Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1878-12-16
m Doctor., side orfhe Question.

EDITOR Ledger; In your statement in
the LEDGER, Of Saturday, that DR.. Ess sis
withal a very genial and es.imable gentle
man, who stands high among his profess
sional brethren and the people" and that
he was one of the most faithful and eth
cient of the Howard physicians" you do
him but simple justice. DR.. Ess, during
the epidemic, was so attentive to his pa
tients, and rested SO little, that he fire.
ouently exhausted himself physically.
There are some statements, however, made
in your editorial Of Friday last, not cor
rected or referred to in your issue Of Satur-
day. and that do such gross injustice to DIR.
Ess that, as one familiar with the facts,
and as a simple act Of justice to DIR. Ess, l
must ask permission to correct them.
As medical director of the Howard As
ISOLATION. DIR. r. w. Mitchell agreed to
nav local physicians ten dollars per diem
each. simply to defray their expenses, to
attend the INDECENT who had the fever in
certain wards, with the right 10 attend to
their regular patients or Others who might
employ them and charge them for their
services. DR.. Ess was assigned to the
Third ward. w. Casper Smith lived two
and A half miles in the country, and not
on Main street. DIR. Ess' contract with
the Towards did not include Smith, for
two reasons; First. because he did not live
in the Third ward, and even if he had
lived there it would not have applied to
him because, secondly, he was not poor
and INDECENT and he lived IN the country.
DIR. Ess was called by Smith to attend
| his father and wife and chlld-all
Of them being i'll at different times.
He visited his father five times,
his wife eight times and his child twice.
| For the thirteen visits he paid his wife and
father he charged him $ll7-nothing for
the two visits he paid his child. The fee
bill adopted by the Shelby County Medi-
| cal Society" fixes the price for each visit
during the day at 50, and for each mile in
the country So, in ordinary cases OF sick
ness but for cases of smallpox, yellow
fever or cholera" double thess sums, He
could therefore have charged Smith So
per visit, but charged him only 50, and
Drs. Mitchell, Marable, Wise and Don
| ohue testified that his bill was reasonable,
and that the services he rendered were
worth what he charged him. With what
Justice therefore can you say that DR.. Ess
has been guilty of extortion? Whoever
informed you that DIR. Ess stated that
during the time he acted as a Howard
physician, his time and services belonged
to that association, and that he was paid
by them and that he had no right to make
any charge" stated what was absolutely
false. He never made any such statement
Your conclusion that if home physi-
clans had q right to charge those who art
able to pay their bills, volunteer physi.
clans from abroad have the same Legal
right to make out bills, is erroneous. AS
before stated, local physicians were to b.
paid $40 per day, simply TO pay their ex.
penses, with the right to charge those who
were able to pay. Volunteer physicians
from a distance were to receive $40 pei
day, and a horseand buggy for each, with.
out any right to make any additional
charges. Hence, | repeat your conclusion
was erroneous. But if it be wrong for DR.
Ess to charge w. Casper Smith, why DE-
you wish the Howard physician, who's
kindness you so warmly acknowledge, t
present his bill against yourself, and yol
will pay it2 You certainly do not wisl
him to commit q wrong. And if no
wrong for him to make out and presen
his bill to you'll how can it be a wrong il
DR.. Ess to ask w. Casper Smith simply t
do what you desire your physician to asl
you to do2
Your entire article is based upon tn
erroneous assumption that the immensl
sums Of money SO generously sent to tn
feyer-strieken South was sent as much 70
! the benefit of those who were able to pa.
= for medical attention and medicine as we.
7 as for the poor and INDECENT. l do nc
5 understand this to be the case. / do NJ
D understand that the people who so genel
= ously contributed their money for the n
' lief of the South sent it for the benefit
such men as w. Casper Smith, who
doing, and has been doing a lucratiy
business and is able to pay for all nece
sary medical attention and medicine, bI
to aid those who could not, and your stat
ment that you will pay your bill show
J clearly that you are of the same opinion
what you have said to the contrary no
withstanding. 3
Your "hope that the physicians will
moderate in their charges, and appe
rather to the generous feelings of the
r. patients than to legal measures" will
' gratifed. They perform more labor wit
Dc out compensation than those engaged
any other profession, or business, or cal
ing. Afew years ago a siillful and prom
inent physician OF this city testified
court that physicians did not collect mo
II than one-fourth of what they earne
three-fourths of their services being pur,
p. ly charitable. Before bringing his sui
DR.. Ess appealed to the generous feeling
oi Of Smith by sending him a bill much lie
than what he was entitled to, who n
only refused to pay any part Of it, b
m did not even treat his collector with r
spect. The old man could not make Il
Young "sauce-box" come down from h
apple-tree with tufts Of grass, al
he tried what virtue there was
stones. DR.. Ess found that there W
lis neither justice nor generosity in Smit
>, therefore he tested the strength Of the Ia
: and uncovered judgment. But why shou
9s physicians appeal TO the generous feelin
Of men any more than others2 Are tn
different from other menu And he
many of their bills would be paid if tn
always depended upon the generosity
TIC their %patients2 True courage has alwa
been regarded as conclusive evidence
noble manhood, and the physicians W
so nobly risked their liver in the perforl
ne ance of their duty during the recent q
"a demic, who worked day and night in t
the face Of almost certain death, gave t
7 highest evidence Of courage, and deser
- to be paid for their services. They
nd serve more-they deserve a monume
". erected to their honor that their mol
ho deeds and dauntless heroism may neN
i be forgotten. M. D. w
lis smoke HendersOn's