Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1879-07-23
About the Doc ors.
KNOXVILLE, July Goth.

fat contradiction.
/ Ordinarily, scurrillous remarks
do not deserve to be given SO m y
dignity as is accorded in an eliclted
reply; and, since the sarcasmS OF
Moliere, expressions of dlreSpect to
the attainments of medical men are
so common from unappreciative ca.
naeities. that it is useless for a
member of the medical profession
to attempt to eonfute the express
sions, or to rebuke the perpetrators
of them. a g
4 The remark that @the whole
medical profession have been driven
to the wall, and they. admit they
don't know anything about yellow
fever, is, itself, not deserving a
contemptuous smile. But its envir
ronments give it a body pregnant
with evil, and endowed with
strength to accomplish harm, con-
stitute it an emissary disseminating
error, destroying confidence in OBJ
servers and observations, de-
.stroying reliance on records and
study, promoting encouragement to
the great crowd who, ignoring syn
thetical and analytical reasoning,
readily adopt, and are guided by,
the. view commonly entertained for
the time being-promoting the, by
far too usual, habit of men, not to
inquire, not to Investigate, not to
think liinnk. 10 tUg0331 81 lla.sa3A5aJ
The remark was made by an in
dividual exercising social Influence,
and who occupies some prominence
in municipal affairs. It was made
in a session Of the City Council,
specially called to more elaboration
than belongs to the routine of reg
ular sessions, and by member of
the Council, elected by a handsome
majority of his fellow-citlzens of
the ward in which he lives.
In the published proceedings of
that session, each member who
made remarks is designated as
Alderman. Such a one, except in
the instance of the enunclator Of
the proclamation, affirming the ig-
norance of the medical profession.
DIR. Tadlock and Dr.. Park, prac-
ticing physicians, were present, and
made remarks as members of the
Municipal Board of Health. In
common with them, the maker of
Of the offensive remark is designa-
| ted as DR.. In the beginning Of
this communication l have, without
intending any dlsrespect, italicised
the DIR. before the name of the
speaker who prompted this writing
1t is done to fasten attention on the
fact that he is Doctor of
Dental Surgery, and not of
medicine, that the title may not
mislead the people, and give i'm
portances to the defamation of the
medical profession, and that the de-
famer may be protected from the
charge of affiliating with birds which
befoul their own nests, albeit his
vocation is auxiliary to, and within
the curriculum of medical study.
However worthy the D. D. S. dis
charges the duties deyolying on
him-and in this particular he's
under the tongue of good report
the medical profession can not be
held responsible for his deficiency
in knowledge in the profession of
practitioners of medicine; neither is
he thereby any better qualified to
| judge correctly of matters and sub
jects wholly foreign to the moulding
of plate, and the pressing Of plugs.
Yet itmust be acknowledged that
the title of Dr., probably, had much
weight with the appointing power,
in assigning DR., Harris. to the chair
manship Of this very important com
mittee of hygiene, rather than any
| profound consideration of his emf
nent fitness for the place. This, is
of course, assumed, but has the
ground of knowlege on the writer's
part, that there are members-at
least one-who has been famil-
Jared with the hygienic work
In other, and more extreme municin
palities than Knoxville. Let
this be as it may, the proposition is
one which carries the idea that he
who fills it is certainly competent to
pronounce the good or bad charac-
ter Of the minds and requirements
of men whose business it Is to Crap
pie with the diseases Which the Gu.
.rators Of hygiene should strive to
prevent. Yet in this instance medi-
cal men are justified in thinking
the position is not the criterion by
i which the chairman capacity to
Judge of men or measures not with
In the area Of his vocation, is to be
determined. A man may be good
dentist without the least ability to
determine a nuisance, or compre-
| hQnd tho &c