The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1908-03-27
DR.. M'CORMACK'S LECTURE.


ng weather Monday night, a
fair-sized audience was present
at the High School auditorium
Monday night to hear DR.. J. N.
Mccormack, of Bowling Green,
KY, lecture on the prevention OF
contagious diseases.
Mayor c. O. Mouton. after n
short but appropriate talk, in
troduced DR.. Mccormack, who
spoke in part as follows:
Macauley proposed to make the
history of England as fascinating as
such voice and pen it would be easy
to make popular knowledge OF med
icine, of how to live long and we'll,
and to get the most out of life. If not
as entertaining as novel, at least as
instructive as the best history. The
trouble in the past has been that
laymen have always looked upon
medicine as one of the occult sciences.
thing concerning them, certainly in
recent years without intention, were
kept in the realm of the weird, the
mysterious, almost the supernatural.
and hence they have always been
easily misrepresented and constantly
misunderstood. This has easily
brought so much disaster upon the
people that the time has come for it to
rA NTH IN, MI L int RI
lift the veil and have you see my pro-
fession Just as it is. In doing this,
faults will be frankly revealed .Of
which you know little, redeemed by
charities and benefactiOns SO great
and SO universal as will excite your
wonder and challenge your admira-
ton, and all with distinct purpose in
view which will appear as proceed.
In order to show something of my
htness for this task, it may be proper
to say that for % years I have been
q member, and for "A years secre-
tary, OF the state board of health and
examiners OF Kentucky. For % years
1have represented my profession be-
fore every session of the legislature
Of Kentucky, and during the same
time, with delegates from other
states, have often represented ii
before the national congress.
Once or twice almost every day for
five years / have appeared before
audiences In some part OF the country
to talk upon this subject, laymen dis.
cussing il freelyat the conclusion of my
remarks. Going from state to state until
have now been in nearly all OF them.
and In many of them from county
to county, talking over these matters
with both physicians and laymen in
this heart of heart way. have been
able to make . study OF doctors, O1
what they are doing, and of what
people think of them and OF this re-
torm, in way which has never been
possible to any other man before.
After years of this experience / spent
some time in the small towns and
country districts of Great Britian and
the continent of Europe making q
comparative study of medical and
health conditions and customs there.
In all my early experience with leg
islatures and courts was constantly
confrOnted, even with otherwise broad,
}air.minded men, by an almost uni.
versal bias, distrust or prejudice as
10 doctors and whatever they prOpos-
ed. Il twas soon found that this was
traceable to almOst universal dissen'
sions between local physicians OF
every school and creed, always per-
sonai and competitive, and practically
always that that particular omcial
had had his confidence in the pro.
fession destroyed BY criticism OF all
the others in the community by his
family physician. AZ > result twas