Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1885-04-18
DOCTORS FURIOUS.
Shall a Physician Tell he truth or
SOrt A Nice Point in Ethics.

4 Sensible Health CiHcia..
BALTIMORE. Nr-A decided SIR has Teen
caused here over tie question IS to the right
Of a phvsieia1 To- cer.ItE - tie merits Ct Q
remedy not IL the nolan plarIlaecpcaia.
Dr. Jane 4. Steual., on u tn most ell.-
Lcht physicians ii tire South, and Heath
Commissioner Of this city mad a~EaiyHd 3
newly discovered article. and c-rtlti Il Off
cialIv not only Il Is efficacy but 70 he fact
that ii replaced o~sft-tline preparations u q
s!milar character which. aIaiEseS Ea3 grsEe+,
were aiultaIatei and poisonous The lle u
cal and cEirur5f.al faculty, .. which L. Is Z
member. held thai h sai violated the euic
Of medical ethics. and li4ueu paa.I1 lnt~Ss
was aroused he aus u the roItle.e
felt both in his professional stan L
ing and Official integrity.
II vas argued that u thus place a hmita-
ton on the acts OF a physician ana especially
Of a health officer. was oppesct to lie sprint
Of the age: that such reasoning might have
been logical enough when it was to the inter
est Of rulers or societies II invest themselves
with a supernatural halo, but now when
thought should be free and untramnnelel, sub
things savoced of barbaris,n Il was Tho duty
OF a physician, especially OF a health officer,
to con Tenn publicly any remedy which lie
knew to be injurious, bu, it was not right 10
say that he should be debarred from testify
ing TO the merits Of anything which lie bne"
TO lie good. II this were SO. the world would
not receive the benefit OF half the discoveries
made in art or sCienl@. Thus the people ar
gued, While tie facu t; threatened expulsion
and talked Of tine-Eonored customs, ethics,
profe ssional courtesy and traditions.
But the matter soon assumed q new end
s~urprisil9 phase. A few days afterward a
certificate appeared II the daily papers 5ear-
ing the autograph signatures CT Governor
ncLane, Attorney-General roberts, Mayor
Latrobe, city postmaster Adrcon. chiefs OF
state and municipal d %partlnents, judges and
clerks OF courts, Federal officials aud Con
gress.nen. emphaticaly endorsing the action
Of the health commissioner, ANA Conlurrlng
in his opinion rs to the efficacy OF the remedy,
asserting that they did 50 from personal ex-
p~elience whit and practical tests AID obser-
vatlons-
There could be no gainsaying suchevideHce
as this, but, as il TO cap the climax, shortly after
ward there appeare | another cert III ate with
autograph signatures of leading pra@ticing
physicians from all parts OF the State, mciud
ing the physicians of all the leading hospitals,
the physician to the city fire department. the
port physician, vaccine physician and resident
physicians Of ~infiruhaTies all endorsing the
discovery and stating that it had been testei
by them in hospitals and private practice for
weeks with wonderful curative effect,
and that analyses had shown no trace Of
oplates or polsoDs, prevalent IN other
cough mixtures. They further stated that
they had been induced to take this step in
view of the many hu:tful preparations which
contained narcotics and poisons and of the
dangers consequent on their use. The rene
dy in question is Red Star Cough Cure. Such
a conclusive answer as this to the narrow ar
guments of the few. arrayed public sentiment
on the side of the Health Commissioned aid
it is significant that DR.. Steuart has since
been appointed to Office by the Mayor for a
third term, and has had his appointment
unanimously confirmed by the City Council
Owing to the high professional reputation
Of the gentlemen who endorsed his action, as
well as to the enviable standing Of the owners
IF the remedy, The Charles a. Nogeler ON
pany, OF this city, widespread interest has
already been created in the subject, not only
here, but in Philadelphia, Washington and
other neighboring cities. The feeling is
generally expressed by professional men that
Red Star Cough Cure, IN account Of its free
dom from narcotics and poisons, inaugurates
a most desirable new departure in medicine.
This is the pronounced opinion of authorities
like Dr.. Fawcett, who has been for
thirty-three years resident physician of the
Union Protestant Intirnary, IN this city, and
Professor John j. Caldwell, IL. d., member
of medical societies of Baltimore, New York
and Brooklyn, and with a long experience III
civil and military hospitals. Both Of these
gentlemen, together with no less than fifty
other practiciDg physicians OF Maryland
have publicly put themselves on record as tC
the evil OF narcotic medicines. and the conse
quent value and Importance Of the new discoy
cry referred to. It is conceded that public
opinion has completely indicated DR.. Steuar
in his action, and that in his whole course hl
was actuated simply by an earnest desire Il
benefit the community at large.