The Washington times., 1895-01-02
Health Officer WoodWard's Pro-
posed Medicine Practice Act.
WILL MEET ALL OBJECTIONS
Recent Smallpox Outbreaks We're Due
to Wrong Diagnoses.
Startling Statements Fearlessly Made by DR..
Woodward Is Burning Midnight Oil
to Complete the Bill-stringent Laws in
the States Drive Medical Impostors to
Washington-Cit Should Ac:.

Health officer Woodward Is burning. mid
night oil these wintry nights preparing the
draft OF a medical practice act 10 be pre-
sented to Congress in few days by the Com
missioners. The. necessity for such a law
became yividiy apparent during the recent
smallpox outbreaks here. 1t can be stated
on the best authority that had the first case
of smallpox which appeared in Washington
been properly diagnosed and the proper pre-
cautions taken the entire outbreak would
have been prevented and the public saved
several thousands of dollars. not TO mention
heliyes OF those who died from the dreaded
disease and the uneasiuess and alarm which
spread through the District like wildhre.
The difficulty encountered by the health
Office in suppressing the recent epidemic,
demonstrated in the case of the second vie
tim, vino died without the proper diagnosis,
the crying necessity for a medical practice
! act. This case developed and was wrongly
diagnosed at 4 time when the city seemed in
fair way TO be rid OF the disease, and pre-
/ cipitated upon thei community an outbreak
more serious than tie first.
plumbers, druggists and dentists are sub
lected to Il scrntinlzing examination by the
authorities" said ia leading physician last
| evening "then why should not doctors, who
are intrusted with the lives of their patients
/ and incidentally the health OF entire COM
munites. be thoroughly
EXAMINED RY COMPETENT PERSONS.
Referring to the proposed medical practice
act, DR. William Creighton Woodward, the
Woodworking health officer, said to a TINES
reporter last night:
| The laws in force at present in the Dis
| trict were not intended originally to restrict
the practice of medicine, but only to accom-
plish that end In a slight degree. They were
| enacted principally for the purpose of secur-
| ing at the health Office a list of practicing
! physicians in the District for the purpose of
verifying the death certificates as they are
turned in from day TO day.
What is neeJed Is an net that will en-
! able the Commissioners to determine whether
a man is qualified TO practice medicine before
allowing him 60 enter upon such practice.
! With but four or five exceptions. such laws
| are enforced in every State and Territory IN
the United States, andthe effect of their strict
enforcement in those places has been TO drive
! into this District a swarm of irresponsible
and incompetent quacks and impo>tors.
Efforts have been repeatedly made to Sc
cure the enactment of a law here such as
those referred TO, but these efforts have
among the physic ians of the various systems
or schools OF medicine. Each medical So
ciety here seemed desirous of having enacted
that bill which would most nearly meet its
particular views
Last spring the Medical Society of the Dis
trict OF Columbia appointed a committee to
draft a bill to regulate the practice of medi-
cine here. similar committee was ap-
| pointed about the same time by the Homeo-
pathic Medical Society of Washington. These
| two committees had several conferences, but
| came to no agreement. There was therefore
| introduced into the present Congress, at the
| instance of the Medical Society, q bill to regu-
late the practice OF medicine, and the bill was
| duly referred to the District Commissioners
FOR THEIR CONSIDERATION.
"At public hearing held about two weeks
ago, at which all three of the existing medi-
cal societies-eclectic, homeopathic and medi-
cal-were represented. the views held by
these societies were stated and the Commits
sioners took the matter under advisement.
''There was no question among the repre-
sentatives Of these organizations as to the
necessity Of regulating the practice of medi-
cine in this Districr, the only question being
| as to the method
1.-The Commissioners will now endeavor to
| frame bill that will accomplish the purpose
for which it is desired and which will meet
| the objections raised 10y the opponents or the
bill already introduced, and will submit the
revised measure to Congress at an early
date
"While the most active interest in securing
the passage of this measure has been on the
part OF the medical profession" added DIR.
Woodward. ''the people at large are the ones
who ought TO be the most deeply interested
in it. It is only by means of such measures
that they have any way of ascertaining the
professional qualifications of physician
upon whom they call for treatment, or any
guarantee that if they are injured or taken
suddenly sick upon the streets. they may be,
without their own consent even, treated by
some one who, while authorized by law and
the present system. to take into their hands
their lives and health, may be nothing more
than the yeriest quack."