The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-13
Censors Salt Lake County Medi-
Cal Society Render Unani-
nous Opinion.
NO CAUSE FOR ACTION
AGAINST HEALTH OFFICER
Charges Preferred by DR.. Beatty
Prove to Have No Founda-
ton.

Officials of the Salt Lake County
Medical society have exonerated Or. r.
NJ. Stewart City Health Commissioner.
Of the charge of unprofessional con-
duct which was preferred against him
before that body by DR.. It. B. Beatty.
secretary OF the State Board OF Health,
and the parties interested have both
been notified to that effect The opin-
lon was unanimous and II was also
stated that there was no cause for ac-
ton.
The trouble grew out of an attempt
on the part OF DR.. Beatty to run the
City Health department. A patient of
Dr. Beatty's was released from quaran-
tine before the expiration of twenty
one days By Or. Stewart after
consulting With four other physicians,
who were unanimous In the opinion
that the patient was not afflicted ac-
cording 10 the diagnosis that had been
made by DR.. Beatty. The patient was
also pronounced we'll and was released
and the quarantine against the house
was raised.
Sanctioned by City Attorney.
This act was sanctioned by City At
torney Judge Ogden Hiles. 1t also ruff
fled the plumage of DR.. Beatty, who
was at once stricken with feelings OF
injured dignity and professional pride.
The act of the medical society in rem
dering a verdict of no cause for action
has made a still further ruff1ing and
touseling of his dignned and profess
sional features.
In connection with the same case ii
is said that DR.. Beatty had consented
10 allow the patient, whom he declared
had scarlet fever, to leave the city.
provided he would keep away from
children. 1t seems that 1t was not
question Of results or OF right In the
Il Of
strenuoHsly objected to having his
diagnosis disputed. 1t savorcd too much
OF lese majesty when directed toward
the ruling power in the State Board Of
Health.
Experiences Decided jar.
DR.. Beatty is decidedly Jealous In
having his official dignity respected
but the Idea that other officials have
duties TO perform and that they also
are acting under the solemn RESPONSE
6ilites OF an official oath evidently has
not occurred to him, He may some
time learn that one man cannot always
have his own way all the time, ana
that II Is impossible to make the round
world square. II he will study the de-
| tailed maps of his country he will dis
cover that the surveyors. In making
such an attempt, ran up against a job
every few townships as they worked
north. DR.. Beatty is now headed in al,
opposite direction and has experienced
a decidedly unpleasant jar, the merlted
reward Of butting In.
II every physician must have his own
way, or else have health officers
charged with unprofessional conduct,
the position Of Health Commissioner
might as well be abolished.
Would Be Autocratic Power.
II citizens, when once placed under
| quarantine, cannot be released unless
| the attending physician Is liberal
| enough TO admit q wrongful diagnosis,
| should one be made, then a physician
can continue a patient wrongfuny In
| quarantine which Is equivalent to i'm
| prisonment in the case of a we'll per-
son, and exercise as much autocratio
| power as any of the tyrants Of the
| most despotlc nations. If such meth
| DDS were allowed physicians would pos
| sess more power than courts. Even the
| right OF trial by jury would be taken
away and the pest houses and quaran-
| tines could be multiplied indefinitely by
! the abuse of the same false profess
sional pride.
| Criticisms have been heard on the
! street from DR.. Beatty's professional
| brethren that he is too proud to ac-
! knowledge blunder and their express
| Sions were decidedly adverse to his
methods. Among some OF the criti-
/ cisms was that DR.. Beatty has desire
| TO see himself In print too often, and
| that he is too prone to break into the
| papers With imaginary grievances wheH
| he was not justified In so doing
|