The Saint Paul globe., 1897-04-25
PLACING THE RESPONSIBILITY.
Is the Physician Wholly to Blame
for Not Responding?
the Fditor Of the Globe

To the Editor of the Globe.
In commenting on the death of Fl. c.. Davis
in today's issue Of your paper you refer to
the non-attendance Of a physician who
called as brutal conduct. 1t would seem
brutal indeed for one human being to refuse
aid to another in his extremity and when that
aid might have saved a life. But can the
blame in this and similar cases be placed
on the physician who refuses to attend? Is
not the whole community to blame? Leaving
aside this doctors action IN this case and
speaking in general terms, the physicians
life work has two sides. His is the hand to
a-lay suffering; his the knowledge and skill
to conquer disease and correct the disOrdered
action of natural functions; his to risk his
own life and health continually for the sake
of his fellowmen, and all this he would do
cheerfully and without complaint for pure
love of his calling The lives of the hundreds
who have fallen, stricken by disease and
death, in the path Of duty prove the protes-
sion noble one, but unfortunately the other
side of this calling is necessary one and
cannot be ignored. The physician must sup
port life and care for those dependent on him,
and therefore he must recognize and assert
the business side Of his calling. If, in doing
this, any should suffer because Of 1t,
the adjective that properly applies TO the
case is brutal forsooth. Had the physician
in this case known that it was case OF life
or death | am confident he would have at
tended whether the fee was in sight or not.
1 have that much faith In any member OF the
profession. The probabilities are that when
he was called the gravity Of the case was not
impressed upon him, or its nature stated at
all.
Now as to the community's share In the
buta1ty. Had the doctor responded to the
call and the case turned out to be one Of a
simple nature, easily remedied and the patient
unable to furnish the fee, where would the
Doctors pay come from? Or even suppose the
case was a serious one and the patient had
died in spite Of the Doctors efforts, where
would he have secured his pay? Would the
city pay it? Would the county or state pay
it? No.
The city and county say: eve have ply.
sicians who are already paid to do such things
If you don't want to lose your time or s.eeD,
or work for nothing don't attend the cases
till you get an order to do so from the proper
authorities"
Is 1t right that the community should throw
the burden of caring for the INDECENT sick in
emergency on the shoulders Of the doctors2
Often there Is no time to lose in sending
for the official physician or in securing per-
mission from the authorities for an outside
physicians attendance and yet in such a
case the doctor must not only contribute
his sole aid to the sufferer without thanks
but be caviherly treated if he afterwards
presume5 to send in bill to the community
for services. In this case, however the doc
tor doubtless not knowing the severity or the
case dared to take cognizance Of the busi-
ness side Of his profession and exercise a
caution that Is the first principle of ALI other
callings and he was, therefore, brutal.
If in the instance Of this unhappy young
man the community can shoulder the re-
sponsibility onto the doctor and in it's own
SNUG complacency fold its hands and watch
a death, 1t will doubtless feel that it has
done all the case requires.
People, however, who take time to reflect
will not blame the doctor, but place it where
which uses public clap-trap to drive him up to
the rack and then tells him to whistle for his
fees. DR. Edward N. Flint
Winthrop, Mimi, April %.