The morning times., 1896-10-18
TOO MANY DOCTORS
Complaint That College Professors
Control the Code.
3. LOIlI. r ub I.


DR.. William V. Lotus of 1865 EaSton
avenue believes that the doctors who have
become professors in medical colleges are
given an undue degree of prominence, and
that tn lie : arc made TO overshadow W thcplain,
old-fa shioned "bedside Doctor
There has been some discussion of late
over the question is 10 whether there arc
not too many medical colleges, and one Of
the college professors said in an cpigram-
matte way that one might as well discuss
matte WAY that one might as well dscuss
the question as TO whether there are too
many schcolnouseS. Mr.. Lotus thinks the
comparison is not pertinent. Schoolhouses,
In which children are taught TO read and
write, are IA necessity, and so long as there
are pupils enough to fill the houses there
cannot be too many school buildings.
"Just now" says DR.. Lotus, there is
no need whatever for medical colleges.
There are IN St Louis about 200 doctors,
and doctors are found in about the same
ratio with respect 10 population all over
the country.
Two hundred of our physicians do one
halr OF the nieuical practice ot the city, and
these are not always busy: consequently 1t
may be seen that 700 or SOJuf our medical
| men could easily be spared, and every other
city, town, and village in the land could
spare Il like proportion of this talent with
out detriueut to the public health.
IF every medicai college woLlu De closed
| and kept closed for the next twenty-five
| years, the country would not suffer. What
! explanation can he given therefore, to show
WHY not few but all OF the medical col
leges should continue to exist? The only
| explanation that can be given is that a
| profit is still yielded 10y keeping the doors
| of the colleges open and the machinery
moving A reason like this is satisfactory
| to everyone in the commercial world, from
tie kings of Finance to the ne wsboys on the
| streets: but that those who would set
| themselves up as the glasses of Professional
| fashion and niolders Of professional, thought
| could be found engaged in any enterprise
for mercenary motives seems strange.
THE history OF the regular profession
| shows that the numbers thereof coGstruc-
| lively subscribe to a set Of laws partly
| written and partly unwrittcn, which con-
| stitutcs them Il brotherhood. The written
| law, or .cude OF ethics,' distinctly says that
| no mem ber shall try to oVerreacn his
| brother by advertising or otherwise par
| aiding his merit before the 'laity,' under
| penalty OF perpetual exclusion from the
presence of the faithful. 1t further says
| ment within the professional breast.
| MANY years ago, when the need of med
/ ical colleges as instructors for the profess
sionally inclined youth of the land was nc
longer felt, efforts were made to checkmate
| the notorious indifference of medical pro-
| fessors to the spirit of the teachings of the
code by enlarging the privileges of those not
connected with the colleges. or otherwise
amending the rules. But the medical pro-
fessors always being in the majority, the
| code has never been remodeled.
The damaging effects of the medical
| college institutions upon the medical pro-
| fession have been multiplying for the last
twenty years, and 80 bold have college
| faculties become that the hundreds who
| constitute the members thereof drive rough
| shod, promiscuously over the tens of thou.
sands Of tue profession proper; SO great is
tue degree of subjugation that when tht
profession is called to only the colleges
answer