The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-24

The Literary Digest has an article in a
recent issue which concerns every person
Who occasionally has to send for a physi-
clan. |
The sense of the article Is that doctors
cannot cure diseases, that at best they can
not hope to accomplish more than to allie
viate; that when once disease has fastened
itself upon g. man nothing the doctors can
do will cure it. They may be able to allie
viate and to help nature fight the disease
but they cannot cure.
We pride ourselves on being one Of the
most enlightened nations in the world, in
making greater strides in scientific knowl-
edge, In medicine, and in fact, in every
thing else, but what does it avail if our
death rate is not lowered?
1t will occur to you that China, the pagan
country, looks on medicine and the dispen-
sers Of medicine with probably a clearer
vision than do we, with all our Boosting.
It has been said that China does every
thing backwards, but do the facts bear out
the statement. For instance: John China
man pays his doctor when he John is well
and when he becomes Ill he Immediately
stops paying his medico, disseminating
payments until he is in good health again.
This is backward, it is true, from our stand
point, but is it not about as good as our
plan?
The physicians Of our country have
made wonderful strides in coping with dis
eases. They have been so busy curing the
ills that we have contracted that they have
not had time to teach us how to dodge con-
tracing diseases.
There must be some cause for all the dis
eases that we have fallen heir to, and the
proper thing for us to do is to study these
causes with an eye single to removing
them. What we should know is not so
much how. to cure a disease but how not to
contract the disease. OF course, when we
have a disease we want it cured, but it is
infinitely better for us If we can dodge hav-
ing the disease. Should we pay our med
icos like the Chinaman does, they might
find time to study prevention and to teach
: us how to prevent diseases. So long as we
are only interested In the profession when
we are i'll, we cannot hope to accomplish
much along this line. If we would only
set ourselves to the task when we are well
and not wait until we are Ill to dodge dis
ease, there would be much less suffering
and q much lower death rate in our land
than there is at present.
That "An ounce Of prevention is worth
q pound Of cure" Is q truth that ought to
be branded into our education as a plains-
man would brand q mavarik. ALI the little
indiscretions that We are guilty Of and
that lead up to disease if persisted in,
should be arraigned before the judgment
bar Of u wills, but we do not know when
we are committing these indiscretions
and here comes the sphere Of the physi-
clan. It is his duty to teach us these things
just as much as 1t is his duty to give us
calomel when we are bilious.
Thousands today are on the high road to
disease and do not know 1t. Today thous-
ands Of Dur citizens are indiscreet in their
mode Of living and are unaware of the
fact. Not all of them would take advice if
it were offered to them, but a great num-
Der would take 1t and profit thereby.
Shall we do as the Chinaman does, pay
our doctors while we are well and when we
become Ill promptly suspend payment un-
til we are well again? Does it not seem
that by this means we could direct the at
tention Of the doctors to the prevention Of
disease and thus preclude the necessity of
80 nuch study on the cure Of our Ills?