The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1896-06-21
PAY YOUR BILLS OR NO DOCTOR.
French Physicians Decline to Attend Pa
tents Who DO Not Pay Their Bills.

". Y. Herald.
Medical men everywhere win be inter-
ested in a remarkable document, which
has Just been issued by the County Medi-
cal Society OF Herault. in France. Mont
pellier. be It said in passing, is the capt.
tai OF Herault. and Is the headquarters
OF several well known physleians and
surgeons.
This document bears the signature OF
Dr.. Diffre. secretary OF the society. and
announces that Black Book is being
prepared. copies OF which will be sent 10
the various medical practitioners in the
department Of Herault In this Black
Book win be published the names Of all
those persons who owe money to medical
men for services rendered. and who, for
some reason or other, decline to pay the
bills
The document says further: Every
member OF the medical society will be re-
quired to pledge his honor that he viii
consult this book. and that he win re-
fuse to attend any person whose name is
inscribed therein. In order that char
liable societies may not become the ref
uge OF persons whose names appear In
the Black Book. the presidents of the
societies will be notified that they will be
expected either to refuse admission to
such debtors or they must inform them
that medical service cannot be rendered
in their case until after they have paid
the amount which they owe"
In plain English, patients VINO owe
money and do not pay it are to be ex-
communicated by these physicians. They
may be suddenly stricken with disease,
but. unless they have paid what they
owe, the doctors will not be allowed to
help them.
There has been good deal OF talk in
Paris about this strange act OF the He
rault physicians, and some very emil
nent physicians have not hesitated to
speak openly on the subject. Among
them is DR.. cornil. professor OF the fac
ulty of medicine and honorary president
OF all the medical societies in France.
Being asked for his views on the matter
he said:
From a moral point of view there can
be only one answer. While the ply
sician is bound to live by his profession
he is equally bound not to use his pro-
fession for the sole purpose of acquiring
money. While II is perfectly right that
he should make money, 1t is imperative
that he should succor those who suffer.
I'm my time the medical students at
Montpelier were taught to obey the
command of Hippocrates. The first
duty of a physician" said Hippocrates.
is to attend the poor gratuitously ana
to give all possible succor to the sick,
even though they be his enemies They
were also taught that physician has no
right to keep secret any remedy which
he may discover and that he should, II
learned enough, be willing to teach with
out any hope of reward. Now, l admit
that doctors are often under heavy ex-
penses, and that they often have great
difficulty in collecting the fees which are
due TO them. Still they should not for
these reasons ever forget their profess
sional duties. II were a judge 1 would
certainly couuetln any DOCTOR VINO would
refuse to attend a sick person unless he
knew his place could be filled by some
other physician. Monstrous, indeed,
would be the guilt Of that physician who
would wantonly let fellow creature die
when prompt assistance might have saved
him."
The action of the Herault physicians
has given rise to this curious question:
If doctors have a right to defend them
selves against patients, have not pa
tients an equal right to defend them
selves against physicians?
The case is cited Of young surgeon in
Paris who, solely to show his skill, per-
formed three entirely useless operations
on a young woman who. unfortunately,
was under his care. He wanted to per-
form a fourth, the most dangerous of
all, but, luckily for the young woman,
two eminent surgeons, Richelot and Pean,
were called in consultation, and they
put stop to the young
lancet wielder and SO saved the woman.
Again, inQuisitlve persons are asking
this ugly question: When famous ply
slcians of Paris and other cities are sum-
moned to a consultation, do they not,
as rule divide their fees with the
local physicians who have summoned
them? II so. is there not more fraud in
the medical profession than any one has
hitherto supposed?