Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-03-04
THE DOCTORS GRIEVANCES
Troubles That the Specialist Makes fol-
the General Practitioner.

Troubles That the Specialist Makes for
the General Practitioner.
A physician with a large general
practice, telling Of the drawbacks the
general practitioner had to put up with,
said:
Zone reason why SO many young doc
tors take up IL speciality and refuse gen.
eral work is that the specialist can earn
four times the fee Of general practi-
toner, and he gets it. There is no wait
ing for his money. The general practi-
tioner works twice as hard for his one
fourth, and he has to wait until his pa
tient gets ready to pay him. A physi-
clan, unlike any other professional man,
cannot demand spot cash-I don't mean
that exactly, but if he should demand
1t, he would be regarded as brute. He
cannot refuse to answer any sort Of a
call that is made OH him, his fee is COM
paratively small, and it's problem
whether he gets it at all.
II am not speaking now Of families
that are poor and cannot afford to pay
doctors. They are the best pay. If the
money is i'll the house they pay on the
spot It's the middle class that refer
to. That class is made up of persons
who can pay, but ffom one cause or an
other neglect to pay, Or can afford to
pay a good fee and insist on paying only
small one. If there is aserious illness,
they ask the doctor if they had not bet
ter have a specialist visit them. The
doctor, as rule, tells them it is not
absolutely necessary, but if they would
feel more comfortable after the visit of
a specialist it might be we'll to have
one. So they get specialist, who comes
to the house and looks wise He makes
a thorough examination, and ninety
nine times out Of hundred he says
that the regular physician is giving the
proper treatment. If he has any sugges-
tions to make, they are minor ones. The
family ask the fee.
'The specialist says $50, $75 or 500,
or perhaps great deal more if the
house looks as if the people could stand
the charge. The money is paid on the
spot. The regular doctor continues to
treat the case. The patient recovers
fee Of the specialist, but the patient
kicks about it. He thinks doctors are
robbers, and all that. But he never re-
grets the fec Of tho specialist, and in
great many cases he actually believes
that if the specialist hadn't visited him
he would have died. The regular prac-
titioner gets no credit The average
falY foir, 1o i,,h soI~
enough to have specialist visit him.
The average woman takes more. She. |
talks about it afterw ard, 'Oh, had Dr.
So-and-so, the great specialist in this,
that or the other disease
''Just a few hours ago was called to
attend case, and the first thing heard |
was, we had DR.. -, the great spe-
cialist, when he was sick before. II
treated the patient, and miserable lit
tie fee, less even than the regular fee,
was rendered. I said, How much did
DR.. - charge your Seventy five dol |
lars, was the reply. would not have
asked the question, nor would I have
said anything further had not known
that the head of the family was prosper
Gus, and could we'll afford to pay 10 or
30 times the fee he rendered me- I said
to him: Very we'll, sir. When there is
any more sickness in your family, you
must send for Dr.. - and pay him $75. |
If you send for me, shall refuse to !
come for any such fee as this. The man
felt insulted
81 don't want to say anything that
could be construed as an assault on
specialists. I know their value, and I
have the greatest respect for them, but
there is certainly reform necessary in
the patients the average general practi- |
tioner is called on to attend. New
York Sun.