The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-08-29

The regular and private practitioners of
medicine and the '1odge" and syndicate
doctors of New York have been somewhat
agitated by an article in the Medical
Record of recent date by DIR. T. j. Hills,
a retired physician who has taken it upon
himself TO protest vigorously against what
he thinks to be a serious infraction of the
ethics of the profession and
an injustice to the doctors
in regular and private practice. Having
won a competence in his profession ana
retired, he writes without personal pc
cuniary interest in the matter, his only
object, he says, being to benefit those
young doctors who are struggling to OBJ
tain a foothold and maintain the old
standard of professional honor and dig
nifty.
DIR. Hills inveighs especially against
those doctors who are employed by lodges
syndicates and associations to look after
the physical welfare of their members.
These doctors take patients by the whole
sale, he says, while on the other hand the
lodges and syndicates go into the market
and buy the services of the cheapest man
they can get. In probably majority of
instances inexperienced and incompetent
young men, by dnt of eiectioneering
among the members of the lodges, secure
sufficient number of votes to get them
selves elected medical directors of the as
sociations. Having secured the practice
of a lodge, the typical lodge DOCTOR ac-
cordlng to DR.. Hills, proceeds to under
mine the regular practitioner at every
opportunity by calling his treatment old
fashioned and his charges extortlonate
As the lodge practice is apt to take the
wholesale doctor into number of fami-
lies, one result is that seeds of discomfort
are sown and the private practitioner finds
his clientage impaired or destroyed The
system of hiring doctors by the year to
take wholesale jobs of medical practice
furthermore, deprives worthy and compe-
tent physicians of patronage which they
should receive and degrades the profess
sion to the level occupied by hired SER
wants. In order &c hold his position, the
lodge or the department store doctor
must sue and smirk and bootlick and
palaver, and throw away personal and
professional dignity" "Thus," continues
DIR. Hills. "in addition to making step
ping stones OF his brother physicians, he
poisons the wen of popular thought in re-
gard to the profession which he so un-
worthily represents" In short. DR.. Hills
regards the lodge doctor as being in the
same category with the quack and mounte-
bank, and TO be stunned by all reputable
men Of the profession.
There is, of course, another side 10 the
matter. There are persons who think
that 1t is proper and permissible for those
who may need the services of a physician
to pool interests. so to speak, and secure
his services at the least possible cost. BY
combining, the parties TO the association
may receive the benefits of a physicians
services for minimum of expense, and at
the same time the physician may secure
a clientage Of sufficient size to afford him
a fair income.
There has been lately IN the Northern
cities a good deal OF discussion of the ef
feet OF dispensaries, free clinics, associa-
ton doctors and the like upon the BUSH
ness and prospects of the old school prac-
uuoners, and as in all other matters to
which there are two strong sides. the dis
cussion has waxcd lively and interesting
--s--a-s--
Secretary OF State sherman was from
ohio. Secretary OF state Day was from
Ohio. and Secretary OF State Hay. who
Will shortly take oglce, is an Ohio man
n this sort of thing keeps up much longer
f.fIH I..a