The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-02-23
THE MEDICAL LAW.
Designed to Make an Arbitrary Power
More Arbitray.
RICHMOND, February 90.


RICHMOND, February 90.
Mr. Editor:
DR.. Tocqueville. that profOundest writer
on political science OF, perhaps, the pre-
sent century or any other century, says
the world is too much governed. SO our
fathers thought, and on this rock they
founded the American Republic. Had
they bull, upon any other foundation
ours ere this might have shared-prob-
ably would have shared the fate OF other
republics.
The medical law Is based on different
principle Its principle Ia that In medical
matters The Government must be a despot-
ism-a despotism In principlc and in
practice. The Examining Board says the
people shall have as physicians only such
men as we appr0ve-such as we approve
as to their altainments, and even as TO
their tastes-for il has been only a few
days since the papers published the fact
that the boasted Illinois Examining
Board, after having endorsed the suffi-
cheney OF mans attainments TO dis
charge the duties of a physician, merely
because upon what was mere matter OF
luolt ut hiu HOl tIODst W IOulOill
mode of practising his profession to the
tastes Of the Board, forthwith that Board
proceeds to revoke his license to practice
at all In passdnt, the license did not
stay revoked, for the judge ordered 1t to
be restored with severe rebuke TO the
Examining Board for its insolent boss
ism Nor does the insOlence of the Ex-
amning Board, which is held up as the
pattern TO be followed by Virginia,
stop there. In all Of the States
but Virginia and North Carolina Dip
Iona from respectable college is counted
n sufficient evidence of proficiency. Even
the Illinois Board allows that. But it has
lust issued its edict TO the Medical Col
leges, by order from headquarters, that
unless these Medical Colleges shall con
form TO the modes it, the Medical Board
proposes, in teaching medicine and con.
ierring diplomas, these diplomas will no
longer be respected as II sufficient guar
antee 10 the candidates proficiency, and
the college itself shsll he punished ly
being put under its published bans. And
the California Examining Board has just
disported itself by a like proclamation.
Was there ever, in the history of the Re-
public, parallel to The effrontery of these
Examing Boards.
But do you say all that was in Illinois
and California; Still il was that same
Illinois board which has been triumph
anily held up in this discussion by the
advocates OF the proposed Virginia law
as the mOdei board.
But how a. to our Virginia Examining
Board. In the statements before the
Senate Committee on General Laws, one
of the lights among the advocates of
the law admitted that our own home
Virginia board also at their own sweet
will, gave easy examinations when il
suited its purposes TO give easy eXamina-
tions, and difficult examinations when il
suited its purposes TO give difficult ex-
aminations, and this admission was only
what was known to have been the prac-
tice of the board recently. And the same
arbitrary treatment has been practiced
by these advocates Of the new law lem
bracing members of the Examining
Board towards the Medical So
ciely Of Virginia. They are coming
before the Legislature as the representa-.
tves of that Society. | do not mean to
apply this to the whole committee, for a
portion Of the committee do not approve
of the cause which has been employed,
have gone to their homes, and regret
that these amendments were ever pro-
posed The committee were instructed
TO request the Legislature to make other
changes in the law. say instructed, for
the language wss mandatory. Did it
do il No; not one word, so far that
have heard, except the change which
suits its own purposes. The other instruc-
tions were despised and spit upon win
not these members OF the board take the
same Liberties with the Legislatures laws
as they clearly have done with the So
cieies lawss Isit wise to confer the ad-
ditional power which they ask
ANOTHER MEMBER OF
the State Medical Society.