The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-07-14
B0UDREN OPPOSES
 STATE MEDICINE Has a Few Words to Say About Federal Health Bill and Pays Respects to
 Serum Therapy
Editor of the Farmer

Editor of the Farmer:
 Sir-What Is the duty of the puDnc ipress?S In view of certain events that have recently transpired have oeen led to inquire what is the duty of the press toward the public.
 had always supposed that it's real office was the guarding of the puDl1c interests and instruction of the people and to keep them informed on all mat ters affecting their welfare In gen. eral
 Recently there has been before the Congress of the United States a sub- feet affecting the health and happiness of every man. woman and child In the nation. yet among the many papers, weekly and daily. that comes under my notice. there was but one the New York Herald). that gave the people any information on the subject. l re- fer to the efforts of a certain class or the medical profession who sought 70 have a National Board of Health es- tablished by Act of Congress. head appointed who should be a cabinet of ficer, and said board to have the full control of providing for safeguarding of the public health and provide places of ease and profit for a lot or hungry, mpecunious members Of their craft who, owing to the crowded con- icltion of the force at the present time ars unable to make a living. and fur ther to secure to themselves and mem bers of their school of practice the ellopathic or regular, as they prefer Ito style themselves), exclusive right Ito dictate to the American people who and what kind of medical treatment they should adopt. when any should be needed, and this in view of the fact that the investigation of scientific men outside of the profession. and the leminent success of other schools of practice have demonstrated the utter fal1acy of their claims.
 Fortunately for the people at large there were some brave and intelligent men who appeared before the Congress sional committee and demonstrated to them the absurdity of the claims of these very disinterested and philan- thropic gentlemen. and the committee forunately) being possessed of good sense failed to see the matter In the same light as the members of this colossal humbug, known as the Amer 'ican Medical Association or Doctors Trust, the most shameful combination of men that ever disgraced a country. This last is q bold statement, but ii fspace permitted I would like to fur 'tice In different parts of the country to prove its correctness.
 A synopsis of the proceedings before that committee may be of interest to your readers. It is to be hoped when the proceedings of the committee are ; 1ation and be generally read.
 When the Surgeon General of the Army was asked whether he thought dt would be necessary to vaccinate the whole people. he replied he thought there might come a time when 1t would come within the province of this bureau-this. gentle reader. reveals at once the location of the colored gentle man in the wood pile.-or. as the boys would say, gave the whole snap away.
 ~1>-rr ~f the profession of curing disease by squirting the same or some other form of disease into the blood, these dear disinterested individuals need some kind of authorative backing to relieve them of personal responsibility for their own criminal ignorance of na- lures laws.
 The recent order of the War Depart ment for inoculating the Army with 7 anti-enteric serum to immunize them against typhoid fever. something, which in the natural course of events. to and in view of its uncertain value for that purpose. opens up a field for serious thought as to what the frater- nifty would do to the whole people once they were intrusted with the powers they seek.
 The following statement may throw a little light upon the subject and set people to thinking:
 James RlgbE a member of a regiment of Yoemanry, who went to the Boer war. eight hundred strong They were ordered to be immunized with Dr Wright's Qife saving fluid) serum. ! Eighty of the regiment refused to sub init and were subjected to punishment, seven hundred and twenty were sub- jected to treatment. Of the eighty who refused to take treatment, four took the fever, or about per cent, and two died. Of the seven hundred and twenty who were to be saved by immunization. four hundred and twen- ty were stricken with the fever, which is over 50 per cent of the protected ones against per cent. of the unprO- tected- Of those stricken two hun dred and forty-six died, or over 50 per cent. the same ratio of deaths as among the unprotected, and one hun- dred and sixty-eight were invahded home.
 believe that it is further recorded that there were about twenty thousand deaths occurred in this same army among those who had been scientific ally saved.
 With such showing as this the sooner they make good as to their scientific predictions or go out of the business of forcing their theory of medical practice by law the more it will be to their credit
 At the time the hearing on this bill