
+, VERITAS.
u