Omaha daily bee., 1910-05-11
Nebraska


lucrative lte auu sand tnst MINOR dninents
are frequently magnified by otherwise esti-
mable members Of the profession for the
sake Of dishonest dollars. "A doctor, for
example" he said lis called in case of
simple measles and instead Of telling the
worried mother the truth-that the child's
illness IS not serious and that the case
will speedily clear up-this INSCRIPTIONS
physician by pay-acing and deliberate
falsehood will tell a frightened parent that
the child is dangerously sick, that 1t may
develop eve trouble or ear trouble or penu-
monia or cerebro-spinal meningitis or what
not and on the strength Of his deliberate
untruths will take advantage of the fam
ilys undue alarm as a basis for making
two or three visits day. leaving quantities
OF medicine which is absolutely unneces-
sary. and in some cases perhaps even
harmful. In this way your unprinciped
and crafty holder of a medical college
diploma will run up bill for twelve or
fifteen visits, frequently against families
who can lily afford the expense; whereas
a conscientious physician would have made
but one or two visits and would have left
It for the family to call him again under
certain adverse conditions and such in
stances Of wantonly debaslng the medical
profession, consecrated in itself to saving
human life and benefitting human beings
instead Of viciously magnifying the sickness
of the race as a means of sapping Ill
gotten and dishonest dollars from the
pockets of those in distress, are all too
commonplace in this country today.
Moral obligation ON Profession.
Instance upon instance of just such
type of corruption might be called to mind
In every community this unfair and mali
cious means OF robbery, clothed in the gar
ments OF eminent respectablity may be
seen stalking about town 3G5 days in the
year. And it seems to me that certain
moral obligation rests upon the profession
as a whole, for the sake of itself and its
good name, to eXpurge this cancer of cor
rupt greed from its body. The public can
not combat this form of thieving-for thev-
ing 1t is pure and smple-because the pub
lie in time Of sickness has faith in its
doctor and is absolutely at his mercy be-
cause of that confidence In time this type
of unfair practice-more unfair than the
game of the highwayman who puts a gun
in his victims face and goes into the pock-
cts of the man whose hands are up, be-
cause that robbers victim knows he's be-
ing robbed-must react upon the good name
of the medical fraternity and for that rea-
son, If for none other, the medical men who
do stand upon the principle OF fair play
ought to make concerted effort to eradicate
this type of INSCRIPTIONS selfseeker within
their ranks
Another evil which the medical profess
sion must combat the speaker declared is
the all too common tendency to recommend
or perform unnecessary surgical operations.
I'm determining the necessity for an opera
ton the fee is frequently the most import
ant factor, and too often the patients par
amount symptom compelling use of the
knife is an enlarged bank account that can
be easily drained" he said.
Commissions Are Denounced.
The degrading practice of accepting com
missions was likewise attacked Said the
! speaker: The blessings that hospitals are
capable Of comforting upon humanity should
not be reduced to the sordid basis OF com
mercialsm and yet this contemplate prac-
| tice is becoming very much in vogue and
physicians act as cappers for them This
! is deplorable condition and needs rem
! cdyng"
The speaker declared that there are mer
in the profession who lend their services
and even falsely medical facts. to work UT
damage cases against corporations, and he
found growing tendency toward the care
less and ndlscriminate prescribing of med
icine for every trivial complaint. He ap-
pealed for a broader fellowship among
I rival physicians and the elimination of
| petty jcalousies.