The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1895-03-07
Especial to the PRESS. }

tOp6Clal 10 Cu0 rEhEoO.) n
Augusta, Me-, March 6.-The doctors
were here in force today The prac-
titioners of the regular school, who
told the judiciary committee about the
medical registration bill made a good
presentation of their side of the Case,
but 1t was not exciting. When the rep
resentatives of the eclectic, magnetic
and other persuasions came to the front.
however, the fun began, and the hearing
soon became lively enough to afford
plenty of amusement to the committee
and the large number of auditors. The
bill provides for board of registration
to consist of six physicians, on which
more than one school of medicine shall
be represented. The bill does not apply
to persons now bractioing medicine.
Colonel FIN. Dow opened the case for
the petitioners. He said that he repre-
sented the Portland Academy of Medi-
cine, which had endorsed this bill and
which was by no means confined as to
mem bersbip to physicians. Colonel Dow
called on DIR. S. G. Gordon, VINO spoke in
support of the bill. He said Maine and
Rhode Island were the only two states
which had not PASSED laws for the reg
istration of physicians, and in conse-
quence they were favorable fields for
quacks. The present bill had been care
Iully drawn by DR.. Hanson. The Acade-
my of Medicine was preparing bill,
when its attention was called to the
pending measure. which the Academy
endorsed. The bill had been carefully
drawn. 1t was not retroactive in any
sense. .displacing no one now i n business,
but it required that those who came
here to practice medicine hereafter
should be subjec to examinations. The
changes made in the bill were not i'm
portant. 1t had heen agreed by all par
ties interested that section IA should be,
stricken out. That section related to
doctors compromising prescriptions and
to meet posi- BILE objections from drug
gists, although DR.. Gordon did not know
that any such objections did exist, the
provision had been stricken out. DIR.
Gordon asked the committee to candid
ly consider the matter rs measure des-
igned to protect persons and families.
DR.. "A. <. P. Meserve followed DR.. Cor
don. He referred to the qualifications
required of persons intending TO practice
law OF engage in business, while no SIM
l.ilar rules exist AS to the practice OF med
icine. DIR. Meserve told the committee
of case coming under his own observa-
tion, where dying man had spent the
money which might have made his last
hours easier, to buy a quack's medicine,
| which neither helped nor hlndered him.
| DIR. Addison S. Thayer and DR.. Bash
ford of Biddeford also supported the
bill, and DR.. Hanson of Eddington, who
drew it, explained it's provisions. DR..
Hanson speaks with sllght brogue,
which he told the committee they would
have to excuse. 1t didn't interfere with
his making bright speech, but figured
later in the allusions of some of the re-
monstrants to their services in following
the old flag and their rights as Ameri-
can citizens.
MA. Floyd, Esq, of Portland conduct
ed the case for the remonstrants, who
came armed with remonstrances bearing
several thousand names, HOO of which
where secured in Portland.
DrW j. Rouse of Bath was called as
the first witness. He referred to a re-
monstrance against the registration bill
of 1891, signed by Arthur Sewail and A.
p Wiswell He read a letter from Hon.
J. II. Manley, stating that he had signed
| Mr.. Rouse's remonstrance. DIR. Rouse
| had with him remonstrances signed by
| 800 Bath people. who. he said, wanted
| personal freedom. There WAS petition
| from Bath bearing 90 names, but these
| Mr. Rouse said were many OF them rela-
| tives of DR.. Drake, who wanted the alo-
| paths set up as little gods to rule over
| Rouse Dr. Rouse then referred to the
valor displayed in Athe civil war in de
| fence of the constitution which DR..
Hanson wanted to nullify. Mr.. Rouse
did not want medical monopoly to
| destroy his liberty AS citizen.
| Mr.. Higgins asked DR.. Rouse if fhe
called himself a physician, whereupon
| Dr. Rouse produced letter, which he
started TO read Mr.. Higgins and the
chairman asked tor a direct answer.
DR.. Rouse tried again to read the letter,
but finally said that he did not know
whether he was physician, as he did
not know just what would be called a
| physician. He might describe himself
as corresponding physician. He did
| not visit mis- patients, but treated by
| letter. He then succeeded in reading
the letter, which was from Boston lady
who thanked high heaven that she had
heard of DIR. Rouse, as he had cured her
| shoulder after four eminent physicians
had pronounced it lncurable. Dr. Rouse
| said he did not read this letter to adver-
tise himself but to show that notwith-
standing the law Massachusetts, people
would come to Maine to doctor.
| Dr.T. J. Bachelor of sMachias, an &C.
lectic uhysician, objected to paying So a
wear tritute under this bill, or to put
his face into the roeue's gallery, by this
| evidently meaning.the registration lists.
| He said that Ono.oI Inc son6leInen hau
elevated himself by saying that even
the days were registered. So were i'm
Dor ted iackasses. Some time ago they
had a nice little time up in Portland.
but they didn't tell the committee that
when two mem bers of another school
came in, two men, who called themselves
leaders, got up and went out. DR.. Batch
elder raised the point that the required
legal notice of this law had not been given
He declared there was Doodle behind
| the hill, in that it provided for the pay
ment of the registrars with the money
sponged out of the people they regis
| tered
Dir. johnson of Pennington, also an
eclectic physician, claimed to Know as
much medicine as DIR. Gordon, and he
was a quack at that. He carried the
flag in the war, and he did not want
a law made for him by the man who
drew this bill. The medical school had
graduated more fools than all the other
schools. They give man morphine
until he dies, and then they call it heart
failure. The minister closes his eyes and
| speaks of the wise dispensations of Prov
idence. when these CRITTERS" killed the