The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1907-09-14
BRUTALITY OF MEDICAL ETHICS.
A Great Surgeon Barred from Men,
bership in Medical Association.

CFrom the National Druggist for June.
1907
DR.. Augustus Charles Bernays, who
died a few days ago in st. Louis, was,
probably, the foremost surgeon in the
United States. His fame was CO.
| extensive with the civilized world. He
was not only an operator of the high
est order, but a tireless and exhaus-
tive worker in the field Of original
| surgery. He performed the first sue
cessful Caesarian section in 1889 in
st. Louis, and also the first successful
coeliotomy for gunShot wound of the
abdomen and the first gladstone opera
ton in Missouri. A record held by
DR.. Bernays has eve been equaled:
Out of e~ighty-one successive cases
of appendicitis which necessitated
| operations, seventy-one in succession
were with perfectly satisfactory re-
suits, the seventy-second patient fail
| ing of recovery, but the subsequent
nine cases were successfully treated.
And yet, with such a record, match
| less as was his skill, varied and ex-
| tensive as was his learning, wonder
| full as were his accomplishments, he
was not considered, by the American
| Medical Association, as worthy OF
membership in that organization.
No charges were W brought
| against him which, in the remotest
degree, reflected on his qualifications
- 1;- r,>~n1 n a W nfnr Ty0C
| never the subject of attack; he was
| never accused of having done any
thing unbecoming a man or a gentle
man. The head and front of his Of
Tending had this eXtent-nO more!"
| He dared to think! He refused to
mold his opinions and to govern his
actions by the arbitrary rules which
| those whom he knew to be his infer
iors had set up for his guidance! In
other words, he could not regard the
| Code of Ethics of the American Medi-
cal Association as being inspired, or
having any binding authority on him
| where his judgment told him it was
wrong. And so, twenty years ago
| or more, on account of some trivial in
| fraction Of this sacred Code" a
movement was started to expel him
from the local association, which was
only defeated by his hastily sending
In his resignation. AS membership in
the A. NJ. A. is dependent upon mem
| bership in the local and State socie-
ties, his name was dropped by the
| national organization.
And so, though he had saved thou
| sands of lives; though other physi-
| clans had profited by his art; this
| brilliant surgeon; this great and able
man, has, during all these years, been
an outcast-a medical "scab;" not
| recognized as ethical" or worthy OF
fellowship by that body of physicians
| banded together in the American Med
ical Association!
And this is the association which,
under pretense of working for the
| public good, is, in reality, only seeking
to control Congress and the State
| Legislatures in the interest of their
| own selfish schemes; which is trying
| to create a Cabinet position and to
| Mace one of it's members in that pO-
sition; which is endeavoring by law
to exclude from the use of the mails,
all manufacturers of medicines who
do not comply with the absurd re-
| ouirements that they choose to set
up; which, in short, is trying to put
upon the statute books of State and
--x-~ o-,- kIa4 I'LL - affnnf ncfoh-
lish a kind of medical priesthood, to
| which only their own members will be
| eligible with power and control over
the health and lives of the people!
God help the druggists, the drug
manufacturers, physicians not mem
| bers of their guild, and the people
| generally, if this association eve sue
ceeds in it's undertaking. If it does,
| it will, after the fashion of the labor
unions, dictate a "closed shop" and
| say to doctors who prefer to be indie
pendent, You must join our union
or, failing to do so, compel them to
| get out of the business. 1t will say
| what medicines shall be taken, and
how they shall be made. 1t will hedge
| the people about with a lot Of petty
| regulations under pretense Of protect
ing the public health. In fine, a medf.
cal bureaucracy will be established to
| tyrannize over the people.
Let no man call this a false alarm.
If there are those who are inclined
to do so, let them read the journal of
| the A. M. A. Let them scan the
| proceedings Of the association, held
always behind closed doors, and care
fully edited, as they are, before they
are published in its official organ. II
| they will do this they will see that we
| are not trying to create a bugaboo to
| frighten their timid souls.
Sends Entrants "a Canada.