The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-03-29

Should physician go to law to collect
his bills? Or, if he feels he cannot go to
law, how can he make people pay what
they owe for service?
Upon what basis should a physician
make his charges? Should he charge the
rich man more than the poor man, or
should he attend the poor gratis and
charge the rich according to their means?
How might doctors solve the financial
difficulties in which they often find them
selves?
These are questions which are often dis
cussed among physnciaJs; that of col
! Letting bills is one of the most delicate.
and often the most difficult, problem in
practitioners life.
Among physicians it is not considered
ethical to go to law" declared a we'll
| known member of the profession re-
! Gently. $50 what is one to do. Let me
| tell you the monotonous routine of doc
| tors life.
He is called to attend a patient. He
| visits him faithfully, studies his disease,
! carefully analyses the symptoms, and
J gives not only medicine. but hours of
| deep thought, worrying himself and often
| spending sleepless nights over the case.
| The doctor may visit the patient for
weeks, perhaps months. The patient re-
covers or he dies.
well, the bill is unpaid. If the man
lives he Ignores Ills ODllSdtiO1l, anu IL he
| is dead the relatives pay no attention.
=, Now if the man lives, enjoying the
| health which was restored to him
! through the attention of the doctor, out
| of gratitude one would think he would
| gladly pay the physician. But no, the
| physician is the last man to get paid.
I The baker. butcher and candlestick-
| maker all come first.
| 'And what is the physician to do?
! IF he goes to law and sues patient
, he is likely to antagoniZe all his patients
and lose prestige among the members of
| hsi profession A man in business, be he
| a merchant banker lawyer, may sue
| his creditors, but a doctor cannot Nat
urally the profession suffers. To ny
mind there should be some legal procec-
| ton for the doctor.
! ut is outrageous when one thinks that
! the man whose services are the most in
valuable is the last one to be paid. Yes,
| man will pay all his debts by April l.
| but he'll forget all about the physician"
| Many physicians seem to favor the idea
| of legal protection. If there were a law
| in force which would give the physician
J first claim upon mans estate the po-
/ sition of the medical creditor would be
| greatly strengthened they say.
! Difficult is the financial end of a doc
| tors life. according to members of the
| profession On the books of nearly every
| doctor are unpaid accounts; in fact. some
physicians declare that as many as one
| third to one-half the persons they treat
| are either tardy in payment or do not pay
| at all, After struggling with the prob
| lem the next question with which he
| must deal is the rate of charges. Re-
| garding the work and pay of doctors, a
| famous physician recently declared:
! mo one should adopt the profession of
| medicine as a business. The first and
most potent consideration in undertaking
, the ifework of a physician should be the
unselhsh one of helping those In physi-
| cal affliction.
1T is not too much to expect that in
| the near future the standing disgrace
of our civilization, the existence of pre-
/ ventable disease, will be made to cease.
| To be sure the state will, or should,
! a.ways play the chief role, but, judging
| bv the records of current legislation, lit
tie is to be expected from government
regulations or provisions until the mate
/ rial of which legislators are made be-
comes less venal or more wise.
Guides In Conduct
Meanwhile, in every community com
posed of average human beings there
| must be supplied guides in physical con-
duct who shall be equipped with botf
knowledge and forcefulness, and who, II
possible, will be of ample authority. di
rect or vested, who not only shall sue
cor the lame. the halt. the diseased
turn the fool from the rich deserts of hi
folly. but also exercise an nhibitory IN
fluence upon the acts of the unwlse, po.i
Individual and Joint, and throttle healtn