Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1903-02-21
HEALTH LEGISLATION.

.FN
House bill No.36 provides for a COM
| plete revision of the law establishing
The territorial board of health. While
in some respects it cursails the arbi-
trary powers of the board. il amplifies
its scope and authority in other res
poets. 1t was drafted. it is understood.
by DIR. George w. Harrison, an ex-
member of the legislature, who had
given the subject considerable thought
A change should be made. in that 1T
should define more clearly what is un-
derstood by unprofessional conduct.
The board is empowered to refuse a
license or to revoke the license Of any
physician in New Mexico guilty OF I'M
professional conduct. AS a matter OF
fact, there are quite a number of ply
sicians who believe that advertising in
the newspapers is unprofessional con-
duct. They deem it perfectly correct
to advertise by hanging out a shingle,
by having the professional papers ex-
plot their wonderful ~successes,b by hay-
tIS ptODlC ldih dbOut lACAi " AAAAA
selves talking about their learning.
and to get all the free advertising out
of the newspapers possible, but when
it comes to paying for an advertise
ment that is deemed unprofessional.
It should be definitely provided in
House Bill No. 36, that advertising in
newspapers shall not be deemed I'M
professional conduct, nor shall it be
ground for refusing q certificate to any
physician or revoking any license.
The newspapers of the territory win
stand together in demanding this am
endment to the bill. Let New Mexico
be one of the commemorative which is
first among those to kill the old tradi-
ton that a physician shall endeavor to
| get all the free advertisement within
his reach, but that it is a mortal sin
| Mexican.
Our Santa Fe contemporary hit the
| nail on the head in the foregoing.
Professional ethics is all right with
L III iCdSolidblC anu SSllSlUAC AAAtiNS.
Editorials of surgical operation. ii
| some unusual casa. according 70 the
report, but which really is being per-
formed almost every day, is as much
of IN advertisement for the surgeon as
if put in as a paid notice: that doctor
| so and so has been called to a case of
| d~iphtheria or scarlet fever.or has gone
to Watrous or Mora on a professional
| doctor as if inserted for pay local no
| tees. They are all right and items of
news as well as of benefit TO the ply
| stefan who gets them.
The Optic does not object to them.
But a profession which is glad to
receive these local mentions should
not be so ~hidebound as to adopt undu-
ly strict rules OIL advertising.
If a physician has learned OF a rem
edy, either by experiment or reading,
which is valuable why not advertise
it. so the whole world may have the
benefit.
"a oSto oSIculSS dNNudlIiteu
with any fact of benefit TO mankind,
why should an ancient code of ethics
compel him to hide it away in a dark
closet, or disclose it only to his
brethren on the quiet.
The doctors should reform their
code, so that the utmost publicity
could, within the lines of proper pro-
fessional conduct, be given to man
kind.
No profession has made such rapid
and wonderful advancement during
the century as the surgical
and medical. The doctors OF
everywhere, in city. town
and country. have been inspired with
the spirit to investigate. and are en-
titled to front rank as inventors and
discoveries, but they are handicapped
by a code of ethics. which should be
amended and ~broadend to meet the
new needs and conditions of a time far
In advance of the old ways.
In this change the doctors them
Sc v shOl.i take the Ieai
Charles A. Spiess has concluded he
doesn't want the district attorney
/ hin nj fbfc d;ofrio< -.