Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-06-03

less Members of the Medical Profession
to Extort Money.
Every large hotel in the city nowadays
has q 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 n 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 e1tortionate
charges for the treatment of guests who
have been luckless enough to fall i'll
among strangers.
Complaint is made that far from being
blessing to the guest, the easo with
which medical attendance can be secured
has III such cases become q source Of
genuine dread to visitors to the big city
who have to stop at hotels. The guests
fear even trif]ing illness while in tho
hotel. because if they make the fact
known that they want to SEQ 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
hotels in the town to prominent con-
sulting physician.
when was taken sick at the hotel
the other night" one of the complainants
said, 81 asked the head clerk to send me
DR.. S."
"Dr. ST." said the clerk in seeming
astonishment. 81 never heard Of him.
But we have competent physician in
tho hotel whom l will send to your
ROOM"
The hotel doctor did go to tho room in
response to the request of the clerk. He
made several visits during the night, al
though the guests didn't want and didn't
need moro 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 fec was that the hotel physician
had made an arrangement with the ho-
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 hetel for very
long time, and that guests submitted to
it rather than have any wrangle at the
clerks desk over charges, q 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 m 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
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 n visit. and there is the
best reason for believing that the hust-
ling landlord getsse of it. 1t is stated
on good authority that i'll many hotels
the official doctor is obliged to give up
from one-fifth to one-tllird of his charges
to the business management. People
who are taken i'll in hotels must have a
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 swindfing. Many of them arc
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 regular and legitimate schedule
Of charges based npon the market value
of their professional services. in cases
where there is .'livyy" between the
doctor and the hotel the physician get.
his lodgings and board ata reduced rate
He is appointed by the hotel proprietor
and he excuses the high fee on the piles
that he has to change more than his reg
,,lar rate in order to make good the bonu!
to the proprietor. This bonus is de
manded for the privilege of practicing i,
the hotel.
"This abuse is worse in Chicago thai
it is in New York." prominent ply
sician said.
"The bonus system is certainly an out
rage on the travelling public" said an
other physician, .'but at the same tim
the hotel doctor should not shoulder tn
y entire blame for it. The responsibilit.
y rests with the hotel proprietor who j
mean enough to look for gain from tn
sickness of one of his patrons. 1t is no
o using very strong language to call thi
i barbarism. Hotel proprietors who favo
II the fleeing of the sick in their establish
- ments ought to be tabooed by every hon
q orable and self respecting man and VIC
e man. If guests were to stay away fror
such hotels, the bonus system would b
quickly suppressed. New York Sun.
Pa ------------
A, low Loco Acts.