Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-02-14
STUDYING TO BE A DOCTOR.

A boy who is going to enter the medical
profession should bear in mind that the train
Ing he will receive at the medical college Is
only the groundwork of his education; to
borrow phrase from the photographers, it
is only the preparation of the sensitive
plate upon which the impression is after
ward received.
The young medical students actual educa-
tion begins when he "walks the hospitals. q"
There he gains experience, practical knowl-
edge, from real cases.
Then, If he has the means to do so, he
should 60 to Europe and study again in
| Vienna, Paris and Berlin. 1t is sometimes
asked why the medical student should go
abroad to study his profession. The fact is
that European physicians are much more
learned than their brothers in this country.
| On the other hand, they are not as success
ful as we are in the practice of the profess
sion. Their education is deeper and broader
than ours, but, in the direct art of healing
the sick, we achieve better results. They
know more about the etiology, or theory Of
disease, than they do about the practical
application of remedies.
Why Foreign Doctors Study More.
| When you come to think of it, this con-
dition of affairs is very natural The aim
L u
man or the German, is to obtain "honors,"
or position under the Government. Official
appointments are held in much higher es-
TEEN abroad than in this country. There
are more honors to be obtained over there
than here. There are all sorts of decora-
tions which are coveted, confer distinction
| upon their wearers and command respect
and homage There are positions to reach
which men will strive for half lifetime.
| In the United States the young physician
is struggling, not so much for honor as for
the almighty dollar; doctors here aim to
produce results, the fruit of successful
practice, that will bring in financial re-
| turn.
| 1t has been asked why we have so many
doctors. Beyond doubt the ranks of the
| profession are overcrowded; overcrowded
| beyond that of any other pr ofession can re-
call. 1t would seem as if, when young
| man is good tor nothing else he is supposed
to have an aptitude for physic. In other
words, doctors are too often made by the
product of exclusion" word which de-
fines q well-known medical process in dag
nosis.
Winning Paying Practice.
After the young physician has graduated
and served his time in the hospitals, and
returned from foreign study. it will take
three or four years to get a fair start from
the business point of view. How soon he
will secure patients will depend very much
upon opportunity and upon the industry
with which ne follows his vocation; for med
icine is probably the most arduous of all the
professions. Sometimes doctor will ad-
vance on account of having married rich
wife. But neither wealth nor social posi-
tion will avail him in the long run unless
he has real ability and skill, and, above all,
8 certain amount of personal magnetism
that will inspire confidence on the part of
patients.
L have In mind young man, who, in q
very short time, has secured a practice in
New York City of over $4,000 year.
Socially, he stood as high as it is possible
for any man to stand in New York, and he
had certain amount of money himself
which enabled him to live in much better
style than the ordinary doctor. But he also
had ability.
An interesting fact in connection with the
medical profession is that it is being large
ly specialized. 1 think that the young man
who starts out with the idea of being a spe-
cialist makes a great mistake. If he intends
to be specialist he should rather permit |
himself in the course of time to drift into |
the specially for which he seems to be |
fitted. For, according to the French prov |
erb, "That which man loves to do he gen.
OiaiIy uocs we'll
When to Become . Specialist.
After young man has become an active
practitioner and finds that the specially
toward which he is drifting is in the direc-
tion of his wishes. he is generally drifting
in the right direction. That is the tide that
will very likely bear him on to the greater
usefulness, to fame, and to fortune. But
the mistake of most young physicians is in
adopting specially before they have had
sufficient experience in general practice;
they are not sufficiently well grounded in
knowledge of the whole subject.
A specialist who is not good general
practitioner falls into the error of ascribing
all the ailments that he comes in contact
with to his specially. The man who makes
a specially of the eye will ascr1be all nery-
Gus disorders that he comes in contact with
to disease of the eye. The man who makes
q speciality Of diseases of women will as
cribe all the diseases that he meets with in
women to disorders peculiar to the sex.
have frequently known throat and lung
specialists to ascribe diseases which are,
perhaps, purely nervous and functional, and
which come from disordefed digestion, to
in the air passages.
In one sense the specializing of medicine
is beneficial. The study of physic is vast
theme. 1t is so great that it is difficult yes,
for q man to grasp it all
There is so much to be memorized that |
man can not carry in his mind the particu-
lars of every branch. And it may be said !
hat specialism that is based upon study |
md experience is the highest form of medi-
al training.
The Homeopath or the Allopath.
It should be interesting to young per-
on contemplating the study and practice of
Medicine to note that the two branches of
he profession-the homeopathic and the so
allied allopathic-have had quite whole
ONE effect, the one upon the other. They :
AVE been distinct and apart from each :
ther, but now they are becoming less and
ess 30 every year. I doubt if to-day there g
. single homeopath who practices exclu- !.
lively the Hahnemann theory as promul- :
ated by its discoverer.
There is a better personal feeling between :
he physicians of the two schools. Some :
ime since in the New York Academy of :
fedicine an interesting question of medical :
thics was vigorously discussed, whether a :
MUSICIAN should be governed by code
Thich laid down definite rules and laws
r whether he should be governed by his =
ense of duty and honor. 1t was fight
etween the advocates of code and the
dvocates OF no code. So far as l can under \
.and the question was whether an allo-
athic physician should be at liberty to >
onsult with homeopAths and others, or :,
neither he should be restricted by the code :. y
.om so doing, his violation of the code rule 8
, be followed by a loss of standing in the . ,
rofess1on.
The anti-code people won the victory on
lie occasion referred to, and it may be said