Evening journal., 1908-06-10
Wednesday, June 10, 1908.
INCOMES OF PHYSICIANS.

TN SOME respects, the physicians are long
Il suffering and patient people. Under their
code OF ethics, they are prohibited from publicity,
and they are supposed to be quiet, unmindiul OF
all sorts of things that may be said about the
practice of their profession. Occasionally the
work of a noted surgeon may get into the puDhc
light but if there is too much OF this publicity
the surgeon is frowned upon and SAID to be
touching the borders of so-called unethical con-
duct Much of the good that the physicians do,
much of the charity work they perform, IS hidden
in their own hearts or known to but few
To be sure, in recent years the American Medi-
cal Association realizing the value of publicity
has been sending able physician through the
country lecturing, and the publication OF his re-
marks is always welcome, because they do not
affect any physician as an individual But his
addresses are nfrequent
Those who imagine that the doctors are free
from trouble and have not their burdens are mis-
taken In the medical journals their tribulations
are freely discussed. American Medicine, Tor In
stance, has an article striking at some phases OF
the profession which is particularly pertinent at
the time when hundreds of young physicians are
about beginning their life work and to whom the
pecunary rewards Of the profession are OF at
least some importance.
American Medicine says that the shrinking in
comes of medical men furnish legitimate reasons
for serious apprehension on their part The de-
crease in incomes is particularly noticeable in de-
pressed times, simply because physicians rarely
get their money until after the grocer, the florist
the confectioner and others have been paid. And
how true this is every doctor knows. How often
is the physician forced to wait until "the estate
has been settled
But apart from this American Medicine holds
that the incomes of doctors have been steadily
decreasing because of the rise of various cults and
'healers," the lodge and club practice, and the
abuse of hospital charity Lodge practice in Eng
land is said to have almost pauperized the profes-
sion there American Medicine says the physi-
clans themselves, by fostering clinics and charity
practice with desire OF some physicians to excel
their fellows, are responsible for the cheapening
OF medical service in this respect 1t urges reform
medical service in this respect. II urges reform
in this matter, but is rather pessimistc in regard
to the success OF any reform movement 1t has
no suggestion the success of which it is confident
II may be said that physicians are one OF the
few professions who work to narrow the sphere
of their own vocation. For instance the physi-
SLAMS on boards of health endeavor to suppress
disease although they make their living in the
treatment Of disease In this they differ from the
charge sometimes brought against lawyers 1t
was Herbert Spencer, If we remember correctly,
who commented on the folly of permitting law
yers to dominate legislatures and be our law
makers, because the lawyers made the laws am
biguous and thereby created a path to fat fees
for interpreting their own laws.