The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1889-04-08
THE PHYSICIANS OF MEMPHIS.
An Article in the Current Number o.
the Medical Monthly.

An ATtlCio III tno OuTTcnb ANthSoa Va
the Medical Monthly.
The following admirable article on the
medical profession OF Memphis is copied
from the current number Of the Mississippi
VALLEY Medical Monthly
The medical profession of Memphis,
properly so denominated, will compare IA
vorably in point OF capacity, and OF earn
est, honest workers, with that Of any city
in America. But when wholesale regis
tration is ordered, including jackals, jack
asses and mountebanks-al who pretend
to be doctors being compelled TO come for
ward and place themselves upon record
the want Of medical legislation and a stan
dard OF requirements, as evidence OF fitness
for the great responsibility, becomes pain
fully apparent.
Through the courtesy OF DIR. +. A. VIII.
iamson, Secretary Of the Memphis Board
OF Health, we have been accorded the lib
,rty OF full view OF the registration book.
From this we CLEAN the following facts:
There are 02 persons practcing medi-
cine in Memphis 81 TO 63S Of the city's in
habi,an,s. Eighty.one Of these claim to
be regulars" Four are homeopathic, 2
eclectic 2 practitioners, | Thompso-
pathc, and fail in attempting classifying
themselves. OF these l graduated in the
year 1889, | in 1871, In lSiS, In the
1850 decade, 10 in that OF 1860, 20 in that
Of 1870, and % between 1880 and 1889.
Eleven never graduated. The homco.
pathics and the eclectcs are graduates.
One OF the two who fail TO dcnominate
their line Of study and practice, states
that no practices "a little OF all,
attended the lectures forty-one
years ago In the Mcdowell,
and also Pope, 81. Louis, Mo-; also at
tended the lectures OF Fowler, also DIR.
Burrows" The "Thomsopathist' grad
uated from the Cincinnati Homeopathic
School ia 1856 One doctor claims TO be a
homeopathic practitioner but n graduate
OF a eclectic school. Fiyel Of the Memphis
practitioners are negroes; one OF these does
not claim 10 have studied medicine, but
says he has prac,iccd for forty years; three
graduated from the Meharry Medical Col
lege, Nashville, Tenn, and one from the
"Bethel Medical College" Little Rock,
Ark.
From this mot,led mass comes the NOR
tality tables OF our city. OF what value
can such statistics be 10 the present or "a
future goneraiions2 We arc fully In accord
with DR.. Thornton, the former able Prcsi.
dent OF the Memphis Board OF Health, In
the statement ''it il evident that number
Of these men are wholly incompetent IL
make a correct diagnosis" OF those ply
sicians now in active practice the following
have been practicing longest in Memphis,
although some Of them are older in tho
profession, having pncticcd for time
elsewhere r. W. Mitchell, q. H. Thorn
ton, u. D. Saunders, Alexander Erekine,
5. Il. Green, X. Il, Maury and i. l.. Sim.
Among names registered We find the
signatures Of number who faced the
epidcmics OF lS73-70-7S and 10: q. II.
Thornton, u. ID. Saunders. II. W. Mitchell,
Thad. Donohue, 4. l.. Sim, $. l.. Green,
Alexander Erskine. The following addi-
tional signatures Of physicians who served
through the epidemics OF 1873 and 1879
appear T. u. Mitchell. G.. W. Overall,
Hebcr Jones. II. u. Nall aud Julius Wise.
Midwife observation-disclosures arc twenty
one OF these persons; seventeen of the
twcniy-Onc acknowledge their signatures
with an y. They are an old set, ~ evil
dcnoed by the time of service In the
capacity OF midwife claimed by each, the
Average being twenty-five years and eight
month";
tTho reader will, Of course. bear II In
mind that the Medical Monthly, In noting
certain old physicians and those promi
ncni In particularly heroic service. doe
not raise any question Of professional
ability. Thcn are, Of course, many
superb, brave and skillful physicians in
the city in addition TO those named
Enfrnu Appraf