The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-09-06
IS He A QUACK?
Hays City Doctor and Medical
Society at War.

The state medical law is being in
voked to drive from Hays City a man
who it is claimed is practicing medi-
cine under the name of another man
This man signs himself Horace Ly-
man Wilson. He has been practicing
medicine in Ellis and the adjoining
counties for five years. He claims to
have graduated from the Rush Medi-
cal college. Horace Lyman Wilson
who graduated at the Rush Medical
college is now practicing medicine at
London Mills, VT says Secretary
Swan of the state medical society.
The case was made public through
a suit filed by the county attorney to
drive Wilson out of the practice 1t
was charged that Wilson is not grad
uate of a medical college. 1t is claim
ed that Wilson, taking the name of the
man who had graduated, wrote to the
authorities of the Rush Medical col
lege, representing that his diploma had
been burned. He requested a certificate
of graduation. The college issues no
duplicate diplomas but the certificate
requested by Wilson was issued and he
commenced the practice of medicine.
1t is charged also that this man is il
Iterate and not informed concerning
the uses of drugs Some of the pre-
scriptions which he has written are
claimed to contain deadly poisons and
the druggists of Hays City have fire.
quently declined to compound them.
AT other times it is claimed, the
druggists with the aid of reputable
physicians corrected the prescriptions,
making them harmless but making no
attempt to prepare medicine which
would be beneficial, because Wilson's
diagnosis of a case was such that it
was impossible for the other physicians
or the druggists to obtain an idea of
the disease.
This man, however, gained the first
n q q
Kansas medical law is a copy of the
Ohio law and provides that the law
shall not affect the business of men
who have been engaged in the practice
sage of the act in 1870 in this state.
There has been but one decision on
this point and that was rendered by the
supreme court of Ohio. That court
held that the period of practice does
not necessarily mean prior to the pas
sage of the law. The ten years may be
put in subsequent to the passage of the
law, according to the decision of the
Ohio court.
IN the trial of the case at Hays City
this was made one of the important
features by the prosecution which in
trOduced in support of the motion to
quash the indictment the decision of
the Ohio court. The motion to quash
was sustained and the case will be
brought to the supreme court of the
state for a final hearing.
Judge Lee Monroe heard the case and
rendered the decision. The county at
tOrney will contend, in the case appeal
ed that the law cannot be properly
construed to admit a man to the prac-
tice of medicine even if he has put in
ten years at the work without a di-
plOma since the passage of the law.
The prosecution will attempt to show
that Wilson or whatever his name may
be, is incompetent and that he is a
dangerous man to be entrusted with
the lives of human beings This doctor
has had a large practice among the
Russians in Ellis county and. has made
considerable money there. Opinion
seems to be divided in Hays City Some
of the citizens say that Wilson is all
right; others claim he is a 'quack"
The state claims that the Chicago In
Wilson holds diploma was a fake con-
without regard to the applicants fit
ness or knowledge of medicine. The
secretary of the state board of health
has Photographic copies of the journal
entries of a Chicago court which held
the college to be irresponsible and il
legal and these will be a part of the
evidence to prove that Wilson is in
competent.
1t is charged that DR.. Wilson is IL
literate and writes his own name with
a small W.
The case is attracting widespread in
terest from the fact that even under
this array of charges DR.. Wilson has
won a preliminary victory in the dis
trict court.