New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-05-08
PHYSICIANS AND PLUMBERS
GOOD RESULTS OF THEIR REGISTRATION
WHAT DIR. srURGIs THfyEs OF THE LAW CONCERN.
ISG DOCTORS PROSECUTIONS UNDER Tim,
WORKINGS or TIE LAW IN REGARD tn

DR.. Frederic r. Stur0is, president Of the Media,
Society Of the County OF New YORK. in conversati
With reporter of THE TRIBUNE recently eynressn1
in unequyOcdl terms ms opinion to the excellen,
effect OF the law requiring the registration of iii
practising physicians in this state. YiOationso 80
this law. which was passed Nav -. 1850 arr NM VI
shabe on conviction Of the first offence bv a 6n
Of not less than $50 nor more than 500; and for
second offence by fine OF no. less than SIoa "a a
| more than 5000. or by imprisonment Tor not iess
than thirty nor more than ninety days or bv Lo,I
| fine and imprisonment. By this law phvsc;e.n
| coming from Outside the State are Obliged ~
| register their diplomas IN some medical coege IN
the State, winch is thus made sponsor for the an
| pcanJ before he can register. Registration Prov,
| where the physician was graduated and whether or
! not he Is entitled 10 practise
THE law is directed against large class sail
| Dr. SurgIs, and has proven especially beneficial
i'm exposing and bringing to grIei such ImpO,tor. "a
| the Buchanan graduates. II Ia. been made
effective in this city by tie Indictment and prose.
| cutton by tie County Medical society, through L.
{. Ripley its counsel. of men practising with bogus
| diplomas. or without any diplomas at all. by our.
action we nave stopped a great many persons
| who for various reasons were disqualified 10 prac-
| tlse, and We have stopped 10 great extent tho
operations Of prescribing druggists AL OF nearly
all OF our regular PHYSICIANS are now registered. az
| required By law. Tie number OF these | do not
| know"
"What prosecutions for violations of the law
! haze you now Oh hand - was asked.
Several cases are under consideration. and will
| receive attention IN due tlme Abram l.. Cox
our pioneer case, and he Is $50 the first man
have had indicted for "A second offence. lie was A
paper-hanccr by trade. but mad diploma which
he had bought from the deiunct Medical school az
CastletOn Vt. On his promise to take down his
SIGN and not practise any more. we have deferred
sentence the second Indictment, which Is prison
offence. Flower and johnson, who were recently
tried. pleaded guilty; the former was fined 500
and the latter so, and each paid The hnc The
trial OF Settler is postponed until the principal
witness fol- the prosecution Is released from tue
penitentiary. August Funean, vino was IN.
dicted for malpractice. having killed n child aud
nearly killed the mother forfeited MS bail.
"What all reputable physicians want, continued
DR.. SturgiS, J" is that the public should insist on
certain and proper safeguards They don want
the sins of the ignorant quack f0lsted upon them
Now this winter | have been IN Albany where
had to night for the life of this bill requiring regis
trati0n. and it was barely saved from repeal. My
object I'm going 10 secure the passing of a stll
more stringent bill, by the terms OF which a
diploma wonld not enitle Its owner 10 registration
until he had first passed an eNimnaton by state
Board By the terms of the proposed bill all schools
OF practice pnt on the same basis. IN which all
alike would require the same certificate as 10 quail
fcat!On and education, although each candidate
would elect in which school lie would be examined
The Old pIeiulIces are broken down and are now
practically a dead letter. Ever since 1906 they
have been constantly tlnkering with the laws re-
latng to medicine and surgery IN this state; as
soon aS a good law has been put IN practice they
have gone and repealed il. These questions affect
the public more than they do the physicians. The
public has complained thai we were lax IN our
efforts to secure coed laws; now when we offered
them such law they not only did not want II, bat
bitterly opposed il. They appeared before the com
nlttee nj Albany and claimed. IN regard to the law
of 1850 which they sought to repeal, that 1t was
unconstitutional aud opposed 10 the split OF Re-
publican Institutions 10 place any restrictions on
any person TO the business or profession by
which he would earn living. and that II was also
unconstitutional to place any restriction on eth
zen in selecting v HON he would have 10 prescribe
for HIM IN sickness. Now, what could one say %
such arguments a. these It was OF no use 10 urge
that the law steps in and says T. the architect You
shall not put M house which VIII endahger the
lives OF Its occupants, anu 10 the plumber. lou
must do your WORK N such way as not 10 lnluie
health: but II the people want To DE humhuggod hy
quacks they are the principal sufferers. Tho
strcter the law the better 1t Is Tor educated anu
conscientious Practitioners,
Recently the County Medical Society received
y Communication from the on lnlttee hygiene
highly approving the working OF the new law
requiring the registration ot plumpeis An
effort is being made to repea! this law, or %
features The County Medical society passed
resolutions disapproying the proposed changes.
DR.. Janeway, member OF the Comnlitee on
Hygiene, and until recently a member 81 the board
of Health. said TO TRIBUNE reporter that he
thought the registration OF plumbers had been
general. Master plumbers OBJECT 10 the rcgstra-
ton OF iOurneymen,' he remarked because when
Ourneymen have received their certlncates II Il
claimed. they will set MP for bosses. People would
hire them because they could be got for less money
than the master plnmbefs ana 50 me ll'tGf Noup
lose many of their fat contracts. This Is the aIen-
ment urged by those who want the law notified;
The opponents of the law, who want II repealed
altogether, are those men who are not AS scientific
or rs perfect wOrkm Ell aS the quicter men who be-
leve that this a good provision. The Academy
oupOse any change. believing the law gOOu one ~
IL stands There mas been marked Improvement
in all plumbing work done, esDee tally IN Che WORK
pat into the poorer class OF bindings In several
cases the old Plumbing has been torn ont and To-
placed and the Board of Health insists on having
the plumbing 80 put IN that 1t shall al all times be
readily accessible for repairs and open to lnsDec-
ton. This last point consider to bee of the highest
importance Another reform under the operations
OF the law Is the thorough ventilation OF all pipes,
preventing the entrance OF what is called s'wer'
gas: also the putting OF trap between the house
and the sewer. There has been an increase IN tao
cost OF plumbing work, but II Is more than prol or
touateiy better The work must now comply win
certain fixed conditions; heretofore have known
ignorant plumbers 10 arrange their pipes 50 that
they would take in the sewer gas Another M
portant ea;nre is the great care now Ia ken that
the yentating shafts winch run through 10 the
roof of tenement houses shall MOI be connected with
the sewer. We must have better water supply;
the evil effects of bad plumbing are lnenSlhei ten
fold hy the lack Of water. People think II they DO
nor use their basins and closets they all right;
in this they are mistaken. for the truth l. that
when in dIsuse the trap be ONES direct means OF
communication fol all the foul odors OF the sewer
the trap must be thoroughly flushed daily II not "a
use. or else the plumbing must he removed we
must have more water-thcTe Is no sense III gaugihS
Our water supply by the quantity used by sons
European cty-or else cnt ont the PLUMBING IN
parts Of buildings winch the lack OF water renders
Another thing in which am very much inter-
estcd at present" said Dr. Janeway. " IS the cree
ton of a proper hospital for contagious diseases
under the control OF the Board of Health, IN ne
city proper. nONpttdI scarlet itNtl ntPt"0''a
and measles should be situated so as 10 DO away
with the necessity, often fatal in It's results o
moving patients suffering from the disease, ndhcd
the long distance thoy now have to 20. They can,
not be moved with the same mpunify a cases OF
smallpox and other cOntagiou, diseases, IN lhe
hospital for their should be Is accessible a.
possible" ,L
Have you a suitable site in mind y asked tho
reporter 49,.
would suggest that the dog-pound DE torn
down and proper hospital be erected IN IL pace
IL Is 500 IT 500 feet away from the nearest uuAo'
ing and the street is not much used.
LESSONS FROM EuERSDN
r...c, NJ Pullman prpnehpf yes.