The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1910-12-28
l1HIGagI IEAsRBPE
ailnhnd from sPage one.l
erIssen me light Of day imprint, And
In conclusion the wen known doctor


IerIseen me light f5day print And
lin conclusion the wen known doctor
Isald:
$',ln defense OF Snny associates j find
ljust this excuse: n the profession Is,
now q money-making trade, minus It's
old ideals. II is the public, in a ilarge
measure. which has made It so. And
while i will not attach my name to
anything / may have said, if ,at any
time It becomes necessary toiidefend
these utterances viii substantlate
oneilaifd all.,,s q ls
,i1 SPLITTING THE FEES.
sThe surgeons remarkable expose
| is an echo Of an address delivered by
tDr.s John P. Lord, of omoha, president
OF the Western. Surgical Association,
lat the Hotel Lasalle earlier this week.
1t further dealslw accusations
brought against physicians and sur
geons in general by DR.. Norman Bar.
nesby, an fastener, in recent book
la most sensational human docu
ment. ! "
DR. lord, addressing a meeting OF
the organization OF which he is presi-
dent, told of.an alleged bond between
medical specialists and the general
practitioner and predicted a time when
the profession would be out of favor
with the public as a result of alleged
graft" 81
1.-THE practitioner The said, "will5call
n man Of sufficient standing to enable
him to name a fancy price as the con.
sultants fee, which he collects and
then RENTS the&consultantf the mini.
mum fee. The graft element is also
going into medical politics and some
county societies are controlled by It,
II is menace to professional honor,
dignity, common honesty and decency.
at has been my experience that fee
splitters will resort to other equally
questionable means. They do not
lstop at dividing with doctors. Hotel
clerks, hackmen, news agents, bar
Keepers, ordinary clerks, travelling
men, medical students, priests and
preachers are represented. though few
OF the latter class toop to this prac.
tice.
Many of our surgeons style them.
selves specialists after few weeks
al some of our large clinics. They pass
lthe word along the line that they are
liberal and they are soon doing good
business. It is only question Of time
when the profession will be out oil
favor with the public. ls:4
| AGE OF coMMERclALlsM.
To begin at the beginning" said
the Daily News informant, this is all
,|age of .commercialism in medicine and
surgery. Graft rules the majority.
There are few old fogles, like my.
self. who don't graft-but do you
know why? Just because we're too
! old to learn how. Oh. yes, we'd all
do it II We had chance, presume.
WED be forced 10. Those who do II
claim that they have to. 1t may be
the public fault, but it's certainly hard
ON said public which has to do 4the
pnying and which doesn't know wheth
! err it. has the before mentioned stom
ZACH ache or appendicitis.
IN Ancient Rome the doctors used
to graft successfully. They'd place q
, finger on the severed end Of an artery
and say to the patient: Now, old fel
low. just come across with the fec
right away or the finger will be re
moved and you'll bleed to DEATH
I'VE are coming to that. We may
not work it in the same way. but the
idea will be the same. Even now they
|-or' we-want money before, opera
lions, and will, endeavor to learn some
thing OF patients standing in the
community before his check will be
accepted. Wouldn't business mar
do the same thing? And II surgery
is becoming a business. why isn't Il
proper? 1t is proper-rrom that stand
point. But, OH, the pity OF the pass
ing OF old-ideals!
QUESTION OF ECONOMIES.
"rhe whole matter seems to be g
question OF economics. The medlca
profession is belated profession. W.
cannot collect fee by statute under
certain condltions-as when the cal
comes from third party. We mus
have money. What is there left t
do? Graft! Or 'commercialze.' That.
n nicer name for 1t. Let's see nov
Just what the public brings on It's uw,
head.
There's a man who thinks 1t Ii
necessary that his leg come of. HI
has nerver himself for the operation
and has announced his willingness tt
pay, say $3.50. A conscientious sur
; geon examines the leg and saves i