Los Angeles herald., 1892-06-27
Or. IW!LLss ADDRESS.
His Practical Talk to the Med
ical Students.
Good Advice to the Graduating Glass
Of the University.
He shows the Need Of Legislation to
Protect the People from Quaclks.
Denounoes Their Adver-
tisements.

ringing, practical address to the gradu
ating class Of medical students of tn
University of Southern California. HI
shows the need Of legislation to protec
the people from quacks, and rasps th'
press for encouraging quackery by ad
vertising it-a good wholesome address
which suits the lay as well as the pro
fessional taste. It was as follows:
To me has been assigned the honor o.
delivering, on this occasion, the, address
on behalf Of the faculty to the gradual
ing class of our medical school.
As our former relations, as teachers te
students, cease tonight and you join cul
ranks as fellow-members OF our chosen
profession, allow. me, briefly, to call
your attention to 9 few thoughts on a
b subject of great Importance to us all,
and to the general public:
How can we best educate the public
to proper appreciation OF the necessity
for raising the legal standard Of require
ments regulating medical practice, and
the benefits to be gained thereby 2"
The title which We are proud to have
earned" "doct0r''-was more h0nored
by the ancients than at the present
time, and was not bestowed unless the
recipient was truly learned. The word,
BY derivation, means teacher, so that we
are teachers always, ~ we'll as students,
and must see To- 1t that we do our duty
and point out the way and educate the
all questions Of medical educational pro-
gress.
In this country, where the people are
the eovereigns, unless the public under
stand and favor educational reforms and
enforce them, the promoters of such ad-
vances can do nothing.
Therefore, II we wish to achieve what
we as profession consider an import
ant advance and greater public SAFE
guard, we must use every opportunity
to educate public sentiment in favor
of the reforms desired and be constantly
teachers-by precept and example.
We must remember that our actions
have greater weight than our words.
The public does not appreciate the
finer distinctions OF medical ethics and
incorrectly characterizes any attempt at
elevating the medical standard as
prompted by selfish motives and not by
the desire to better protect the people
against incompetents and frauds.
While the medical profession Is ad-
mitted to be the most humanitarian
and unselfsh of the learned professions,
and occupies higher ground than other
businesses, yet whenever the selfrespect-
ing and conscientious physicisns use
their influence to improve, by legisla-
tive amendments, the existing sham,
called ssour medical law" and compel
IT. enforcement, then the object of this
disinterested 4 protection, the public,
rises up and refuses to be protected, and
insults the profession and ito friends, by
crying Glass legislation-and thus de-
feRts the objects to be attained by the
proposed improvements.
The medical law as it stands on our
statute book is imperative, and we'll
nigh useless. Those who wish to be
licensed and be classed as legal practi-
tioners stand just 90 free and we'll be-
fore the law, as If licensed by the state
board Of examiners. Therefore of what
good is such law? An improved medi-
cal bill was brought before the last legis-
lature but failed to pass by reason Of
public ignorance and apathy, and chief
" because the bill was fought and killed
by some powerful newspapers in San
Francisco, deriving thousands of dollars
each month from quacks, who would be
prevented from advertising in their
columns had the new bill become law.
Fifty thousand dollars csc, ,00O) is said
to be the sum spent to defeat the bill.
When the true inwardness Of the OPP
position to such measures 10 known, the
silver dollar has much to do with pitch
ing the tone of the press
/ do not wish to be understood
to say that the press, as awhole,
countenancsd the defeat of this
revised bill, but it is well known fact
that few newspapers whose revenue
from advertisements was endangered,
by the expenditure; of the above men-
toned sum, (put where it would do the
most good, did defeat the bill. Much
has been accomplished by the stringent
medical laws, properly enforced, in
other states, notably Illinois, Alabama
and in Canada. but California, ahead in
most things appertsining to education,
is woefully behind in this respect. This
is all the more serious, as we get all
drifting material, good, bad and indif-
terent, because these people can 60 no
father west.
Here in this land of sunshine, where
W0 uWvo AuuAtAUuu0n Va oOuAtu-uoOA0Ins
who are willing to try anything which
they are told will accomplish impossible
results, the charlatan fattens on his ILL
gotten gains until ono would think Cali
fornia was the quack's paradise. The
Mongolian impostor is less harmful than
the specious hypocrite to be found in
every community in this state, often
times in the front pews of our most FASH
ionable churches, with q devout air, his
prayer book in hand. The nearer to the
real thing . counterfeit is the more
dangerous.
When laboring for reform you may
as well expect TO be misunderstood and
have the neanest and most selfieh con-
struction put upon your best efforts.
What are we going to do about 1t :?
Sit still, and not care, or fight and be
misunderstood?
The cry Of class legislation is all sui-
hcient to the majority, uninformed on
such subject. Fie upon such igno-
rance Of questions fraught with go much
importanCei
All that ID necessary, under our pres
ent jury system, y to plead persecution
in medico.legal and malpractice cases
to prevent prosecution to the ultimate
limit, under nur present medical law.
The only trouble In this free land of
ours ia that we are too free, and do not
enforce sufficient discipline, and give
=, occasion for the newly arrived Irish-
mans idea Of equality in America, ssThat
one mans ~ good 10 another, and b
s oo0d daa1 hettSr -