Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1882-03-07


does not possess" In this view II
cAn be said that all professions
have their quacks. But how is II
that profession which requires
the most study, the widest range
OF knowledge and special aptitudes,
should be just the one " hich hat
~ many or more quacks than any
other one? This is entirely owing
to the ignorance of the general
public. 80 we see this social sore
more frequent and active in com
munities where education has done
the least 10 fortify intelligence,
Tell me the number of quack ply
sicisns In community, and 1 will
tell you the degree Of its intelli
gence.
A quack physician on the look.
out for a field Of operation, arriving
in village met q chance aequaint.
ance, when the following CONVEX.
6atiOn ensueu:
"What is the population of this
town and its surroundings"
"About 1900"
"Ars they rich?"
"They are in easy circum'
stances"
"Iam much tempted to settle In
this country"
"But we have already two tai
ented doctors here"
"How many among the inhabi-
tants are intelligent and wise PEG.
pie?n
"About Is; perhaps 90"
"Now, that lie large proportions
but anyhow the twenty will be
for your physicians and the rest
will Dc mine" and be stayed.
The most stringent laws, framed
by the most Intelligent Legislators
will always be dead letters as long
as jurIes are not equal to their
task. The man who practices le-
gally Q liberal profession can ex.
pect but partial aud plete
protection from juries who often do
not understand the social bearing
of the evil submitted to their ex-
animation; their decision therefore
is more or less tainted by uncon'
scious Partially, and instead oil
condeming in the name of the law
they often absolve in the name oil
liberty.
What favors the development OF
medical quackery among the
masses is certainly the belief that
to be physician it is sufficient to
have the will and not at all neces.
sary to make special, expensive
fatiguing and dangerous studies.
my son is not smart enough to
continue my trade" said grocer,
II think I will make q doctor oil
him."
A rag-picker being sick sent fol
aphysican. In the course of the
conversation the doctor ventured
to say that medicine was hard
and ungrateful profession in which
Il was difficult to earn living; te
which the rag -picker, whose affairs
were very prosperous, replied
"My dear sir, you must have pa.
thence; indeed, every one cannot
have the necessary capacity to be
good rsg-picker."
In 1854 I knew good, honest
workman, gay companion; and al
though the photography of his bills
was very picturesque, he was not
lacking in intelligence and did ex-
celisnt work. / gave him my GUS
tom. He mended my shoes for
nearly two years. One morning,
when reading the San Francisco
Herald, saw, among the medical
cards, this notice, of which [ give
you q copy: II still offer my val
uabIe services, if you are so unfor-
tunate as to require them. With
. mind matured and enriched by
studies of an advanced order, l can
safely say that there is not dis
ease in the catalogue of human ills
that / cannot treat to q successful
issue. No ease Is beyond my con /.
troll" Then followed the name of
my shoemaker.
30 here we have an honest fell
low, who between the setting and
rising Of the sun, without any ed
ucation, without being able to
spell correctly in his own Lam
guage, acquires, for $4, by the au-
thority of u newspaper, the right
of life or death over his fellow crea-
tUres; and he made money!
About the same time the follow
Ing appeared in the papers: "It is
important to the afflicted to be
careful of the many pretended doc.
tors who infest all the cities, pub
fishing their skill in curing all di.
seases in q few days. Be careful, OF
you may fall into the hands of those
charlatans, but come to DR.. -
he has no acquaintance with any
Of the San Fra ncisco quacks, nor
does he associate with the m; he
never fails OF effecting a quick and
radical cure"
A fish dryer and packer also
having become a learned doctor
and celebrated practitioner by
newspaper authority, announced
b. q proclamation, urbi and orb,
that "when the most skillful ply.
sicians can render you no assistance,
when the door of hope will be
closed against you, when no ange
OF mercy can bring you relief
come to DR.. = In no case
will he fall of success" So reads
the advertisement.
His promises were certainly very
fine; but there Is one surprising IL
impudepce anything we have ever
seen: "The innumerable cures tina,
DIR. y y has performed prove
him to be the man who is accus
toned to treat all diseases, anC
who fairly cultivated his natural
powers for the improvement of bis
science. In the rapidity Of bi:
cures he initiates nothing from the
others. DIR. has no all
of sslf-spprobstion to extort APP
plause, but performs his operations
In that calm, solemn manner
which porsuadee mOat eIoouentIv