The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-06-29
MEDICAL ETIQUETTE.
rigid Professional Rules Followed by
StrNtt-LAccd physIcaanS.

1.-The desire for q strict observanc
OF professional ethics among physi
c1ans is sometimes abnornally devel
oped by . consciousness of ones 81,
perlor1ty into practices which ar,
ridiculous and absurd" said a we'll
known doctor the other day. 'Busi
ness is business in tho medical as wei
as the commercial world, but, as there
arc many little sociul acts that may
be 1ndulged in even while changing
merchandise into gold, so a physician n,
who has his profession close to his
heart. will not disguise the natural
social instinct of man by exaggerated
manncrisms that are intended solely
| to magnify his own Importance in the
eyes of his patient. Professional Ell
quette is ali right, but when it makes
a man appear to be more of a thinking
machine with an automatic dispensing
| tice.
I'm my experience I have met with
many curious examples of distorted
IDEAS OF what professional etiquette
| should be. but the most marked case
of any is to be found in Philadel ph ia
doctor of high standing. He possesses
considerable skill, and this, along with
many mannerisms and affectations,
with startling nicely of dress always
In the latest fashion, has made this
physician the pet of the world of fash
ion. who are willing to pay eqorbitant
fees for INDUCING in q social fad
They all like him because he is so diff
ferent.
The doctor is a great stickler on
the eth les of medical practice, and con-
siders his methods the only proper
ones for physician to follow. He re-
trains when visiting a patient from
saying ANYTHING to any person in the
house, aside from asking information
concerning the case in hand, but a
most polite 'good-day' when arriving
and leaving. He believes that the doc
tor should be apart from the man, SO.
IN weii-defined manner, he conducts
a dual 1ife-Dr Blank as the physician
and DIR. blank as the social man.
You can imagine how this cool pro-
tesslonal manner seems in the homes |
OF his friends. yet no matter how close |
~ he may be connected when called in |
he always maintains |
this attitude. know of one case in |
which he was called in by college
chum to attend his wife. The two had
been the warmest sort of friends in
college. having rooIned together and
grad uatcd in the same class. But as
such things go in this world, they had
not seen much of each other of late
7ears, their business keeping them
part and kind fortune having favored
he mans home with health, so there
vas no need of a physician. But he
allied his friend in when he needed
him. At the door he met him with a
cordial greeting aud a hearty hand
bake, only to have a cold good morn
ng' and an Indifferent grasp of the
and in return.
1.-The man, thinking tho doctor must
ave some cause for his apparently
DOL. indifferent manner, said no more,
us conducted him to his wife's room. |
here he answered all the questions -,
tut to him by the physician. AS he I
'as going down stairs he stopped in I
ne library. and taking up dccanter,
AID: ALLOW me to give you a glass
berry, doctor This the doctor re- {
1sed, and proceeded on his way down t
airs, and with q good day went out I
the door. p
1.-The gentleman was nonplussed BY j
is strange actions. The friend of his t
'ilege days, SO changed! His me9ita- a
ons were interrupted by the ringing n
the bell, and upon going to the head r
the stairs he found it was the doc v
r returned. But it was not the doc v
r. it was the man. The returned doc e
r did not wait for his friend to come r
'wn and greet him, but rushed up t.
e stairs and. taking his hand, was t
ost cordial. This puzzled the gentle il
An more than ever, and he began to "
ink his friend had really gone in t;
ne. But his college chum dragged | e
m into the library, where, without n
llting for an invitation from his e.
SC, ne JOOk up the dcCanter and | CT
ured out two glasses of wine. Then CT
Letting an easy chair, he sat down IN
tn the remark: well, John, this is al
7e the good old days gone BY w
Then the doctor piled all sorts of tt
estions to the astonished man, who &C
Is SO amazed that everything seemed sy
nbled to him. Finally he recovered in
nse1f to ask him the meaning of his be
lions upon his first visit. The doc- H
explained how riEidly he adhered
a line of ethics in medical practice,
how he never intended that a pro- "a.
sional call was intended to be a So
l one.
Now he went on Il finished INV
'fessional call went outside and ma
tied awhile, then I made nv social | III
!, for 1 was anxious to see and talk | mr.
IN you. John. I never allow any of | sh
patients to say I overstepped the ar
2 of professionalism even one iota w,
life as doctor and my life as n | m,
n are two different things alto ro'
her, and I keep them apart from | IN
h other, SO that they are perfect cit
angers. 1t may seem strange, but he
5 an idea have ~,
And he told the truth. The man az
tally is most brilliant and goes in pr,
most fashionable circles of that III.
id, aristocratic town, but as a doc me
aside from being an excelle MT fir,
ctitioner, he is absolutely dull and the
interesting. This is one example of in
abnormal development of profess me
lal etiquette, but it pays this man de-,