The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-02-20
TOO MANY DOCTORS.
Evils and Cause of Overcrowded Meai-
cal Profession.

cal Profession.
In common with the other professions
that of medicine is overcrowded. rms !
condition is not a new one, but 1t Is
worse than it was and it is continually
growing worse. We doubt whether II -
within the province of any man 10 poih'
out sure and certain remedy Ior oad
,sociologic conditions, but it Is WITHIN she
province of any of US to note ie" "
the factors that contribute to existihe
| evils and by avoiding them in the iuluis
10 lessen to some extent the evhs oi
which we complain.
| Medicine invites the allegiance of many
who imagine that they see in its prac-
tice an easy method of making q re-
spectacle living without gong to much
iexpense in preparation. This class was
respectfully Appeared to by the formerly
iexisting short courses OF stVoy with the
! absolute certainty of graduation at the
end of two years. Today, being shut out
iof most reputable medical colleges, the
same class is taking up the various
branches Of quackery, such as osteo,,a-
thy hypnotism, Christ an Science and
kindred short cuts to good incomes. The
Institutes of various kinds which SOW
Advertise instruction in the various
healing fads make a special IIoint of
idilatng upon the certa MY of making a
good living by these means In a very
short time. 1t is evident that good
living for these frauds is u sTnaler an
nual income than is requisite I2r he
reputable physician, with his reevssaI:Iy
large expenditures every year for booi2
instruments and remedies. The 5nc;
that these charlatans have come, and
have come to stay, should be recognized
We cannot lessen the evil, no mat ar
now much We deplore it. Irregular prac-
tltlOnerS
LIE more than half of the medicaI prac-
tee in regard to minor iilnesses-fne
KIND that would eventually get We'll with
out treatment or in spite of it-and which
formerly contributed very respectable
annual sum to the average Doctors in
come. The genuine medical profession
does as much work as ever in serious
diseases, but gets less pay for it,
Ii may thus be seen that even without
an annual influx of new men there Is
less work today for the average doctor
than there was twenty years ago pra-
Ventive medicine is still further lessep
ing the amount of routine work for the
general practitioner. Typhoid fever was
formerly the standby for steady income
IN many communities. Four or five casoo
Oh that disease continually on hand made
a very fair bulk of the general practi~
toners outside work The prevalence
| OF this illness is constantly decreasing.
some day it will be practically eradicaf
ed. So it is with diphtheria; SO 1t is II
some parts of the country with malaria
diseases. Altruistic medic ne is lessenin
us own work and diminishing its ow
income.
| with these and kindred facts in min
is there not some legitimate way to les
en- the number of doctors who have
DO the work? Should not every pbv
can, and especially every college prof
sor. do his best to keep the incompett
the ne'er-do-wells and certain faill
from entering our ranks? No young
should be encouraged to take up
study of medicine unless he posse
natural qualifications of an exceptit
ly high order. Good drug clerks.
BARRIERS good carpenters and good
teachers should not be urged to abs
occupations for which they are s
and in which they make probably a
an income as they will make in
cine for at least ten years. Ever