The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-10-24

Under this head we suggested recently
to prominent member OF the State
Medical society, that legislation on this
subject was badly needed. This society
held meeting recently, and we quote
from the Free Press
One feature OF the annual address be-
fore the State Medical Society by its
president. last evening, was OF special
interest because OF the recent exposure
Of bogus NJ. d. DR." Bradbury, OF
the late Trinity University of YER
mont who has been disposing Of bogus
diplomas at $50 each. Without having
thoroughly investigated the matter we
have been inclined to assume as impos-
sible such state of things az has been
brought to light by the Bradbury expose.
The speaker last evening, however, in
urging the necessity for some form OF
legislation that shall effectively purge
the country and relieve the public from
quackery, gave an illustration from the
experience of local physicians in this
city in their efforts to drive a notorious
quack out OF the State, tending to show
that Vermont laws in this respect are
fully as bad as represented. The quack
in question has done a thriving business
in all the principal towns OF the State,
and when asked il he had license re-
piled that it was none OF his questioner's
business. Investigation proved that he
was fully protected by the laws Of the
State in his method OF doing business.
This seems to be the working Of the
present law. Any chartered medical
society can give license even il the so
ciety giving the license IS body OF men
unfit for the name. The suggestion is a
good one that the present law should be
completely removed and that q properly
framed statute should take it's place re-
quiring an examining board to be ap-
pointed who shall grant q license to
practice medicine and surgery when eat
isfied Of the applicants ability to do 80.
Some law OF this kind is an imperative
necessity to protect the public against
swindlers on the one hand. and to pro-
tect worthy physicians, who have prop
erly prepared themselves for their pro-
fession, on the other.
The State Medical Society should press
thia matter to a successful issue, We
say that the State society should do this
because otherwise we fear it will never
be done. Were it possibibls to take a
popular vote on the question, 'shall the
quack be exterminaIed ?" we imagine
that the result would surprise the Ma
ton. Barnum stated great truth when
he said that the American people like to
be humbugged, and this is conspicuous
" true OF the sick American people.
The way in which they flock to the
quaok doctor, putting their lives and the
lives OF their families and friends into
his hands, is simply marvellous. All
this large class Of people may be expect
ed to cast their ballots for the quack and
IL will be strange enough il any Legisla-
lature can be got together which shall
not include some of them. Work for
lation, by all means, but be pre-
pared for antagonism from unexpected
quarters. The man who knows that he
has been cured by DR.. Quackem occupies
an impregnable position from which all
the "regulars doctors" in Vermont could
not move him. But now that this matter
is fairly before the people we hope 10
see intelligent action taken,