Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-04-27
SICK AND TAKEN IN.
HELPLESS HOTEL GUESTS FLEEcED
BY BIG DOCTORS FEES.

Many Hotels In the Big Metropolis and In
Chicago Are In League With Conscience
less Members of the Medical Profession
to Extort Money.
Every large hotel in the city nowadays
has physician resident in the building.
His presence in the hotel is one of the
proofs of the completeness of the modern
hostelry, so far as the provision and COM
fort of the guest is concerned. The idea
of having doctor within instant call is
beyond all question an excellent one, but
it seems that it has of late been subject
to grave abuse. The fact has got out
that some of the hotel physicians make
use of their position to levy extortionate
charges for the treatment of guests who
have been luckless enough to fall Ill
among strangers
Complaint is made that far from being
a blessing to the guest, the ease with
which medical attendance can be secured
has In such cases become a source of
genuine dread to visitors to the big city
who have to stop at hotels. The guests
fear even a trifing illness while in the
hotel. because if they make the fact
known that they want to see a doctor
| they will be charged fee out of all pro-
portion to the service rendered by the
doctor. whose chief claim to patronage
| is that he is always near at hand"
Complaint has been made against the
doctors charges in two of the best known
l4a l.. -
sulting physician.
when l was taken sicl. at the hotel
the other night" one of the complainants
said, 81 asked the head clerk to send me
DR.. S."
"Dr. 81" said the clerk in seeming
astonishment. 81 never heard of him
But we have competent physician in
the hotel whom l will send to your
room"
The hotel 'octor did go to the room in
response to tae request of the clerk. He
made several visits during the night, al
though the guests didn't want and didn't
need more than one visit. A fee of $40
was charged in the bill, and the guests
had to pay it. Subsequent investigation
made it clear that the reason for this
high fee was that the hotel physician
had made an arrangement with the no
tel proprietor by which the latter got a
third of this big fee. The guests also
learned that this sharing of the fee had
been the custom at the hotel for a very
long time, and that guests submitted to
it rather than have any wrangle at the
clerks desk over charges, thing that
self respecting persons naturally dread
and will avoid even where the charge is
a manifest imposition. The abuse has
recently attracted the attention of the
professionals. who do not practice in ho-
tells, and has evoked an earnest protest |
and demand for reform.
The Medical Record, under the head |
ing Doctors and Hotels" handles the
subject in this vigorous style:
Every person of sensitive morals, and
a good many with only every day sensi-
bilities, would be shocked if the whole
story of the relations of doctors to hotels
were written. There is fashionable
hostelry in this town where the hotel |
doctor charges 81 visit, and there is the
best reason for believing that the hust-
ling landlord gets 50 of it. 1t is stated |
on good authority that in many hotels
the official doctor is obliged to give up
from one-fifth to one-third of his charges
to the business management. People
who are taken i'll in hotels must have
doctor and are not disposed to question
about terms They do not find out what
these are until they settle the bill, and
then expostulation is too late"
1t is only just to say that all the hotel
physicians are not parties to this mean
sort of swindling. Many of them are
physicians of high repute who live at the
hotels and pay for their board and lodg
ings the same as any other guests and
have a regular and legitimate schedule
of charges based upon the market value
of their professional services. In cases
where there is a "divvy" between the
doctor and the hotel the physician gets
his lodgings and board at reduced rate.
He is appointed by the hotel proprietor,
and he excuses the high fee on the plea
that he has to charge more than his reg
ular rate in order to make good the bonus
to the proprietor. This bonus is de-
manded for the privilege of practicing in
the hotel.
''This abuse is worse in Chicago than
it is in New York." prominent ply
sician said.
1.-THE bonus system is certainly an out
rage on the travelling public" said an
other physician, "but at the same time
the hotel doctor should not shoulder the
entire blame for it. The responsibility
rests with the hotel proprietor who is
mean enough to look for gain from the
sickness of one of his patrons. 1t is not
using very strong language to call this
barbarism. Hotel proprietors who favor
the fleeing of the sick in their establish
ments ought to be tabooed by every hon
orable and self respecting man and wo
man. If guests were to stay away from
such hotels, the bonus system would be
quickly suppressed. New York Sun.