The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1908-08-19

our calling. With stupidity that Is
incomprehensible we have rushed to
sit at the feet of every new prophet,
no matter how questionable his teach-
ing. and have foolishly forsaken the
time-proved logic Of the old Thus,
In many instances, established facts
have been discarded for phantom the
ories-though temporarily, let us
hope. The worship of the laboratory
fetich has caused us to sadly neglect
clinical and bedside observation, and
the glamor and fascination of surgery
have blinded us to the possibilities
of hygiene, diet and intelligent medi-
cation. In fact, the regular medical
men of this country have been sowing
the wind and only now are beginning
to reap the whirlwind. One has only
to pause and note the fearful incre-
ment of new 'pathies,' new healing
cults, church clinics, and so on, and
to realize the remarkable decrease
of medical prestige and medical in
comes, to understand that the price
we must pay, for our pessimism, in
ternal discord, intolerance and pro-
fessional commercialism will not be
small. This is the gloomy side of the
picture.
Earnest Men Saving Grace.
"But while the profession as
whole has gone far afield, thank God
there have been plenty of those who
have labored wisely and well. They
have scorned to worship at every new
shrine and with sublime disregard for
personal gain have nobly done their
part to elevate and perfect the science
of medicine. Thanks to these men,
some individually known to fame,
but more 'unheralded and unsung,
the triumphs of sanitary science and
medical progress are among the
grandest of civilization. So that to-
day, in spite of widespread skepti-
cism, intolerance and pessimism, the
practice of medicine holds greater and
more wonderful possibilities for the
benefit of humanity than ever be-
fore.
81 believe that I can see a growing
tendency on the part of the average
medical man to realize that while he
does not and cannot know everything,
he certainly knows much, and by the
intelligent useof whathe can and does
know he can accomplish a great deal
more than the quack and charlatan
in the relief of the sick and the pre-
vention of disease.
"This is to me the spirit of 1908,
in medical affairs, the spirit of hope
full service, or, in other words, maxi
ing the most of ourselves, through
appreciating our possibilities and rec
ognizing our limitations. Whole
truths are always desirable, but half
truths are better than none at all.
"In conclusion l seek to emphasize
one thought. The strife, discussion
and controversies Of the day cannot
change one iota the fact that every
honest medical man wants to accom-
plish the greatest possible good in the
best possible way. Many men have
many minds. Opinions of necessity
will differ. But the man who believes
differently than we do may be as near
to the truth as we ourselves, and we
certainly have no right to question
his honesty.
"The new spirit of 1908, with its
keynote-hopeful service in behalf of
humanity-is incompatible with in
tolerance and narrowness. AS physi-
clans, and especially medical journal
ists, we cannot afford to neglect sim
gle effort that will aid in bringing
the medical profession little nearer
to the goal of truth, accuracy and
above all, usefulness.