Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1893-09-23
SICK AND TAKEN IN.
HELPLESS aoTcL GUESTS FLEEcEo
o. SIC DOCTORS FEES.

siany notei. ~ the Rig Metropolis and In
Chicago Are In League WIN CoaseisBrc-
les. Member. Of the Medical Profession
80 EHtort Money.
Every large hotel IN tsoc.ty nog-adays
It's y Physician resident IN the building
LIS presence in the hotel is one Of the
roofs 81 the completeness 81 the modern
fos.e.-y. so fGr rs The provision and eorl.
fort o. the guest is concerned. The idea
Of barring doctor within instant call is
beyond all or .i!on an excellent one. Int
II seems thai it has Of late been subject
10 grave gbnSc The fact las got oat
that some 81 the hotel physicians make
nse az their position tolevy cxto-tioaate
charges fer tie treatment o. guests who
have been lgckleas enough TO fall III
among strangers
Complaint is made that far from being
blessing 10 the guest. tie c2zo with
which medical attendance can be secured
has IN such cases become source Of
genuine dread 10 visitors To The BIC city
who have TO stop ut hotels The guests
fear even triiling illness while il the
hotel, because II they riaSo tie fact
known that they want 10 see n doctor
they viii he charged fee ont of al rro-
portion 10 the service rendered by tho
doctor. whose chief claim 10 patronage
Is that he is always near at hand
Complaint has been made against the
doctors charges in two Of the best known
hotels in the town to a prominent con.
shifting physician
When | was taken sick nj the hotel
the other night, one Of the complainanis
said. II asked the head clerk TO send me
DIR. S"
DR. ST. said the clerl, in seeming
astonishment Il never heard Of him
But we have n competent physician in
the hotel whom | will send to your
room"
The hotel doctor did 90 TO the room in
response TO the request of the clerk. IIc
made several visits during the night. ~.
though the guests didn't want ana didn't
need more than one visit A Tee Of $40
was charged IN the bill. and the guests
had TO pay il. Subsequent investigation
made it clear that the reason FOR this
high fee was that the hotel physician
had made an arrangement with the ho-
tel proprietor hy which the latter got a
third OF this big fee The guests also
learned that this sharing OF the Zee had
been the custom at the hotel for very
long time. and that guests submitted 10
il rather than have any wranglc ut tho
clerks desk over charges. IA thing that
self respecting persons naturally dread
aud will avoid even where the charge is
manifest imposition The absse has
recently attracted the attention of the
professionals, who do not practice III ho-
tells and has evoked an earnest protest
and demand Tor reform.
The Medical Record. under the head
ing Doctors and Hotels" handles tine
subject in this vigorous style
Every person of sensitive morals. and
good many with only every day sensi-
bilitiea would be shocked If the whole
story of the relations of doctors to hotels
were written There is a fashionable
hostelry III this town where tue hotel
doctor charges 50 Il visit. and there is the
best reason for believing that the hust-
ling landlord gets s. of it. II is stated
on good authority that II many hotels
the official doctor IL obliged To give M
from one-tifth 10 onc-thirsi of his charges
To the business management People
who are taken III III hotels must have q
doctor und aro rot disposed 10 question
about terms. They do not find out what
these are until they settle the bill. and
then expostulatinn Is too late"
II is only Just to say thu, all the hotel
physicians are not parties to this mean
sort of swindliug Many of them ere
physicians ai high rcpute who live III tho
hotels aud pay Cor their board and lodg.
ings the same as any other guests and
have regular and legitimate schedule
OF charges based upon the market value
of their professional services. In eases
where there IL .'liyvy" between the
doctor and the hotel the physician gets
his lodgings and board at Il reduced rate
He il appointed 10y the hotel proprietor
and he excuses the high fee on the plea
that he has 10 charge more than his re-;
MAR rate IN order touiake gund the bonus
/ 10 the proprietor This bonus is de
manded for the privilege of practicing in
the hotel
This auuse Is worse in Chicago than
it ia in New York" prominent ply
sician said
The bonus system is certainly an out
rage ON the travelling public. Caid an
other physician. but II the same time
/ the hotel doctor should not shoulder thu
entire blame for IL The respousibilit,
rests with the hotel proprietor who /
mean enough 10 look for gain iron Tn
sickness of one of his patrons. IL Is no
nsing very strong language 10 call thi
haTblrism Hotel proFriesors who fayo
the tleecing Of the sick in their establish
ments ought TO be tabooed by every hon
orable and self respecting man and wo
man If guests We're TO stay away iron
such hotels, the bonus system would b
quickly suppressed New York sun.
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