Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1905-04-12
Quarterly Meeting of Marshall
County Association Held at
st. Thomas
1.-THE DEAD BEAT DISCUSSED
President M. U. chesire, in Opening
Address, Presented Many susses-
tons For Professions Benefit in a
Business Way, and Thorough Dis
cussion Followed.

shall County MedlCal oOclety was i'N'
Tuesday at the parlors Of ST. Thomas
hospital and proved to be one or the
most profitable, from professional
standpoint, ever held by the associa-
ton. DR.. NJ u. Chesire, president OIL
the society, in his opening address,
presented many valuable Suggestions
for the betterment of the profession IN
n business way, and thorough discus
sion of the suggestions followed, par
ticipated in by the different members
present.
President Chesire's address dealt
with some of the crying needs that al
feet the physician from a business
standpoint. Among the subjects
touched upon were the ever present
dead beat" charity vs. imposture, the
cutting of fees, the evils of competitive
bidding for county work, the contract
system, and suggestions for the bet
torment of the conditions in regard to
all. The address appeared to strike
responsive chord in the minds of
those present, and the thorough dis
cussion followed.
DR.. E. S. Burroughs touched upon
the subject Of county work, showing
that while the county always stands
ready to pay literally for all other
work, it has always maintained an at
titude of niggarly parsimony toward
the physicians OF the county with ref
erence to their services in treating the
county poor. File showed wherein the
physicians themselves were to blame
for this.
Dr. +. p. Lierle followed, advocating
some form Of compulsory cooperation
among the physicians Of the county,
looking to the correction Of the abuses
in question. He believed such methods
Of cooperation might be brought to
bear thru the county society.
DR.. N. p. Mighell spoke on the sub
ject of county work, declaring 1t to be
poor work in every sense, and stating
his conviction that the county society
should take some steps to compel
proper compensation for services rem
dered the county.
DIR. e. M. Singleton spoke on the
subject of dead BEATS" advocating
cooperation among the physicians Of
the city and county, with a view to
ascertaining to certainty the class
which persistently refuses to pay it's
bills.
DR.. A. B. Conway urged the phys
icians to refuse to bid on county work.
and thereby compel the establishment
of some reasonable system Of compen-
sation for such work. He also paid
his respects to the well dressed dead
beat" whom he defined as zone who
can pay his bills. but will not" He
maintained that while every right
minded physician always stands ready
to respond to the call Of charity, it is
high time some method is devised
whereby the "aristocratic dead beat"
might be compelled to liquidate.
DR.. Theodore Engle, Of State Cen
ter, in response to a call for his views,
stated that he had had the usual ex-
perience Of the average practitioner
with dead BEATS" but that in all his
experience he had never encountered
dead beat that, for brazen effrontery,
could equal Marshall county itself. He
stated that while he had done thous-
ands of dollars worth Of work for
Marshall county, he had made a prac-
tice of late years Of presenting no bill,
preferring to donate his services to
the county outright, rather than to
put In bill and have it bickered at
and cut and haggled over by penur-
ious board of supervisors. He showed
the workings Of the method of award
ing contracts on the basis of bids,
resulting frequently in the appoint
ment of incompetents to the position
of county physician; then, when an
emergency arose, requiring the ser
vices of a competent consultant, the
attendance Of the latter is held obli-
gatory from humanitarian stand
point, in lieu of a just and reasonable
compensation. DR.. Engle also urged
upon the physicians of the county a
refusal to submit bids for county work.
Upon motion of DR.. Lierle the chair
appointed committee of three to cor
respond with other county and dis
trict societies, with a view of ascer-
tanning what measures are being en-
ployed by them, with view to remedy
ing the evils referred to. The commit
tee, which will report at the next
meeting, is composed of Drs. N. Mer-
rill A. B. Conway and E. NJ. Single
ton.
DR.. F. H. Boucher, before adjorn-
ment, read a paper on Ear Aches of
Children" which was highly practical
an Instructive, following which DR.. NJ
w. Getz gave paper on Infant Feed
ing" Discussion by Drs. F. P. Lier1e
and e. M. Mills, the latter of LeGrand,
followed.
New members were admitted to the
society," as follows: DR.. Theodore En-
gle State Center; DR.. 2. A. Hunt, Mel
bourne; Drs. r. w. and Cora Allen,
st. Anthony; DR.. E. w. Powell Gear
ing; DR.. d. Graves, Gilman.
The subject of certain ones being
engaged in irregular practice in this
city came up for discussion, and the
matter was referred to Secretary Mer-
rill, who was instructed to bring the
subject to the attention of the county
attorney.
A resolution Of thanks, rendered the
mother superior and sisters in charge
of the hospital for kindly donating the
use of the reception parlors to the So
ciety, also for serving the dainty
luncheon to those in attendance was
adopted.
The next meeting of the society will
be held on the second Tuesday in oc-
tober.
Those present at the Tuesday meet
ing were Drs NJ U. Chesire, n. f.
n1iohal1 A D md q Cnnaway N