The Wilmingtonian., 1883-06-16


of THE WILMINGToNIAN.
TO the President Of the Delaware State Medi
cal Society: The undersigned, fellow of the
Delaware State Medical Society hereby
brings to your notice the case of Dr. H. @.
Snitcher, whom l deem to be guilty of un-
professional conduct as laid down in the
code of ethics adopted by the American
Medical Association, and reafirmed by the
Delaware State Medical Society at its last
meeting at Rehoboth, in June, 1882, as fol
lows: Charge: unprofessional conduct.
Specifications:
First.-Holding, advertising and having
for sale patent medicine, called the ''Roy-
al Liniment," the trade mark for which is
on record at the United States Patent Office
as No. 6,966, registered January 21st 1879.
Application November Goth, 1878.
Second-Having secret nostrum which
he uses in his practice and advertises for
sale namely the ''Royal Liniment"
Third-Trading under the name of the
Royal Medicine Company.
The following reply to these charges had
been prepared by DR.. Sritcher:-
1t was my distinguished privilege in the
session of 1868 to be introduced to this So
ciety by the late DR.. Askew, but a combin-
alton of circumstances have conspired to de-
bar me the pleasure of since meeting with
you and it is needless for me to state that ex-
ceedingly regret that my first meeting with
so many of you is to answer the arraign-
ment of ''unprofessional conduct"
What is Unprofessional Conduct? What
constitutes unpi OCCASIONAL conduct? Of
what heinous crime stand accused?
If had been arraigned for a dscourteous
tire atm ent of my brother practitioners-if
had been arraigned for acts which tended to
bring our honored profession into disrepute
would have clothed myself in sackcloth
and ashes and promised penance for my
transgressions-but these are not the char
ges. 1t is not claimed that |, in any way OF
manner, whatsoever, have betrayed profes-
sional coniidence-it is not urged that any
professional interests have been jeopardized
by my course-no, no, the extent of my sin
ming has been that am interested in pro.
prietary medicine and that l am connected
with Drug Store.
am araigned upon charges which ma
terially concern neither this Society nor the
community at large.
A violation of the code of medical ethics
is the subterfuge behind which "delecta
BILE spirit sinks while he asks the estate
Medical Society to take part in his petty
squabbles.
The man who is always parading the hon
esty of his intentions is the man who will
bear the most watching and the individual
who is eternally talking about his fealty tt
the code of ethics generally pans out as {
full fledged ypocrite-unfaithful to hi
pledges, unworthy of belief and detestet
by his colleagues.
Only recently my iyormer Or. WSllar,
Spriager) so talSifed and so Slandered a .tello,
of tie State Medical Society aOhO scas also
member Of his Masonic Lodgei that he aOa
matted upon Ot his office and ,oaS Informed tia
If he did not bride his false and Uen0mou
tongue that he a0ould be guaranteed pulling o
his nose on the public streets
and DR.. Willard Springer is Me man ach
is eternally prating about Medical Ethics
tOhen not gossipping about other practitioners
Unprofessional conduct forsooth is til
charge-If this charge had been made by
clean handed man and with an honest in
tent it might have merited courteou
consider alton, but when we view 9Th
being" that instigated this charge and nc
tice the animns that prompted it we clair
that it is an outrage unparalleled in the his
tory of Medical Societies.
1t is pertinent to ask, why was this charg
brought? and what influenced DIR. Willar
Springer to make an onslaught on fello,
of this Society?
Some months since the party who ha
: formulated these charges was himse
& char ged by The Republican of this cit
with sleeping at his post as Port Physicia
and by his criminal negligence, Small-po
4 was introduced into this city and in our CT
S pacity as Editor of The Wilmingtonian W
# called public attention to the woeful der,
II LECTION of duty on the part of this incomp
), tent. We unhesitatingly declared that
was worse than folly to have for Port Phys
l. clan one who could not comprehend Il
d duties of his position.
: Instead of courting an investigation
| hia oourSa ba slr,,llrad into his wall xuon n