Daily Yellowstone journal., 1888-12-29
Saturday, December 20, 1883.
THE PAY OF PHYSICIANS.
A Chicago Doctor Says the Fees Are
Smaller There Than Elsewhere.

smaller There Than Elsewhere.
THE reports of the splendid fees
paid DR.. Mackenzie for his attendance
upon the emperor of Germany are read
with interest by doctors all over the
civilized world. and by none more al
tentively than the Chicago men" said
a well known physician. "Of course
in this particular case the patients eX
allied rank made Mackenzie's pay much
larger than usual. Nevertheless, had
the patient been a private individual
instead of sovereign Mackenzie's pay
ment would have been many times
greater than any Chicago maj would
have received for exactly the same
work in this city. Take the opera.
ton Mackenzie performed with the
forceps. Here a man would have
received about SIS or SEQ for 1t. An
other operation which the crown
prince endured -traCheotomy Chi.
cage men charge 500 for, The fee
bill established in 1873 has undergone
little if any change. The maximum
and minimum charge for every opera
ton in surgery and general practice is
specified in II, There are a few men
here who a in their regular practice
ask higher prices than the maximum
rates, but you can count them on the
fingers of one hand. There are cases
in which the grateful patient adds
something TO the bill, but you may put
IL down as a fact that large fees are
taoapltT aaAlrnAtt-. 10 tla ,sn salr anI Eln
Of the profession. A%mputation of the
thigh is fixed at from SIS 10 $500. A
good fee would be $50. For the
removal Of cataract we are allowed TO
ask $50 10 $500. About 500 is what
the best oculists expect. A New York
man would get about $500. The lie
DIR. Agnew left the fee to his patient,
but never took less than $500. Fire.
quently he received $1,000. Nor are
the New York men, who charge from
three to five times more, the only ply
sicians whose fees are scaled higher
than ours.
I'm the south physicians are better
paid. In ST. Louis the earnings OF the
leaders are rich. So also is the case in
the west. You cannot find in those
localities men Of wide renown such as
we have here who make visits for e
and consult in their offices for 81"
"How large are the yearly earnings
OF the leaders in this cityf'
Considerable has been published
upon that point that is wide of the
facts. There are, | think. not over
half a dozen men whose income from
their practice exceeds $40, 600 or Sl2,-
600. They are mel Of the widest rep
utation who have been years in build
ing up a practice among a class Of
people that will pay a little above the
usual rates. Moreover, they are men
of sufficient business ability TO sue
coed in other walks OF life. If they
have grown rich il is out of shrewd
investments, not practice. There are
a large number who earn on the scale
from, say, sig, 900 down 10 $4,000.
Physicians consider themselves in
good practice if they collect S., 900 a
year. There are III the city about 400
regulars or allopathics, the same nun.
Der OF homeopathy, and from 1000 10
1,2OO doctors Of other schOOls-in all
about 2,uuO. This may seem a small
number for Il city OF nearly SOC, COO
people. On the contrary. II is Il large
number The great ma lorIly earn lar
below 5000. Many make les than
$1,000 per annum. OF course. energy.
push and close attention "a work viii
earn a man n livelihood ia medicine"
Chicago Tribune.