St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-06-22
The DOCTORS RELATIONS
WITH OTHER cALiiNcS TREATED BY
PRESIDENT marc
IN HIS ANNUAL ADDRESS.

Says Faith of the Clergy Some
times Leads Them Into Guilt.
bility-Directs Shafts at Law.
yers-.Aiso the Press RECON-.
mends Action on Tuberculosis
-State Medical Society Work.
The first matter in order at yester-
days session of the State Medical So
ciety was the address of DIR. w. j. Mayo,
president Of the association.
The address was a pungent effort,
dealing upon general topics concerning
the relations of the medical fraternity
with other cailings in life rather than
learned discussion OF medical topics.
Almost at the outset the speaker said:
at is humillating to see, so many posi-
tons OF pubic trust held by irregular
practitioners, and often by common
charlatans. but we must recoliect that
the world is not run by the highest
thought. but by the average in;elli-
gence. and the right of the minority To
representation is but justice. Under
the law of supply and demand VIC must
conclude that about 12 per cent of the
people Datronize unscieItific medicine"
Next the speaker touched upon the
clergy. saying:
"rhey guard sacred trust. aud view
innovation with alarm. The eager
striving of the medical profession for
the new gives to them an apparently
materialistlc tendency, while the faith
OF the clergy is only too often exagger-
ated into guilibility, and leads them 10
the recommendation of various patent
remedies for the cure of incurabie dis
eases and the Endorsement of secret
compounds to which they too frequently
lend their name and influence"
The legal fraternity was handled
rather causiica!ly.
As medical witnesses. we are an eX-
Eibitio, of sight for Gods and men. The
physician is an egotist OF necessity. He
is IN his own person. judge. jury. at
torney for the prosecution anu for the
defense, and his decision must be given
prompsly. and is accepted without ques-
ton. The lawyer. on the contrary. is
guided by precedent. and must con
front the Judge. opposing couE.
sci and convince the jury: He
must show reasons that can readily be
understood. He therefore cannot un-
derstand why the physician feels in
suited when his opinion is questioned.
The opinion of the medical
witness is based upon technical evil
dence that cannot be explained to those
not educated to his lire of thought.
am convinced, however. that
much of our unfortunate position III the
witness box depends upon our willing
ness to become PARTISAN"
In touching upon the press the speak
err said:
las profession, think sometimes
we are little inclined to claim lin.
munity from the common errors, to play
something of the oracle. The many
sidedness of the press brings it into
contact with and often exposes our little
fti6les. He hears about our code OF
ethics, but finds if our names happen in
the paper in the account of an accident
our feelings are not SO deeply lacerated
after all. In nothing
else but lack of funds members of the
press are akin to other learned profess
siOns. and the fat advertising ratrs of
the qnack and the vendar of patent
medicines give them a desire to obtain,
a part of our limited annual income.
We must explain to our friend OF the
pencil that after all we are human, but
that our profession is divine"
The speaker wound up this part of
his address by advising that the code of
ethics be.a!iowPd to stand as it is. s "a,
He touched upon the contagious nat
ure of tuberculosis aud its terrible raw
ages among mankind. and advised that
the society appoint committee to de-
wise some means of public control, and
report at the next meeting.
The remainder of the day was taken
up in the reaaing of papers and dis
cussing them. The afternoon was de-
voted entirely to matters pertaining 10
women. A paper ready by DIR. Archi-
bald McLaren. of st. Paul: upon a GER
tain, surgery attracted considerable at
tention. and Was the subject of long
discussion.