The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-11-08
A MEDICAL TRUST.
It Has Been Formed to Aid Members In
Time OF Illness.


It Has Been Formed to Aid Members In
Time OF Illness.
A curious novelty in business enter.
prise is being conspicuously advertised
about town. 1t is an association to
furnish medical attendance and drugs
to its members at bedrock" prices,
and even below. For forty cents per
month the association guarantees COM
petent medical attendance. And this
medical combine" processes to have
arrangements made at good, reliable
drug-stores in all parts of town by
which prescriptions will be filled at a
uniform cost of twenty cents each, no
matter what ingredients they may con-
tain, for the associations members.
Wei, it is by no means improbable
that at that price prescriptions, taking
them as they run, would still pay
large profit to the pharmacists. whose
ordinary percentage of profit is frcm
TIN ee hundred to eight hundred per
cent. There are some few rare chem
icaIs and costly drugs that could not be
made up in appreciate quantities at
any such figure. but they are very lit
tie required. and doubtless it is under
stood that the associations physici ans
shall not call for them; or, if they do,
that they shall strike good general
average by turning in a lot of pre-
scriptions that will not cost over a
cent each to fill. Latin is fine cloak
for such little games. But all this is,
of course, mere speculation. The
scheme of the concern may be honest
enough and its practice may have no
perceptible effect in increasing the
bills or mortality. Surely some device
is wanted to fill in between the chart
ty of the dispensaries and the robbery
of fashionable medical practice, by
which people of moderate means can
have and pay for medical attendance
when they are sick.
Some Hebrew societies have rather
ingenious system for getting their
doctors bills down to a minimum.
They contract with a physician by the
year to attend all cases of illness
among members of their families for
certain stipulated sum. which is paid
whether any body needs doctor dur
ing the year or not. Of course. in a
sickly season the physician might feel
that they are rather getting the best
of him, but, after all. he would only
be called upon to skip around little
more lively and be more anxious to
effect cures than if he were charging
by the visit.
Indeed, this thing of charging by the
visit for medical attendance is the weak
point in the relations between the doc
tor and his patients. 1t is to his inter-
est to keep them sick as long as posi-
BILE. So clearly is this recognized by
many OF our practical, long-headed
business men-who have money
enough to enable them to do as they
please-that they now follow the ex-
ample of the Hebrew societies and en-
gage the services of their physicians
by the year, paying whether they and
theirs are sick or well. Accouchments
are as a rule excepted from such
contracts, as they are too good
plums for family doctors to
let go into a general account. The an
nual terms of such contracts run all the
way from $3.50 to So. 500. 1t is an ex-
celent arrangement for the doctor,
who, with a few such good contracts
on his hands can be easy about his in
come, and it is good tor the patients,
as it is clearly to the interest of the
physician to keep them as we'll as pos
sible to save himself trouble.
The next better thing is the Chinese
system of hiring the doctor by the year
and stopping his salary whenever his
patient is sick. 1t will be sad day
for druggists and undertakers if that
plan ever gets foothold in this coun-
try.-N. Y. Mail and Express.