Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1882-05-26
ETHICS OF THE TWO SCHOOLS
OFTHE MEDICAL PROFESSION.

medical profession. He represents
what might be termed the bloody
shirt wing of his school OF medicine.
He wants no compromise with Satan or
any communication with the powers OF
evil. Evil communications corrupt the
profession and give eOuntenanee to en-
pireism and humbuggery.
DIR. GEORGE is not "mealy-mouthed"
in the expression of his convictions,
and upon a question Of medical ethics
he leaves no occasion to doubt where he
stands, or where to be looked for when
wanted. In discussing the question Of
holding consultations with the HomeO-
pathie school, in his address before the
Medical Association, he said:
IF we wish to throw aside al We
have been taught-if We wish to give the
lie TO u whole professional Eyes-if we
wish to say to the public that these men
whom our own experience and the expert
enCe of medical men for ages, as recorded IN
their writings, declares TO be in error, are
our equals and are worthy to be taken by
the hand of fellowship; ii we wish TO do
these things let Us say so. But II we wish
to be true 10 the teachings OF our fathers in
medicine and do not wish TO stultify all Of
our " past declarations and acts, then
let our delegates be instructed 10 give no
uncertain sound when called on TO vote on
this matter
He then refers to the action of the
New York Medical Society in abolish
ing the prohibition which custom or
rule has established among allopathS in
consulting with the disciples Of HAH-
NEMAN, and to the taunts which fol-
lowed from the press thatthe regulars
had been compelled to acknowledge
their error, and to call in hOmeopaths
in difficult cases, he concludes by
saying:
In critical and lingering cases. friends
for various reasons desire a consultation
between the attending physician and some
other practitioner. \ hOmUpath IS called
in. lie probably is as well educated in the
science OF medicine as the regular he is
called TO consult with. The two agree per
fectly as TO the nature of the disease and
so far act in harmony, but when they
come 10 the treatment OF the caSs-the part
which is really of the most vital interest to
the patient-fOr so far as he is concerned 1t
matters little what they call his disease 50
that ne can be restored to health by their
aid-they at once differ so radically that be
receives no benefit from their consultation
while they pocket his money n leave
him no better than they found him.
Would any honest member OF this
society sgTee 70 place himself in 3 position
of this kind? Deliberately enter into u
scheme TO rob a sick man by compelling
him To- pay fees for a consultation which he
knows will result in nothing but a disagree
ment between his physician and the per-
: he pretends TO consult with
Now, without discussing the virtue or
lack Of virtue there may be in the two
systems of practice, for We know moth
ing about either ofthem, it occurs to Us
that DR.. GEORGE gives his case away
upon the very ground upon which he
assumes to defend it. He agrees that
the HOmeOpath who is called in for
consultation may be probably as well
educated in the science of medicine as
the regular he is called 10 consult WITH"
and that 'the two" that is the Allopath
and the Homeopath, may "agree per-
fectly as to the nature of the disease and
so far act in harmony"
Ifthey do that, then certainly the
whole object of the consultation is &C.
cOmpliShed. Ii is a success. The pa
tient becomes assured by the deliberate
conclusions of the two schools that the
nature Of the disease is understood; that
no mistake has been made in the dag
nOsis; and that the accepted remedies of
whichever school he prefers are being
applied To his case.
The essential point with the practi-
toner is to determine the disease. To
make a correct diagnosis is nine points
in the practice ofany school. Disease
is half overcome when discovered. 1t
is not, as a rule, so much the fault of
the remedy, as the fault of the judg-
ment of the practitioner, that the disease
does not respond 10 treatment in a ma
jOrity of cases. The books will tell the
veriest quack what remedy to apply
TO 8 particular disease, but it re-
quires the intelligent discernment,
and sound Judgment of the ex-
perienced practitioner to detect
the peculiar character of the diseasa
and to measure the symptoms with
such accuracy that there may be no
mistake about the location and nature
of the disorder. The fact is that IN nine
cases cut often, il the sick patient were
sufficiently intelligent to determine for
himself the exact nature of his ailment,
he would not need any physician of any
school.
But now, il, as DR.. GEORGE admits,
1.-THE ~homeOpath Is as well educated in
the science Of medicine as the regular,
he is called to consult WITH" why, in
the name of reason, is no his opinion
and Judgment of as much value in such
consultation as if he belonged to the AL
lopath school? 1t is the condition ofthe
patient and the nature Of the disease
they want TO determine. The treat
ment is another and a secondary con.
sideration. 1t is only when the CON-
sulting physicians disagree as to the
character and location of the disease
that the treatment would probably be
changed. II they agreed upon
the diagnosis any number
of physicians of the same school would
probably agree upon and pursue the
same course of Treatment. If they dis
agreed upon the diagnosis then the at
tending physician would be enlightened
As TO the proper remedies-the remedies
and not the physician would require to
be changed.
To an outsider" this exelusiveneSs
between the two branches of the pro-
fession in the matter of consultations,
.Ioas SD,aok n 1itsla of what nr GEnpnr