Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-01-13
The Medical Examining Board Law.

To the Editor Of the Dispatch:
Please let me inquire what made it
necessary for the Legislature of Virginia
to pass an act requiring graduate of
high medical college, after he obtained
his diploma" to go before some
"board of practicing physicians" aud
get their consent before he could prac-
tee his profession? Was that bill passed
because "quscks" had gotten into the
profession If so, was there any clause
III the bill to get such "quacks out OF
the profession? Before such bill was
passed, my recollection is that all gen.
tleman had to do to obtain license to
practice medicine in Virginia was to
Show the " diploma" given him by some
high medical school in this country, or
possibly by some such school in Europe.
If such diploma" before the bill re-
ferred to was passed, was sufficient TO
keep quacks out of the profession up to
that time, why was it necessary to have
any examining board law? If such
"diploma was not sufficient to keep
duacks out of the profession, don't
it look strange that there was no.
thing in the bill to "weed out
the quacks who had gotten into the pro-
fession before the eXamining-bOard bill
had become law? Quack or no quack,
sane or now insane, as / understand the
matter, any doctor who had gotten a
license to practice medicine in Virginia
before the examining-board bill was
passed is now entitled without any sort
of examination to license TO practice
the healing art. Does not that look like
the lucky ones had "gotten into hole
and then drawn in the hole after them -
In other words, what was sauce for the
goose in old times does not appear now
to be sauce for the gander. When the
bill was first passed my impression was
that it was gotten up to keep ont OF The
profession ignorant negro and outside
ouack doctors. To think that if the
most learned medical men in Europe
or in other OF the States of our
Union professors, &c.,) were to come
to Virginia to practice medicine, that
they would first have to go before some
(perbaps) "local board" of practiciDg
physicians, and get their consent to do
so, is to my mind almost enough to
make COW laugh. Very positive am l
that if some who are now entitled to
obtain licenses lowing to their having
practiced before the medical board bill
became a law were examined (by even
Young, talented. thoroughly educated
Nj. ID. 81 that the result would be about
as amusing as any of Barnum's "great
shows" Justice, as well as common
sense, it seems to me, would demand
that if diploma was not satisfactory in
one case it should not be in any ; and so,
il some doctors are required to be exam
ined before they can by law get a license
to practice their profession, all should be,
and that, too, in public, and 10y tho
roughly disinterested, capable experts
JUSTICE.
I'VE have the greatest respect for the
opinions OF "Justice, but We are salts
fed that in this instance his kindness Of
heart has gotten the better of his judg-
ment. If he will weigh this matter with
his usual carefulness he must see that If
the board has done nothing else but bar
the way against any mere quacks estab-
lisbiDg themselves in the State it is to be
commended