The Portland daily press., 1871-02-09
DAILY PRESS.

PORTLAND.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1871.

The Qualifications of Physieinns.
Our Augusta dispatch of yesterday stated
that the fate OF the ''act TO regulate the quail
fcations of practitioners in medicine and sur
gerry now under consideration by the Judic-
airy Committee, is somewhat uncertain
There is no doubt great deal OF opposition
to the bill. When the subject was first
preached we shared in the msapprchensioh
that, we feel confident, is at the bottom Oh
this opposition. We supposed that the move
ment WAS an effort on the pait oil Inc so7eal-
ed Irregular practitioners, VINO constitute
something more than three-fourths OF the
whole medical force OF the State, 10 prescribe
the so-called irregular" practitioners. Upon
reading the bill, however, we were surprised
to find that there is not the slightest founda-
tion for such conclusion. Its object is not
to prevent quackcry by the adberents of any
particular school Of medicine, but by those of
all schools. 1t contemplates the prescription
oil no class of physicians whatever. It's sure
ly notsunreasonable that all who are entrust-
ed with responsibility so weishty and SO
S-N---N'
should be required to possess an acquaintance
with the elements Of those branches of knowl-
edge, like anatomy, physiology, pathology
materia medica, obstetrics, chemistry and sur
gerry that lie at the foundation OF all the
systems alike. Such elementary knowledge
is all that is required. Some standard being
necessary, what more appropriate one could
l,o fva al 4 bap fha -
at the time of his graduation in the only med
ical school in Maine? No one can complain
that the standard is too high. Many prom
ising young man just beginning his profess
iOnal life has found to his cost that the public
did not overestimate the extent of his acquire
ments, though he had just received his diplo-
ma. Nor is the standard an invidious one
The General Council, body selected in
such way as TO enable all the leading schools
OF medicine to be represented therein, is au-
thorized to register persons who possess &C
quiremcnts equivalent TO the standard above
mentioned. They may obtain their knowl
edge al any school of any medical sect or out
side of all schools. The following provisions
of Sec. IS show in a striking manner the i'm
Partially of the proposed law:
1t shall be unlawful for the general council
to impose upon any person. proposing to reg.
ister or Offering himself Tor examination an
obligation to adopt or refrain from adopting
the practice of any particular theory of medi
cine, las lest or condition of admitting him to
examination or OF granting a certificate of
qualifications.
1t appears from this section that under The
proposed law there is nothing to prevent any
one that so elects from curing people by in
carnations or the beating of tom toms. There
is no possibility that any Jealousy on the part
of majority ofthe General Council will ex-
clude from the benefits OF registration anyone
who possesses the very moderate require
ments demanded as a condition precedent.
A celebrated traveller says that he found in
Africa tribe where the medicine man" had
procured from European traders some copies
of the New York Tribune, which he had boil
ed and given to bis patients with results sur
prisingly favorable. If school believing in
the valuable therapeutic effects of boiled Tri-
bune should ever arise here it would not find
any restrictions placed upon the freedom OF
its practice by reason of the stringency of the
provisions of the act we are considering. Ii
the adherents of the new theory should con-
tend that the success of their indictments is
due to the magical yirsues of the printed char
acters, and, accordingly that all knowledge on
the part of the persons administering them in
regard to the human frame, the symptoms of
different diseases, the properties OF medi-
pinas and fhn a6 lot Of n
ends, the reply would be that as
precautionary measure the act should never
theless be enforced. The man who admins
tiers the detection would certainly be none the
worse for little knowledge of matera medi-
ca. Possibly he might be good deal safer
family physician. The tonic effect of one of
Greeley's campaign editorials Especially if
that veteran Journalist had personal contro
velsy on his hands, injudiciously administered
III too large or too frequent doses, might be
something rightful. The astringent qualities
of those bitter protectionist articles in which
the free traders are accused of accepting
"Britsh gold" might also be unpleasant. In
whatever way physician practices it is bet
ter that he should possess such information
as will enable him in possible emergency to
exercise some discrimination. Not to be able
to do so constitutes quackery, whether the
physician belongs to the Irregular" or ''irregg-
ular" schools of medicine. To prevent even
the appearance of hardship the bill does not
go into effect for two years, so that all who
have not now the requisite qualifications may
obtain them.