The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-05
OPPOSED TO A STATE BOARD.
DR.. Harris Efforts Against the Board
of Health Bill.

DR.. Harris spent some time in Atlanta
last week. While there he put in some
work against the bill TO establish state
board Of health.
DR.. Harris takes the same view Of the
proposed board of health as that taken
/ by DR.. Drummer in q recent inter
view in the MORNING NEWS. he
does not believe the workings OF
a state board of health would prove salts
factory or that il would be properly sup
ported by the state He thinks II great
deal better to take advantage of the ma
tional quarantine service, which is a
great deal better organized and sup
ported than a state board Of health could
possibly be. He thinks it is just as much
TO the interest of the national govern
meut to take care Of an epidemic at Sa-
vannah or Brunswick or any other south
eru city as il is TO do the same thing in
any city Of the north and west.
THE marine hospital service is well
supported by the government for this
work" he said, land there is no reason
which the government has already as
sumed. Suppose Savannah should have
another epidemic like that of 1876, could
the state afford to take charge of il and
manage it as it should be managed 1t
would cost the state $3.50 OU0 and should 1t
be willing to appropriate this money,
which is doubtful, it would still be a
heavy burden upon the tax payers"
DR. Harris fayors the bill to provide
board of medical examiners before which
every applicant for license to practice
medicine should present himself for ex-
animation before being allowed to praC-
tice. He does not think the amendment
to give each of the three schools of medi-
cine, the allopathic, the eclectic and the
o.
the board reasonable on account Of
the small minority in which
the two last named schools
are in the state. He thinks
the prerogatives Of the board could be so
arranged, however, as to prevent any in
justice TO members of either of the three
schools presenting themselves for eXami-
nation.
A prominent physician of the city. in
discussing the matter casually last night,
opposed the bill to provide a board OF eX-
aminers, on the ground that poor physi-
clans are a necessity.
at will not do to raise the standard
too high, he said, or 10 win leave the
country districts Of the state INSULT
GENTLY supplied with physicians. The
average country physician gets a great
deal of his knowledge by practice, and
improves as he grows older
"He may not be an efficient practitioner
in the beginning, but he improves by
practice and observation. The require
ment of a rigid examination would shut
out great many who have not had the
advantages of college education. The
best physicians are always found at the
largest centers of population. The ply
stefan learns more by study Of the phases
Of diseases as they present themselves
than from books, and as the opportunities
for observation are greatest in the larg-
est cities, the best physicians are always
found there. When a physician achieves
distinction in small community he usu-
ally moves TO a larger one where he will
have broader field for the display of his
abilities and when he is satisfied that he
is capable of still greater things to a
larger community still. In this way the
men who stand at the top of the profess
sion are almost invariably found in the
cities.
The country is young yet" said the
physician, land we cannot require our
practitioners TO conform to the European
standard. Such a system of examina.
tion might work well in the cities, but it
would prove a hardship in the country.