Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1895-01-19
MEDICAL MONOPOLY.
Special Privileges to Monet"

THIS maxim must be kept constantly
before the Legislature this winter. The
people have rights that no legislature
must infringe. One of these rights Is
threatened. The medical fraternity are
prepared to offer a cast-iron bill creating
them a worse monopoly than even the
railroads are. Every man has the same
right to employ q person in sickness to
heal him that he has in health to dress him.
The doctor as well as tailor must, how
ever, be held legally responsible that he
does a good job.
Give the tailors special privileges, Gre
ate monopoly by certain legal limita-
tions so one could only employ licensed
tailor, and let them prescribe all the con-
ditions of that license for themselves, and
soon there would be no liberty of dress
and no redress for bad work, for they
would hang together and defend each
other ma all privileged Glasses do.
So with the doctors. We do need
stringent law that will hold the doctors to
good work. The only diploma the public
cares for is success; the only license the
doctors need is the reputation they eGr-n By
doing good work. On pretense of protect
ing the public, they have already obtained
special favors. The public has never asked
for this protection, has never seen the need.
It is able to protect itself. Poor success
viii kill off those not fit to practice. A
medical bill gives full license to every
graduate to kill and go scot free, for the
examiner who gave him his license, and
who doses as he doses, will swear he dosed in
the regular way. Let the public hold, by
severe malpractice law, these gentlemen to
time, and they viii understand the public
is as fully able to protect its bodies from
quack ministers, editors, and politicians.
To have censors over the medical choice is
only a first step in encroaching on the
natural and inalienable rights of man.
The next step is to have a censor of the
press and state religion. As souls are
more important than bodies, this has in
the past been the rule, until in America we
obtained at great price religious freedom
and free press. We ask that liberty
be let alone, and there be free medicine.
This bill is aimed particularly at the
clairvOyants, magnetic healers, Christian
scientists, etc., and it provides penalty for
manipulating. This strikes at the Swed-
ish movement cure. Now, the state has
no right to decide in these matters. The
legislature has no prerogative given it by
which it can decide whether the old school
or the homeopathic or the eclectic system
of medicine is the correct method. Did
It decide on either, the other two would
have a right to kick. Neither has it right
TO decide for all these three, and if one of
them is right, the other two are wrong.
One only can be genuine, and the other two
must be quackery. It cannot select these
hree schools out of the many, and declare
all others wrong.
The only way for a free people is to
leave all systems of medicine free, and let
the people decide. 1t is not the business
of the legislatures to inquire whether
magnetic healers or scien-
fists do really heal. Their only business
is to ask, do people believe they do, and do
they wish to employ them? If people do
thus believe, then they have right thus
to believe and so to employ. The legis-
lator should say: "They did not send me
here to limit but to protect their liberties
go suppose Kansas legislature will
pass such bill, is to discredit it's intelli-
gence. 1t will not, if the subject is agi-
tated and brought clearly before it.
Therefore, agitation is necessary. There
are many honorable and successful M. d.
who oppose the measure. 1t is supposed
that every one-horse doctor will need ''pro-
lection" and favor it. Anti-petitions are
being circulated. They should be. If those
who have them will send notice to the
author, he will give them his assistance.
Let the citizens see their legislators on the
subject. 81. Fl. Brown.
TOPEKA, KAs.