Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1910-05-21
SHOOP in RETORT
Eye Specialist Takes a Rap at
Medical Practitioners for
His Prosecution.
FEAR OF COMPETITION?
Only Uses Little Common Sense In
Connection With Work and Does
Not Want to Violate Law.

G. d. Shoop, the local opthalmologisr
specialist, with offices in the Peoples
National bank building, who has been
charged with violation of the state
medical act, his hearing having been
set for May % before Justice P. H.
Wells, has asked publication of the
following statement:
Rock Island, May 21.-Editor The
Argus: came to Rock Island in 1902,
a graduate opthalmologist. l adver-
tised the system as plainly as I knew
how, all the time declaring that was
not a medical doctor. 1 do not use
medicines of any kind and have not
even suggested to a patient to use
any. In 1907, five years after I came
here, the present law was enacted
the law under which complaint was
made that I was practicing medicine.
No claim was made that l was using
medicine; no claim that 1 had injured
any one. My advertisements in the
city papers were asserted to be vio-
lation of the law. as the state claimed
that 1 was in them proposing to treat,
and the court so ruled. So this con-
strtutes my violation of the law, and
of course 1 had to abandon that.
Others in the city VINO fit glasses have
used similar ads in the papers. They
were not molested. Why?
To Prevent COmpetftiOnY
This law of 1907 was not passed Il
protect the public, but it was devised
and enacted in the interest of the
medical doctors to prevent competi-
ton, as they can not meet the competi-
ton of these newer and surer sys-
TENS of practice, so they seek to
straDgle them by legislation. Hon.
Zach Shed of Denver. in a speech be-
fore the Colorado legislature, said: Il
suppose that Illinois has one of the
meanest and most satanically con-
structed laws on this subject in the
world 1 have had some chronic
cases that the all-wise medical doctors
of the city had failed to help, and they
got well, and used nothing but a pair
of glasses and a little common sense.
The doctors say the glasses could do
no good. Very well; then it must
have been the common sense that did
the work. All right! But why don't
they use little once in a while. These
cases must have caused by trouble,
because if there is anything in the
way of red tag that will infuriate
the medical bull it is his hearing that
some one is getting well. The doctors
think you would better die under their
care than get well by any other means.
l have heard somewhere that when
young man enters a medical college
they first examine him to find out
whether he has brains enough to adj
vertise his business in the newspapers
if he has, they kill him on the spot.
If he has not, he is allowed to gradu-
ate. There are a few exceptions to
this rule.
Wants All Systems Included.
a law should be enacted which will
protect the public from incompetent
medical doctors as well as incompe
tents of other systems; law which
will make any one who tire ats anotnel
for any disease or aIlment responsible
for the result of the treatment. Nc
medical doctor wants this. All others
do.
Now I am asked to fit glasses and
leave out the common sense. That
might be easy for some systems of
practice, but is hard for an ophthal-
mologist. 1 only ask simple justice in
this matter-to be treated as Others
are. I want fair fight and no favor.
Yours for Square DEAL
c. D. SHOOP, OPH- D.