Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1868-06-24
our pTedIcated Friends.

Of the old, regular school, in Ohio,
nave been having a good time at
Delaware, in this State. The annual
meeting Of the State Society was held
last week at that place, and. although
the drlnklng was not so good-being
white SUI phur water generally, for
Delaware IS a moral place, and abhors
strong drinks-when you ask a fellow
in Delaware what he will take. he
responds, in a solemn, sepulchral voice,
that he will take the pledgeralthough,
we say, the drink was mild. the eat
ing was excellent, and our friends had
the luxury of row.
With the medical profession there
is no greater luxury than q row. A
fierce. bitter personal contest IS meat
prefer that, any day, to a complicated
case of typhus, or q compound frac-
ture. 1t bothers US entirely to know
what there IS in the study of medicine
to make man pugnacious; but such
is the fact. We remember in the army
that the most restless, plucky and
quarrelsome among, we will not say
nou-combatants, but the entire army,
were surgeons. Good fellows they
were, working like mules; ready, at
any hour of the night, to amputate
your leg, or empty your canteen, but
quarreling all the time. They were
rowing with brother officers, rowing
with Government oficias, rowing with
each other until the Canadian boat
song of
Row. brothers. row."
came to be their unceasing refrain.
"Good Lord, surgeon" exclaimed poor
ROsecrans, one day, cant you fellows
fight without Quarreling 70 Fight,
certainly, fight in a minute, but they
could not forego the luxury of a dis
cussion.
On this occasion the disturbance
arose from the fact that an eminent
surgeon Of this State complained of
the free and easy way in which doctors
we're created. Medical colleges, every
where, turned out, he claimed, no
end of young gentlemen but half made
up as physicians, to pray upon the
community, and in proof of this as
serted that during the late war eighty
per cent, of surgeons were rejected on
account of incapacity. While the doc
tor was undoubtedly right in his asser-
ton of general incapacity, he was
unfortunate in his proffer of statistical
information and on this last his op-
ponent took him up, and at it they
went, hammer and tongs; or rather,
We should say, lance and scalpel. 1t
is a pretty fight, and the brother ply
Icians enjoy it hugely.
We confess to 3 warm side for the
gentlemen Of the regular school.
Whatever may be said on the score of
their jealous bigotry as . class. and the
inclination to old fogyism that natura-l
ally develops in a school, yet the
world owes the profession debt that
can not soon be fairly estimated, let
alone paid. 1t has gathered up and
brought down to US vast stores of
information connected with disease.
1t helped on civilization, by giving rs
a clearer knowledge of our physical
condition, its wants and care. 1t has
made for itself a high character for
honor, while the real study and prae-
tiee of medicine tends TO make a man
brave and self-reliant. The truest and
most reliable men, in all well defined
works of reform, are physicians. Their
recognized standard of morals Is very
high. We have known msny-s poor
fellow, with a large family, only one
remove from starvation, bravely strug- |
Cling on, when BY a slight turn to
quackery be could realize fortune.
The fact, however, has come to be
patent, of late, that the standard of
intellectual attainment is not so high |
as that of moral conduct. Our medi- !
cal colleges are poor, being dependent
on the students, and the temptation !
to graduate many is too great for the
jealous care that ought to guard the
entrance to 50 responsible q position.
These colleges ought to be handsomely |
endowed by the State, and the course
of study made adequate TO the high !
aim of the profession.
There, we say no more. We have
limited enough to bring upon our de-
voted heads the indignation of the
regulars, the wrath OF the irregulars,
and howls from the detectives. We
are not afraid; come on-one and all
with your lsnces, scslpels, and other
instruments not to be men
toned in a family journal pour ont
your vials of wrath and physic. We
are in good health, thank you and no
man need fear the doctor, so long as he
is on end and Well.-DONN PIATr, IN
Cincinnati Chrouicls