The Indianapolis journal., 1896-05-17
SPECIALISTS OF LARGE INCOMES.
Physicians Who Sometimes Earn
Their Fees Easily.
New York Sun.


A visit in the morning to the Office of any
Of the specialists who have succeeded in es-
tablishing themselves in business in this
medical students are possessed of the philan-
thropic intention of devoting their careers
ITO alleviating single human Ill. The
During that time from two to twenty pa
tients will generally be found waiting their
turn in the reception room. The fee COM
monty charged by specialists Of the first
class is $40 for the first consultation and IS
for each subsequent interview. The phys-
clans who. are at the very top in their spe-
cial branches of the medical profession have
higher scale of fees. From these figures
,one may calculate incomes of specialists,
thousand dollars a year. That is from their
Office practice in the morning. In addition
they have the afternoon in which to visit
fees s;e CHARGED @ for performing operations e are
exceedingly high in special cases, so that
altogether the, specialist is very well re-
warded for whatever peculiar skill and
knowledge he may have acquired
The proceedings at one of the interviews
between specialist and patient some-
times of a simplicity surprising to lay
man. ard the physician seems to earn his
fee easily. Not long ago. when 1t came a
mans turn to be admitted into the CONSUL
taton room Of an oculist Of high standing in
this city, the physician requested him to
wait a moment while he offended TO another
patient. The other patient was then ad-
mitted into the room. 1t was young girl
who was accompanied by her mother The
ocuist merely raised the girls eyeld looked
at the eye, and told the mother to bring her
daughter back In three days. For this per-
formance he accepted the usual fee of So.
The proceeding lasted about one minute.
Often people who are being fitted with
glasses are told TO return again and again
to the oculist while ne goes over the meas
urements, until the patients are profoundly
impressed with the conviction that while it
is well TO be careful, ii must also be ex-
ceedingly profitable.
Oculists are not alone among specialists
as regards earning their fees with apparent
ease. For instance, some physicians who
make a speciality of skin complaints seem
to be equally fortunate. The man who saw
the oculist charge s. for a minutes work
told some friends about il. When he got
through his experience was capped by a
man who went for treatment TO skin
specialist of the same standing as the ocu-
list.
II had a light attack Of eczema" he said.
'sI went 20 him, was assured that my case
was durable, got a prescription and paid
SO / never had any trouble since. But
the doctor had told me to come back to
MIN in a week, and / went Then ne told
me to come back in another week
and didfso. Each visit cost me So. Finally
i asked him how much longer he thought
I'd have to go there He said about a year
Then / stopped off short and saved about
$3.50 in fees, and haven't regretted IL since.
The trouble with him was that he cured
This physician, like the others referred to.
is of the highest standing in his profession
does not advertise and hates ouacks. Many
of his patients are women who show less
strength of mind than the man who told
the story.