Los Angeles herald., 1910-11-19

Editor Herald: The latest argument
that the advocates of a national de-
partment of health have advanced in
it's favor is that epidemics of scarlet
fever and other contagious diseases
might be avoided if there was a CEN
tral health organization to take the
lead and tell the people what to do.
There is no question as to the value
of health as an economic asset and
the people who are in favor of the
national department of health have
no monopoly Of interest in promoting
everything relating to health and hy-
giene A national bureau of health
might assist cities in working out
their drainage and sewage problems,
might assist in directing campaigns
against infections, tell how to purify
the water and do such other work as
requires great engineering ability and
scientific knowledge. 1t is another
matter, however, when it comes to
telling people what medicine they shall
take to cure their ills.
The greatest danger would arise
from the few people into whose hands
would fall the control of this national
health bureau. The government at
present has between 5000 and 1000 doc
tors in its employ. All these are reg
ulars,' as those of the allopathic
school style themselves. If the owen
bill which was before congress last
summer should become a law it would
result in the employment of perhaps
10000 more physicians. 1t is equally
certain that these physicians would
be allopaths also and it is similarly
bevond question that they would exert
their enormous power as a national
body to force upon the public at large
their pet theories and their outWorn
methods of healing.
If medicine were an exact science,
If theories that are enthusiastically ac-
cepted by the old school OF one gener-
alton were not discarded as worthless
and dangerous by the next. and if there
was no great monopoly seeking class
or organization behind this proposed
legislation seeking to obtain special
privileges and to disseminate pet the
cries that are in direct opposition TO
the convictions based on practlcal eX-
perence of other great schools OF med
ical practice and systems of cure, there
would be less cause for opposing such
measures as the Owen bill than there
would be If conditions were different
and medicine approximated science.
For twenty years the one great school
that has been persistently trying TO
secure this legislation has been the
most empirical of all. 1t has shlfted
about so much that it reminds one or
the chameleon in the story that was
driven frantic by trying to adjust itself
to harmonize with the various colors
of a piece of Scotch plaid. 49,.
Practically the only organization that
is back of the demand for the estab-
lfshment of what amounts to med
ical trust is the American Medical as
sociation. For the first half century
Of it's existence it was sort of badge
Of honor to belong to the American
Medical association. 1t was purely a
scientific body and a physician had to
win his spurs before he could belong
to it. When it was fifty years old 1t
had but 5000 members. In the next
ten years it's membership increased TO
nearly four times that number IN
1ooe q eroup of ambitious doctors in
its main office in Chicago apparently
decided that the association could be