The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-24
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Preventive MedIeine-sAn Allesory.
(Ry Pil Hldrarg, M. D0


 Editor Advertiser-There was a town, a good town, said to have been an up to-date town, filled with enterprise and business prosperity; whose popuIa- principally by accessions attracted to it from the back country.
 There was within the town a bluff or precipice, over which numbers of inhabitants fell continuously.
 There grew up gradually, at the foot of the precipices class of people called doctors, who cared for and treated the unfortunate ones, who fell over the bluff and were injured.
 There. in time also,' grew up gradu- ally, from among the inhabitants, others. who. in one way and another, became interested in the persons, who were falling over the preciplce; these were nurses and other helpers, insur- ance companies, charitable associa tious of many kinds, druggists who erected their stores on the corners; under diggers, etc, etc. Hospitals were built which ran ambulances in all directions. All these enterprises gave business importance and good name to the itable activities.
 The doctors were for long time dil- igently occupied in the practice of medicine and surgery at the foot of the precipice. They were so busily en- gagged they hardly had time for any thing else.
 FinAlly, one or thelf number looked up from his work and called out that il would be good thing to build a fence ton the top of the precipice: that it cer- tainly would help to stop many of the ailments and accidents of the people
 The good doctor could not get much of a hearing for long time. By his strenuous efforts. however. after a while. some of the people listened to him; but almost as fast as he obtained adherents to his cause, he awakened opposition. Some of the people, whose occupations on the sides and the top of the precipice derived profit from the to the fence. They said. 1t certainly would injure the business of many of the people of the town. Some insist ed that the precipice was placed there ing with the work of Providence" to build the fence; others said that the works of charity at the foot of the precipice improved the people. Even some of the doctors, notwithstanding their Hippocratic oath, were indifferent to the erection of the fence; still. after so long the profession endorsed it.
 considerable diversion arose at one time. when pestilence threatened from a foreign country; all interests combined, with great expense, to fight 1t off; this served, for a time. to turn attention away from the more damag- ing agencies at home.
 It was singular that some of the most profitable lines of business about Ln6 lOWn were klnuS prepared DeO- pie more readily to fall over the prec- ipice; such, for instance. as the patent medicine men, who grew rapidly rich; the dref5 f6a .eeE o, of nt0x,eating rious names; the makers of adulterated drugs and articles of food. These all offered open and hidden opposition to the erection of the fence: and allied with them were the professional vota- ries of venery. It was astonishing how many of the falis over the precipice were occasioned by these interests
 Many of the people in tho town were even ready to intimate that the good doctor was associating the erection of the fence, that he might get the job of putting it up.
 Finally. however, after much perse- vering effort, the advocates of the fence struck a chord of common-sense in the town, which recognized that it was q good business principle to put up the fence; that 1t is much easier and cheap CT to prevent than to cure; that an ounce of one is worth pound of the other.
 The city finally voted to build the fence. The amount appropriated. how ever. was so small &at 1t did not go further than mark the place where the fence ought to be: still, that served as danger-line to warn off the more in- telligent
 The practice of medicine began, orig inallN, at the foot of the precipicc. where disease exists. It's evolution slow growth Knowledge of prevention has been acquired later than that of practice. Positive knowledge that most diseases are occasioned by pTeventable germs, has more rapidly led to this, Sanitation is new science.
 The people. like the profession. are slow to appreciate the facts; but there is beginning to be an awakening The in time be erected: though it's degree of efficacy will be of slow growth.