The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-02-28
The Practice of Medicine.

To the Editor OF the indianapolis Journal:
In the discussion of the bill now before
the Legislature designed to define the
practice of medicine and elevate the stand
ard of medical education, We are gravely
told by its opponents that because 1t re-
quires that the so-called Christian Scien-
tists," faith curers" mental healers,
ETC., must know something about the fear
fully and wonderfully made" human organ
ism, just as we require the watch member
or horse doctor to study and know some
thing about the construction and organiza-
is therefore IAN outrageous restriction
upon religious liberty The fact that you
call a rose sambucus canadeusis does not
make it an elderberry. SO, also, it matters
not what name you give it."faith cure"
'.vitopathy," occult science" etc, the
practice of any or all of these necessarily
requires a good knowledge of the mento-
physical constitution of man. the study OF
which is embraced in those branches of
general medicine called anatomy, physioi-
cgy, psychology, psychiatry and psyche
therapeutics, or suggestive therapeutics
More than five hundred years before the
inventors of such names as Christian
Science" ETC., were born, mental healing or
psychological medicine was studied and
physicians whose practice was limited to
nervous and mental diseases. Such emf
nent authorities as Burg Q766), Braid CS4l,
Charcot. Lugs, Liebeault, Bastian, Mauds-
ley, Turke, luke, Grimes, Hammond and
hundreds of other workers in the more
modern development OF psychological medi-
cine, have studied and developed what IS
known and practiced to-day by regular
educated physicians on nervous and mental
diseases the world over. In the meantime
a woman, shrewd of tongue and pen, with
smattering of the underlying principles
of acknowledgements, labels ii Christian
Science" advertises 1t something that
the most ignorant can practice, and reaps
a rich reward from credulous and mir
acle-seeking public. Just so with the pat
ent medicine man, "a lucky dog" as they
say of a money getter; seeking quick
fortune he stumbles onto article in a
medical book or journal in which some
earnest, hard-working physician is giving
TO his brethren of the profession, without
money and without price, his successful
treatment of some very serious and preva-
lent diseases, the fortune seeker copies the
Fences Golden Million Discovery Print
ers' ink and gullible public does the rest
his Golfers are soon filled.
Is it just legislation, is it not class legis-
lation, to thus demand that one class who
are engaged i'm healing the sick must spend
years of hard study and thousands of dol
lars TO qualify themselves for their pro-
LESSONS. and then turn another class en-
sick public, wholly ignorant of the first
principles of this most important profess
sion, without leave or license, to practice
free-for-all piratage upon reputable med
icine. and a most damnable fraud on an
unsuspecting public?
The argument that the patent medicine
and the practice of the psuedo-religious
sects can do no harm comes only from
those wholly ignorant of the first princi-
pies of psychological medicine, and from
the dishonest faiSirs. Hundreds of lives
have been. sacrificed by the abuse of mes
merism, hypnotism, faith cure, mental
healing. and the pseudonyrnous christian
Science There is not a medicine or a
remedial means In the entire list Of known
remedies but can be made to dc serious
damage to the human organism. Even
bread can be made to kill a person. Ii
you do not believe this. my friend of the So
sailed sale -religious sect" try feeding your
can eat for awhile.
Why should these people fear to go be-
fore the state board and take examina-
ton on anatomy, physiology, psychology
they propose to practice? Here are few
% the subjects, copied verbatim from the
programme of Christian Science" So
ciety OF this place, for discussion-"Infiu-
Spiritual Power" Define Theosophy ami
Give the Difference Between Western and
Eastern" What Difference, If Any, Be-
tween Divine. Mental or Christian
science?' Vibration Theory" Certainly
people who can intelligently discuss such
abstruse subjects as these should not hes
tate to take examination from our
present Board OF Examination and Regis
tration, composed OF eminently fair-minded
and intelligent gentlemen. The gentlemen
who stand on legislative floors and argue
that ii is not essential TO attempt the eie-
walton OF the standard of education In these
most important branches of medicine. a ].
yocating the ignorance of this class OF
healers Of the sick, should be consisten,
with their logic and assert that any person
should be permitted To teach in our publis
schools and colleges who has a smatteriue
OF tine three RS" j. NJ. THURSTON