The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1873-10-02
MEDICAL PRETENDERs.

MEDICAL PRETENDERs.
1t has always been considered within
the province Of legislation to prescribe
the means of preserving the public
health, and competent officers have
been legally employed to compel such
obseryaaces as are necessary 10 AVOID
epidemics and contagious, The bene'
fits of m edical science in these respects
have been often demonstrated, but those
who have escaped are too seldom dis
posed to render thanks to the skill and
thoughtluluess that warded from them
the danger Of death. We cannot doubt
that the comparative exemption OF our
city from the ravsges Of cholera during
the past summer, and the promptitude
with which the disease was checked
upon the several occasions when 1t
seemed TO have obtained q foothold
here, are largely due to the precautlon"
a-y measures adopted by the health Of
ficer and the readiness with which the
people complied with his sugges'
tons concerning sanitary precautions.
There is another matter intimately
connected with this which it seems to
us is worthy Of popular attention and
perhaps of legislative action. 1t will
scarcely be denied that as much TECH
nical knowledge is required to qualify
an Individual for service as a phyisi-
clan as to manipulate steam engine
or pilot a boat. And ye: in the one
case we require engineers or pilots to
serve long term Of instruction and
pass rigid examination before they
are licensed to exercise their calling.
while no conditions whatever are inn
posed by law upon the man who calls
himself Doctor and advertises his
ability to cure al the ills
that flesh is heir to. A me-
chauic must serve an apprenticeship
before we consent to employ him as the
master workman Of difficult job, and
p LAWYER must have undergone long
course of arduous study before he is adj
mitted to the bar and placed in position
10 take charge of suit, but anybody
can assume TO be physician and fill
his pockets with money obtained
from the unfortunates whom he
has been permitted to dupe.
The human body is q machine far
more intricate than any Of finite work.
manship; its health is more important
than the successful issue OF any legal
contest; but while we are unwilling to
commit ourselves and our fortunes to
the care of incompetent engineers and
bungling lawyers, we flock to the offices
of medical charlatans and psy our
money to pill-pounding quacks. We
swallow with complacency the doses
prescribed by men who are actually
ignorant OF the properties OF the drugs
whose names they have misspelled in
their prescriptions, and who are apt to
tell the astounded patient that his oS
fronts is depressing upon the al rG!orsm
and that it will cost heap Of money TO
bring him safely through the crisis.
From such miserable pretenders the
people want protection. Medical So
cieties have been formed, composed OF
conscientious and skilful and trust-
worthy men who are anxious TO main
tain the high standard of profession
which exacts from its competent
members greater self denial and per-
sonal heroism than any other in the
whole round OF human employments
and all empires are excluded from
recognition, or membership IN these
associations. But they still ply their
vocation outside and in spite of the
medical societies and still find dupes
who consent to be at once poisoned and
robbed. Certainly this is matter worthy
oflegislative attention and we therefore
commend it to our representatives as
calling for as stringent . law for the
protection OF invalids as that which re-
lates to the sale of intoxicating liquors.
Let physicians be required 10 have
some knowledge of the healing art be-
fore being licensed TO serve the COM
munity, and the public health will be
improved and .imposters will cease to
thrive.