The Donaldsonville chief., 1911-12-30
! FEDERAL HEALTH Bf)hpn


for the creation of a federal Aaalss III.
board will not be allowed to pass - ,s,ss
cut protest. Reports Of oraa n,sas -
resistance come from all parts a ~ H.
country. and it may be that tha o,,,ssssSs ,s's
s1t1on Will soon be sufficiently soIisI
fed to defeat project that preyoi IT,. s.s
infinite mischief for the cornrnnr;.s Z
and suffering and injustice for tba &
diyidual. 51ussz
The proposal Is based uuan il
spectous claims that are nofor5a,,.Ss
hard to controvert. If federal .h..,ss
board were to conf1ne it's actiyitlas 80 8 g
the PRONUNCIATION Of salutary adyiss
upon hygienic matters, TO the ah.ss
ment Of quackery, and to the pur,tv q
drugs, 1t might be possible n So 49,
much In it's favor, although ii uos,Is
still be difficult to say that aneb ssj. I.
organization Is needed. But Ne knas
that it will attempt to do Tar mas
than this, seeing that its atlhesan,s
have loudly proclaimed their ipta,.
tions. Indeed, there is Nc seerss,I
about them. It is confidently expaetaa
that the board will consist es aays 4
Gates of one school Of medicine III,
and that the methods of that sebooss
will be not only recommends n.
enforced upon the nation. lntieed n
board that was in any way reprasansss
tive Of the medical profession AZ
whole would be stu1tified by til owr
dfsagreements. Outside the denaIs
Of simple hygiene, for which VI pasa
NO federal board at all, there ii nass
single point OF medical practice u,a,,
which allopaths, homeopaths, eclecfics
and osteopaths could be III nntaan
Any board that could be devised H.
the wit of man must be composed II
representatives Of one school oaly
and this means that all other sehoois
are branded as Of an inferior casta
even though nothing worse happened
to them. And something worse Vonla
happen to them. II we are to establish
school of medicine, il we are ID AZ.
sert that the government OF the Unit.
ed States fayors one variety Of urae.
tice more than others. why not sestab,
ish also a sect OF religion ana W.
stow special authorities upon Baps
lists, Methodists and EDiscopa Hans
An established school Of religious
conjecture seems somewhat less eh
jectionable than an established ssss
8pf pseudo-scientifc conjecture
Those who suppose that q federal
board of health would 4ave no concern
with Individual rights are likely to
End themselves undeceived. II Ii fes
the purpose Of interfering with inass
vidual rights that the proposal has
been made. We need no spaeEasH
knowledge of conditions to be aHars
that what may be called uIorthodox
methods of healing have made sad Ii,
roads into the orthodox. Homeopashy
claims vast number of adheTens
who are just as well educated and iass y
as Intelligent as those who adheE
the older school Osteopa
geisn. and half q dozen other
are 10
ground Beyond hem Ii y 4
increasing army Of those saas
elassed under the general and
name OF mental healers. Those MILO
are addicted to any of these forms n
unorthodoxy need have no doubt a5
to the purposes of the federal health
board. Those purposes are to snasas
it difficult for them to follow Thar
particular fads and fancies, To Lead
them, and if necessary to drive them
from medical unorthodoxy to medieaL
orthodoxy.
Now the Argonaut holds no Dfefg8
for any Of the excesses and the super
stitions connected with the care of sls
labody in which this age is 50 rife. B|ls
it does feel concerned for the pTesef
vation of human liberty and for fae
rights of the individual to doctor shlla:S
self in any way he pleases 80 ions assI
he does not indubitably threaten saa
health of the community. ae nlaa
take large doses or small ones, of fssg
/ doses at all; he may be laassassa.
anointed with oil, or prayed aveT, llassl
as the Whim Of the moment may w.
tate, and probably it makes 20 Ms,ss
ticle of difference which he does. zt,ess
/ he has the right to choose, 5lsE u sss
| chooses the color Of his neekfle 0I sss
character Of his undercl0th tngt Y ssss
not matter in which any #lss ss,, ssa'ss
ernment will seek to interiors. n
is precisely the liberty that the hea''s
board intends to take IRON a'as VI.
Orthodox medicine, conscious y ,s.iss
losses, is trying to huttress itseal Vs. vs.
| federal statute, to exalt allepssa,
the status OF privileged casles aas
to create an established scaosa "
medicine just as some other coaa'as,
have allowed themselves to cleass s;sSH
established school Of religan
for the common sense OF file eos's.s
nity to rebuke that effort aala 's,l..s8
pei an unwarranted invasion llI0ass 49,.
mentary human rights. ssss
cisco Argo71aut.
a Drain Of the corpa
snr,,S 53faA efhsslS 4