The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-30


you cannot convince us that he groped en-
tirely in the dark. We remember, without
adherence, his ever ready lancet and the
scars of his bood-letting, found in every
household. We endure with complacency the
recollection of his awful medicine-case, con-
tanning bottles, powders and pills, which,
whatever might be thought Of them now,
seemed then to be sufficient for all emergen-
cies-to say nothing of the tooth-pulling
tools and other shiver- breeding instruments
sometimes exposed to view. IL he was ignor-
ant of many of the remedies and appliances
now in use, he, in large measure, supplied
the deficiency by hard-headed judgment, well
observed experience and careful nursing. Be-
sides, 1t was in his favor that he did not
have to bother his head with many OF the
newly invented and defined diseases that
aff1ict mankind today. He had no allotted
hours for his patients, but was always on
duty, and We knew the sound Of his gig as
it ratified past in the night.
Your ways are better than his, but we de-
sire you to regard this admission as all the
more valuable, because it is carved out Of
our loyalty to our old village doctor, who
brought us through the diseases Of childhood
without relapse, who saved from death our
parents and our brothers and our sisters, in
many hard combats with Illness and who,
when vanquished and forced to surrender
was present in the last scene to close the
eyes of his dying patient and sympathize
with those who were present.
| hasten tc say that we do not for a moment
suppose that advancement in the science CT
medicine and surgery had smothered the
faithfulness and tender consideration which
characterized the practitioner OF former days.
If we seek charitable service to the sick and
suffering, a noble appreciation of obligation
to humanity and self abnegation in the dis
charge of professional duty we must look for
them among our physicians and surgeons OF
today.
If we have now arrived at understand
ing, you are. hope, prepared for sugges-
tion quite In keeping with the extremely
moderate and reasonable disposition that
characterizes the patient and layman. You
have invaded our benighted contentment and
led us into broad fields Of scientific discovery.
This has inspired us with a new born spirit
of wisdom and criticism which demands that
new and larger fields be opened to our COM
places where the germs of disease are hid
den. We are quite certain that you should
be required to destroy the
ORIGIN OF DISEASE.
and ultimately usher in the day when only
escape from the world will be through pas
the appearance Of exacting too much or If
business considerations present obstacles to
Its accomplishment l think we ought, per-
haps, to reduce our claims, or at least give
our doctors time to find other employment
In the meantime, those Of us who are con-
servative, must be allowed to hope that fur
ther investigation will continue to point the
way to the prevention of disease. For this
investigation must still rely upon the
efforts Of those who have already done so
much in that direction, encouraged and
SClmuIdL0u Dy SUCH 6HoCIlV0 OrSanlZallOnS as
the Academy of Medicine. We are sure this
work, having arrested the attention of the
worlds brotherhood of medical science, will
not be neglected; nor need we fear that Ameri-
cas- contribution to splendid results will be
deficient.
In some instances, however investigation
has performed its part and only effective action
in other quarters is necessary to supply
needed remedies. In such cases. of course
you are absolved from all responsibility in
your professional character by exhibiting
dangers and warning against them. Thus
certain diseases which you deem contagious
yet remain imperfectly isolated. You have
demonstrated the peril to health Of unwhole-
some water and n0Xious surroundings and
yet much remains to be done by way of pro
tecting our people against these dangers.
You have established a code of ethics which
condemns charlatanism in all its FORMS and
yet ignorant pretenders roam over the land
offering to perform miracles or are located
in our towns and cities, preying upon the
weakness of the sick and afflicted while men
and women are allowed to- die without med
ical attention, deluded with the hope that
faith will save in their last extremity With
in the limits of your professional power and
influence you seek to restrain any approach
to criminal malpractice, yet newspapers dis
gustingly though covertly, advertise the way
to such crimes and startle their readers with
sensational tales of death and misery to which
they are directly accessory
l need not suggest that such evils are al
lowed to exist by reason of the insuficiency