The San Francisco call., 1896-09-21
Physicians Who Serve Fraternal
Orders Denounced as
Ignorant.
LODGE MEMBERS INDIGNANT.
They Declare the Agitation a Futile
Attempt to Turn Civilization
Backward.


of fraternal and benevolent societies are
interested and are likely to be more or
less affected by an agitation that is rapidly
spreading and assuming increased power
among the members of the medical pro-
fession of this City and of the State gen.
orally.
The matter in issue is tersely and clearly
set forth in the following excerpt from an
editorial which appeared in the September
issue of the Occidental Medical Times:
The question of contract lodge practice by
reputable physicians, whereby medical and
surgical services and medicines are furnished
at fixed and purely nominal sum to members
of various benevolent" societies is fast be-
nitude and extent of this evil has pressed more
hardly on the profession. At the present time,
with the numerous free dispensaries and ciin-
les and the various benevolent soce ties. :"
some OF which even support hospitals, the life
OF the general practitioner is yearly becoming
harder.
II we read the signs of the times Alright
there is now under way a widespread move
ment against the various organizations which,
under the CLOAK OF cnarlty or oeneVolence, or
openly in the spirit of commercialism, are now
hourishing so rankly.
Some two years ago, in San Francisco, there
were ominous mutterings in the profession,
when some new '1odge" was about to be
formed.
The mutterings became louder, until their
nent mem bers OF the profession to dlsassociate
themselves from the scheme.
More recently, in Southern California an
active agitation has been in progress with the
object OF placing this class OF business where
IT properly belongs-among the ignorant and
disreptuable OF our profession.
at several of the recent sessions of the
San Francisco County Medical Society the
matter has been hotly debated and efforts
made to formally pledge all the members
against the practice condemned in the
foreeoing article, but thus far without
success. 1t is probable that this out
spoken expression by a journal that is
looked upon as a representative organ of
the profession will renew the agitation To-
cally and lead to some early and decided
| action.
Among the prominent members of the
various fraternal and benevolent organiza-
t;ons the movement is viewed rather with
indignation than apprehension. They
declare it an effort to turn the wheels of
progress and civilization backward. They
declare that the opposition to the medical
| aid feature of their organizations is on
par with the opposition of the doctors of
| former years to boards of health; with
the reluctance with which Harvey's theory
of the circulation of the blood was re-
ceived and the similar attitude assumed
toward Jenner's theory of vaccination
and the germ theory of disease.
DIR. Geotge w. Daywalt is member of
the San Francisco County Medical Society,
and is also prominent in fraternal mat
ters, being grand medical examiner of the
Ancient Order of United Workmen. He
is not at all in sympathy with his breth-
rem who dabble in materia medica and
| flourish the scalpel.
"a physician" he said, 'has as much
! right to take charge of a lodge for stipu-
lated sum as has surgeon to take charge
for stipulated sum of railroad corpora
JC n Il.
ship on the profession at large yet 1t is
undoubtedly great advantage to the
general community.
I'VE are beginning to realize that more
can be accomplished by concerted than by
| individual action, and this is only one
more in the line of wider cooperation
among the people. The poorest man is
by the latest methods enabled to secure
the same skillful medical services that is
available to the millionaire. Personally
l am willing to be injured if humanity at
large is to be benefited thereby.
"a fraternal society has the same right
legally and morally, to employ its physi-
clan as has the Southern Pacific Railroad
or the German or French hospitals, which
are main tanned by benevolent societies,
and the physician who renders service TO
the lodge members of fraternal orders
should no more be censured than are the
physicians in these hospitals
William II. Barnes. one OF the most
prominent Odd Fellows and Workmen on
the Pacific Coast, spoke as follows after
reading the article in the Medical Times:
The writer does not seem to understand that
there may possibly be spirit of fraternity un-
derlying the willingness of a skillful physician
to assist those with whom he is associated in
fraternaI ties.
1t looks to me as If there was something else
underlying this, and that that something is a
sort of envy. And perhaps 1t is justified, in
the fact that a brother who is physician and
who sacrifices his time to practically assist
those in sickness and distress must naturally
win the esteem, respect, gratitude and aifec-
tion of those he serves. and thus become more
popular and prosperous than his less broad
minded or less fortunate brother practitioner.
Far from condemning the man who is will
ing to give his brains, skin and ability at
mere nominal cost to help q fellow-man, the
! medical profession as such should take pride
in the fact that thew have among them men OF
such high character and large heart.
If it is ignorant and disreputa BILE to do good
to our fe.low-man, to visit the sick and relieve
the distressed. then the sooner the majority of
mankind become ignorant and disreputable
the better it will be for the community, the
State and the Nation.