The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1892-05-07
Physicians Business Methods,

Editor Of Houma coURIeR.
VIII You kindly give space to tho
following excerpts taken from a recent
address 60 medical graduates by Rev.
DIR. Alexander. The address is entitled
"Physician's business Methodsv and is
an admirable expos6 of the ~prOverbial
laxity Of medical mon ia conducting
the business part of their profession.
The Rev. Doctor very correctly etases;
at is true that the primary object Of
medicine as a profession Is not the ac-
~cumulation Of Wealth. A physician
who has amassed a fortune By the
rPraCtice OF HE profession is an extreme
rariftys~The philanthrOpic idea is
stronger in medicine than in any other
calling. But the doctor must pay his
taxes or rent he must cat. drink, and
be clothed; he must be supplied with
instruments and books; he must sup
port his family and educate his chill.
dren. The '.effusive thanks Of grateful
patients do not, unfortunately pay the
bills. Fees alone will do that. We
thoroughly believe that medicine is a
calling not n trade that the trades
man and business lan may with en-
tire prOPriety adopt methods that
would degrade the physician. He
cannot practice his profession OH street
commercial principles without losing
his self respect and forfeiting tile es
TEEN of the community. The amount
Of work he does is BY no means the
key to the amount of his income.
Laxity in business methods will explain
the apparent lack Of succtss Of many
a physician. People arc very apt to
estimate a man according to the es,i-
mate he places upon himself. If his
price is habitually below the custU
mary fees Of che locality in which he
lives and he it difiIent IN enforcing
his claims, he neei no be surprised if
his patients puta low estimate upon
his worth and are slow in paying his
bills Just regard for the poor aud
unfortunate is II duty which very few
physicians are inclined TO evade.
The laborer is worthy of his hire,
and there is no more worthy laborel
than the conscientious doctor. He il
under no moral obligation whatever
to deprive himself aud his family o.
remuneration justly due him from the
we'll to DO. By "cntting rates" h,
gains nothing in the long run. He in
jures not only himself but his fellow
practitioners by degrading the value
of medical service. There is perhaps
no more fruitful source Of loss to the
physician than laxity in rendering bills.
Chele is great truth in the old saying
that short make long friends
The age Of long credits in commercial
life is gone. In some country lOcaIf
ties and among certain city doctors il
is not true. They allow accounts to
run for months or years without rem.
dering a bill.
Tho DOCTORS bill thus becomes a
formidable thing and is hard to pay,
and must usually be discounted. Ere
quent bills while they need not show
q nercenary or grasping spirit, dc
snow that the dOGOr lives by his prac.
tlcc and expects remuneration for his
labor. A bill should DO rendered as q
matter 9f course at stated intervals
which win vary somewhat in different
communities.
The struggle to make a living is fol
most medical men q hard one. Success
as q practitioner depends almO 1t, per
haps quite, Us much upon social and
business capacity ~ upon prOfessiona
training. There is no person de- s~erYial
of more reconsideration and sympa b,
than the scholarly and brilliant plysi
clan hampered by his inability to reat
aud deal with human nature, and
crampsd Though life by bad busines,
methods and lack OF financial ability
trust MIR. Editor that the laymen III
well as our country doctors will deriv,
some benefit from a careful persona
of the above instruction and that on
grateful patient will realize that tn,
practice Of medicines il moi a matter o
sentiment but One Of dollars and cents
and in the future act accordingly.
Very truly yours,
HIPPOcRATEs.