Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-22
MAINE LEGISLATURE.
up or down to the standard Of the COM


tioners. am aware, as said yesterday.
that we have reached stage in the session
when the House does not relish long
speeches, and shall not enter into an ex-
tended argument. But, gentlemen, right
is right and wrong Is wrong on the last
day of the session as on the first, and we
have no right to make measure of this
sort through ahastiness. I hope every
member of this House has read this
hill carefully and digested it, for
/ think such a perusal is the best ar
gument against it. Stripped of red
tape and verbiage the meat of the bill
is contained in the first section which
confers on a body of six men an autocrat-
ic power that might be timely during the
Spanish inquisition, at the time of Philip
II. but is an anachronism in free Ameri
ca at the end of the 10Th century.
Let me read part of this section
The Governor, with the advice and con-
sent of the Council, shall appoint six per
sons, residents in this State, who shall be
graduates of legally chartered medical
college or university having the power to
confer degrees of medicine, who shall con-
stitute board of registration of medi-
cine" There you have it. Then in sec
ton we find this statement Of how the
degrees are to be conferred: ANY per-
son not entitled to registration as afore-
said shall, upon payment Of ten dollars
DO entitled to examination, and if found
qualified by majority of the
members of the board shall
be registered, etc." That is, if the appli-
can't knows enough of medicine or surgery
TO, ho Of &c
the board, he shall be allowed to practice
otherwise not 1 tell you, gentlemen,
medicine is not sufficiently exact science
to Justify us in putting such great powers
into the hands of a few men. Europe is
in the habit of going further in the re-
strictions of personal liberty than this
country, but Europe speaks against this
measure. s &
Prof. Huxley says, in speaking on this
subject:
"a large number of people seem to be
of the opinion that the State is bound to
take care of the general public and see
that it is protected against incompetent
persons and quacks. / do not take this
view 1 think it is much more whole
some for the public to take care Of itself
in this as in other matters"
Gladstone, gentleman pretty well
versed himself in medical as in other
sources, gives this opinion:
"A man ought to be as free to select his
physician as his blacksmith for he alone
is to profit or suffer by his choice. The
responsibility is his
That is just it, gentlemen, the people
of this State, and of every other state in
the country, are competent, and should
have the right to choose their own physi-
clans. am very catholic in my tastes as
to medicine; have taken all kinds, al
though, I am happy to say, in small
quantities. I have no objection or
prejudice against Allopathy, but / strenu-
ously object to being told by law what
class of physician I shall employ. This
bill is European. it is monarchical, it is
oligarchical, it is not republican, 1t is
not American. ! move its indefinite
postponcnent.
MIR. Grindle of Bluehill said he had
carefully examined the bill and saw no
objection to it. 1t seems to me that it is
simply a protective bill. l presume the
impression has gone abroad that the bill
is in the interests Of medical men, that it
is for the benefit of the medical profession
l. IL
medical men to be more interested in the
bill than other people, and yet it is not
wholly for the benefit of the medical pro-
fession. am a physician, but as far as
the passage of that bill would affect my
business, either to increase or diminish it,
would not care whether itpasses or not. l
presume that this is the case with the
large majority of physicians throughout
the State. ! believe that the bill will he
for the benefit of the medical profession
and for all people. 1t is protective, ana
it is on that ground that / am in favor OF
it. We have had similar bills before nj
this session. one in regard to veterinary
surgeons. That bill received the support
of the Legislature. This bill is in the
same line, that is, it Is protection against
class of men that use term which
does not properly belong to them,
and in that way deceive the people ana
practice fraud. We supported the veteri-
nary surgeons bill, and it seems to me
that we should support this for the same
reason. i think a man should be equaliy
interested In bill for the protection OF
his family as in one for the protection OF
his stock.
1t is charged that this bill is in the In
terest of certain medical school. De-
lieve that all schools of medicine are
equally interested in this bill. l have
talked with an eminent physician in TINS
city, DIR. Hill, a Homeopathic physician Ne
regard to this bill, and he says that ms
society is in favor of it. 1t might be SAID
that the bill would be injurious to Ger
tain class that are practising medicine
without diploma. Instead OF being an
injury, it is rather a help to him. AS 1al
as registration goes, it puts him on tn'
footing Of medical men. The bill Simply
provides that men not graduates shat
have some knowledge of medicine and O
the human system. We have law tha'
requires druggist to register mar
whose business is to compound ana pu
up medicine; is it not equally importan
to have a law to require DOCTOR u
register whose business Is to prescrip'
medicine. Gentlemen, I hope the OH
will receive your favorable consideration
and support, and thereby receive
passage. !,
Mr.. Pcaslee of Wiscasset said that De
ing a member of the regular medical pro
fession, he supposed he would NATURAL!
be expected to support this bill. We're
.l~s;cio, hoxrevpr II seems to III,