The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-01-15
alis6sIIantuns


we make tle following extract from
an siiicle published in the 1fed. &
Surg. Reporter from tic pen Of Dr..
MagelIies Of lndiaua vs. advise every
physician 70 read il, for It is bFim full
Of good wholesale truth. k
" ID IS singular, that notKithslaud-
ing medicine has kept pace with sIl
other sciences N this unprecedented
age Of advancement, the profession
should cling TO code Of ethics As little
suited, in many respects, to the times
and state Of society. as would be the
laws Of the Aedes and Persisns. Its
rigid arbitrary rules frequently cause
delays, and as often compel the regular
physician to decline consultations which
may involve the safety and cost the life
OF the ignorant and unfortunate patient.
who has called in the irregular practi-
fioner, and favorable opportunities are
thus lost to the skillful medical man Of
triumphing over ignorance and put
ting quackery to flight By this code
no physician is permitted to advertise,
and in this way present his claims to
the confidence of the people in an in-
telligIble manner. 1t matters not what
his requirements may be, he must keep
it a profound secret, and wait patiently
IN his Office for some fortuititous cir
cumstances to occur, which percbancs
may develop the fact that he Is qualified
TO practice his profession. And in this
way the entire leverage Of the printing
press is thrown into the hands of the
implldent montebsnk, who feasts merri-
ly on the credulity Of the public.
The young lawyer is not only per
mittsd by the rules of his profession 10
give references in his card, but to
volunteer in state cases and deelsim be-
fore a crowded audience, and IL be is
a man Of genius, a single effort Is sufi-
cient to usher him at once into lucra-
tiyepractice. But strange to say, medic
al ethics enjoin upon their yotsries the
strictest silence on pain Of disgrace by
election from ali professional intercourse
The result is, that the accomplished
young physician who has been educated
up to a morbid sense of professional
honor, shuts himself up in his sanctuns
almost afraid to put a modest sign at
his door or card in a paper, for fear of
being called a quack; and there penny
less waits for practice, or rather for the
community to smell him oItt, until driven
by dispair to some other employment or
perhaps to ruinous dissipation. But
again, il has become very fashionable
with the stickles for the medical code
to seR partnerships. If this is not max
ing merchandise of the noble calling
what isl Under this arrangement any
young son Of 1Hsculspius with not over
a thimbleful Of brains, but who is for
tunate enough to be the possessor Of q
few thousand greenbscks can go to the
CITY, buy partnership, aud be imme-
diately introduced by his established
partner as one of the most skilful
practitioners, and the lives of the peo-
pie placed at once in his hands. But
woe betide the poor but talented young
dostofw who goes with the expecfahOd
of rising by his native powers, there
are no partnerships for him, they are
reserved for the next rich fool who may
chance to hear of the acknowledgements
held out by the fraternity for his class.
And in this way the brightestintellects
arc driven oukand the people doomed
to receive into their families and intrust
their lives to men Of the most ordinary
capacities. The specialist is also auster-
sized by the bigoted zeslot of the medic
al code, although It should be appear
ant to every intelligent physician that
the profession is more indebted to this
class Of practitioners than TO any other
for discoveries in the treatment of
large number of diseases. And that q
physician can certainly become more
proficient in any one class of diseases
by devoting himself exclusively to their
study and treatment than by tho gener-
al practitioner. This OfFense consists in
advertising in order that the public may
know something Of his skill in his
peculiar department, aad It would be
difficult to tell how it could be other
wise discovered before he would have
ample time 10 starve. The only reason
given is what may be properly termed
this antiquated code, for prohibiting the
profession from the use Of the public
printing press, is, that it is the practice
of emperics to advertise. This cogentI
argument would apply equally well in
regard to eating, drinking, and sleep
luz, all of which should be done Of
course, in different manner from that
practiced from quacks. But if the
printing press enables the ignorant pre-
tender to ride rough-shod over the
scientific physician, what would it not
accomplish in the hands Of the latter !
Would it not enable him to drive the
former out of his neighborhood Most
assuredly It would. Then 1 contend
that the only remedy for the evils Of
quackery is to ua5nd the hands Of tie
profession, and to permit It to defend
aself vith tie deqdty 0e0ponS nOW being
used Nth such success By It's enemies. +"