The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1881-01-19

ple are so troubled as to need legislation t,ey are
pretty sure TO let the Legislature know IT, Tn.
truth Is they are not concerned In the. leSst in
plated now is an effort 10 create Medical Boan.s
with judicial powers, for the purpose OF coercinr
the. profession into Charging, exorbitant fees,
means 10 create rings and maintain Trades I'm
IONS among the doctors. compel tribute from the
weaker members 10 build up Colleges. and legal.
ize a code OF ethics
The people are as competent to chose their own
doctors rs their own preachers or lawyers and
they should be left TO their natural right No one
school faction of the profession has ever proved
that il Is any better than any other. Patients die
aud get well under ell alike. and Il is a grave
question whether in most cases nature will not do
better without any. Every doctor IS an expert
mentcr and Ii Is another serious question wheth-
er any experiment should be stopped If any are
good. Valuable discoveries often comefrom the
humber walks of life, and patients are under
scientific hands as elfectually as under the root
and herb teas" OF their grandmother
IL would be as consonant with the freedom OF
thought of progressive age to protect the people
against improper theology by law, and punish an
offending preacher, or TO exclude lawyers or
school-teachers from their professions for non-
classes of doctors from practice. The Constitu-
ton prohibits the union OF Church and State
Why should not the union OF medicine and State
Most of the bills require that graduates shall.
by examination, or evidence. or affidavit, obtain
a certificate to practice medicine. This is great
practitioners. The student who comes from lhe
country 10 the Medical College understands that
ir is incorporated by law; that it is authorized to
other fees that il takes his graduation fee of $50
and his Thesis" and gives him diploma which
states over the signatures OF the Professors that
cine The Student presimes that the Profes s1rs
are honest and have dealt honestly by him. and
he does not know but what he l. qualified. They
have asserted. in this diploma, that he Isl and II
he.is not, they have certified to a falsehood and
defrauded him of his money. II he should be
debarred from the practice by any examination
afterward, the College which gave such diploma
shuuld be closed and its charter taken away
There can be no question. under our State Com
stitution, as TO the right OF anyone TO practice
medicine who has received diploma In a proper
manner from a legally constituted authority or
Medical College, and no law can be constitutional
that is retroactive, and takes from him right he
has acquired under the law. II IL could, the Pro-
fessors of the College may be liable 10 prosecu-
ton for obtaining money under false pretenses,
certifying 10 falsehood 10 swell their gradua-
ton list or increase their receipts.
II the people were suffering for protective legis-
lation they would know it, aud ask for what they
needed. They don't ask Cor IL, and it is fair pre-
sumption don't need IL. What they do want Is
the right they have so far had-to do as they
please about their doctors. If their family physi-
clan fails after years of treatment to cure case,
they want the right 10 employ a woman
with her tea, an Indian Doctor Faith Doc
tor" or any one they please. And in a free coun-
try no man, and no Association, has me right to
restrain them, and say they shall not. So long as
those who wish to restrain them can't cure them,
they should not be allowed to play 1.-The dog in
the manger'' with the suffering.
Doctors despise the millions of dollars worth OF
patent medicines that are annually sold, and
would annihilate the practice if they could; and
there Is no question that the millions are worse
than thrown away. Yet the doctors seek no leg
iSlatiOn against them. Not one dares TO come
forward and ask It. They allow q man in New
York. or ignoramus anywhere, to make any
kind of connection he chooses. advertise IL broad
cast. and his own patients buy it. Why is it that
these nostrums can be sold unfortunately 10
all who want them. when the doctor that
makes them never the patient
who takes them and knows nothing of
his condition? and yet these bills seek TO prohibit
doctor of probably more knowledge from visit
ing or prescribing the same or any other medf-
cine. 1t is a strange inconsistency. and one may
we'll ask why il is so. II is because the druggists
and newspapers who profit by the sale and adver-
tsement OF patent medicines, and the myriads of
physicians. and will have them, stand in the way
of any prohibitory legislation against them. In
view of these facts. the efforts of the doctors 10
get the laws they want look contemplate as
inconsistent.
If a medical board should be appointed in any
case TO examine physicians, il should not be done
by the physicians To be examined and the Socie-
ties seeking ACKNOWLEDGEMENT by legislation saould
have nothing to do with IL. The appointment
should be in the hands of the Governor and de-
termined by competitive examination. Under
this arrangement the examinations of the Board
will not be affected by favoritisn and the selfish
interests of the medical men who clamor
Gus for legislation.