The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1902-04-27
Protection of Health Ought to
be a Public Interest.
PHYSICIANS TROUBLES
Money Getting is a Serious Drawback
to One Who Loves His Profession.
HOW HIS REPUTATION MAY BE INJURED
If a Doctors Salary and Duties Are Fixed by
Law, His interest Becomes the Public
Interest, and He Will Have
Cooperation.

Interest, and He Will Have
Cooperation.
The idea that money getting is the
chief essential to success is so thorough
ly nground in the minds of men that 1T
seems impossible to use any rule to
measure men by that is not checked by
dollar marks. This fact is not deplor-
able. Divest mankind of the desire to
accumulate destroy the respect rem
dered to wealth, the incentive tO tire
less energy, and restless activity Will
cease to exist and progress will stop.
The race for possessions is one in
which all can enter, the narrow minded.
curved-handed miser, the aspiring, in
duStrious artisan, the bold, unprincipled
schemer, the steady, methodical mer
chant, in short everybody. No one has
yet reached the limit of the race track.
Every one is supposed to come up to the
pole and start. This is the point of
greatest congestion. A vast horde never
find their feet, but are knocked down as
soon as they straighten themselves for
the effort. Wedged in on both sides, OBJ
structed in front, pulled at from behind
they become bewildered, know not what
to do and drop out of the race. Like
| hobbled horses they have to Craze on
the grass nearest at hand, getting d
plain living and nothing more.
The competition for wealth and influ-
ence has always been the motive power
| that has advanced civilization. To pro-
tect property in its sacred rights atten-
ton to the moral welfare has been de-
| ~
ulators would be insecure in their pos
sessions. Laws have been established
ana the races superstitious dread OF the
| future has been utilized to produce ac-
| quiescence in established conditions.
| The elimination of the wisdom of the
world was reached in the evolution OF
| the decalogue, a formulary so short, con-
| else and wise that it is no wonder it was
accepted as gift direct from the hand
| of God. When supplemented by the Col
den Rule delivered by Christ, the world
became possessed of all the moral law it
ever did need or ever will need to direct
| it toward social perfection. While we
| have had the law we have not yet gained
the wisdom to conform to it to the best
| possible advantage. 81
Thou shalt not kill.
| Thou shalt not steal.
| Thou shalt not bear false witness.
| These three commandments are prac-
| tically all that tho entire human family
| obey and enforce r. statute. They have
| practical bearing on property as we'll
| as life, and this fact exemplifies the low
plane upon which our present civiliza-
| ton stands compared with the ideal.
| If the Importance to the common well
fare of looking after each individuals
health had been recognized as soon as
| the Importance of truth and honesty
were, the race would be on a higher
plane of civilization, which is only an
other name for morality.
| The large gifts to medical and scientific
| institutions by men of wealth can be
| taken as an index to general move
ment in intellectual circles tending to
the fixing of the moral idea upon man
| kird that our neighbours good health is
| an object of interest and duty The
| basic idea of self-interest actuates this
| enlarged moral idea just as Thou shalt
| not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt
not bear false witness appeals to the
| intelligence because, these notions be-
| coming fixed and universal render life
and property safe. When our neighbor is
| safe, we are safe. If our neighbor is
healthy and free from disease. we are
not liable to cOntagion. If we have i'm
munity from disease, the chances for
| long life are increased. The rapid and
universal spread of intelligence iustifies
the belief that one of the grandest
| achievements of the twentieth century
will be the establishment of the moral
conviction that it is our duty to love our
neighbor as ourselves.
The obtainance of food. shelter and
clothes is so much easier for the indi-
vidual now than formerly: it appears to
be one of the inevitable things to occur
that the energies of the race will be d.
| rected toward the protection of health
and means looking to the elongation of
life. If the matter could have been in
vestigated and plans evolved that would
render the individual or even small COM
munities safe from the invasion of dis
| ease it would have been done long ago
Conditions have been and are such that
rendered it impossible. The spread of
smallpox or any other highly infectious
disease will during the scare drive us
| to make some efforts in the right direc-
ton. The panic stricken public recog-
nlZes its right to self protection and
forthwith assumes control of the infected
individual. This impulse is founded on
fear, and like all right doing that is &C
tuated by personal fear, lasts no longer
than the immediate dread. The conta-
gious and infectious diseases having
large mortality comprise a very small
minority of diseases For every one who
dies of smallpox, cholera and the plague
thousands die of other diseases that are
just as controllable.
Gigantic enterprises in which large
numbers of people are engaged as en-
ployes are seeing from a money point of
view the advantage of caring for the
health of operatives in an orderly and
systematic manner. Railroads, mines
and lumber plants have their corps of
physicians and surgeons.
When physicians and surgeons are
employed by individuals to relieve indi-
vidual distress for pay, disease and in
iurv is the doctors ODDOrtunitY. There