The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-01-15
That Eternal Doctor Bill.


To the Editor of the indianapolis Journal;
Mr.. Tonsen, commonly called Monsieur
Tonsen,' was persistent chap; no difference
how often you dismissed him, here he would
/ come again" and sometimes very much out of
season. In that he was like some doctors who
arrogate to themselves all the knowledge Of
medicine that anybody has right to, and who
though as often denied as they have often tried
yet they are willing to try again; heuce, here
they are, .'come again" with that ponderous bill
which is to allow nobody to practice medicine in
Indiana, unless he first proves to BOARD that
he or she is worthy and we'll qualified That
looks well ON its face, but it reminds
me of old Father Cravens, the pioneer
Methodist preacher of Indiana. He preached
one hot Sunday, in Kentucky, and went
home with a good sister for dinner
As he sat tanning himself with broad
brimmed straw hat the sister said: "Shall I
call niger to fan you. Brother Cravens?"
bat who'll fan the niggerW was the reply. 1t
might be nice thing to be certified to by the
"board," but who will certify to the boards
qualifications? Now, if the Legislature will
make this thing general, and protect the people
from quack preachers, and quack lawyers, and
Guack butchers, and quack shoemakers. it may
do, but while uneducated and unlicensed preach
ers like Moody, permitted to draw the
crowds at the expense of the learned divines
who have half dozen diplomas; or while liti
giant is permitted to employ a shyster instead of
a lawyer, II he wants to- or while may pat
ronlze cobbler instead of regular" shoe
maker or while we buy beef of farmer instead
of a regular" butcher, 1 protest against this
protecting of the people against themselves in the
matter of doctoring There are great many
schools of doctors and great many doctors of
very little schooling but who shall dare say
which of these shall or shall not employ2 The
State has just as much right to appoint board
to examine preachers as to examine doctors and
there are not few preachers who would be glad
to have just such board They would at least
break up some of those assemblies which call
themselves churches, even if they did not draw
the hungry lambs to their own folds and make
them feed upon indigestible Greek and Hebrew
The thing is absurd. The law would be dead
letter from the beginning for every man would
claim the right to be his own judge of what doc
tor should minister to his bodily wants, just as
he does to select the man to minister to his spir-
itual necessities The plea that it is to
protect the people is too thin. It is to build up
medical aristocracy. Governor Gray will never
sign such q bill. He has said as much in his in
augural He says that the world is already gov
erned too much, and he will be the last man that
shall say what preacher we shall hear or what
doctor shall bleed US, or what we shall eat drink
or wear, or who shall give it to us. He is
pledged to personal liberty" Talk about sump-
tuary lava; this would be the worst kind of
sumptuary law-to be made to swallow pills as
big as hazel nuts when we prefer pellets,
and sugar-coated at that. No, it will not pass
this Legislature, nor the next either if Governor
Gray lives u. L. SEE