The Waxahachie daily light. [volume] (Waxahachie, Tex.) 1894-current, 1911-08-22

FROM THE FIELD.


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Some time since Dr. keplinger If
| WaXahachie told me of having re
| ceived a letter from a fellow in Dat
| las, | believe, pretending to be a ply
/ stefan or surgeon He asked DR.. X TO
/ send him such patients as he was
| not prepared to treat and offered a
| liberal commission on all business.
| have recently learned of case
| where a citizen of this county and
| one of my readers has been steered
| up against a fellow who | learn has
| addressed the medical men of the
| county and made liberal offers of a
commission From what | can learn
| these enterprising hustlers for bust
ness are men of no reputation and
the one to whom my reader was tax
en- was not known a block from his
office. The most confidential rela
ton outside the family circle is that
existing between the family and the
family physician 1t is frequently as
and a feeling that we have his full
sympathy as our respect for his skill
that determines our choice of our
medical adviser. He knows more 81
the private joys and griefs of the
families he attends than any othe"
sci and sympathy in all our sor
rows 1t is he who frequently gives
first aid when he is called to the
home of poverty. He is the first o
discover and report objects of chart
ty He is always a welcome visitor
man with a big brain and a heart
iimfull of human sympathy We
expect of him that when one of our
family is afflicted he will do all III
his power to bring relief and that If
there are conditions beyond his skill
TO control he will candidly tell us. If
another is to be consulted we rely
upon his fidelity and judgment IN
selecting such aid as he suggests
What a shock it must be to our cob D.
fidence in humanity when We discov-
er that the man in whose hands we
have placed our very lives, the man
we have considered almost as
member of our family, has gone into
the market and placed our case
where he could get the greatest
commission. There are no greater
sticklers for the ethics OF the profess
sion than physicians and while they
as a rule are as jealous of each other
as preachers and musicians, they
seem as a class to be true to their
code, but quacks can no more be
kept out of their ranks than petit
foggers can be avoided in the pro-
fession of law, or hypocrites in thc
pulpit The common citizen Ordinar-
lily can not distinguish between the I
quack and the genuine article He |
49, unull1i Z "a =; -. ....
ty and may have considerable Itou-
BILE getting the record straight DuI
none but the other physicians kho"
much of this and for them to tell /
,nIv advertises him and in the minds
IF the people he is the object OF per
,ecution and he goes merrlly on
poisoning them usually a feduced
prices. A few years ago pettl1ogSihs
,ad grown to such alarming proper
ions in Texas that the legislature
enacted a very stringent law agains
Barretry and now the lawyer VINO
sends out agents to procure business
r. him is liable to find himself
steered up against a criminal prose
cution and / believe job in stripes
I seriously doubt the law being en-
forced but the fault is not in the law
but in the fact that lawyers are $40"
10 prosecute each other In fact they /
seem to take some pride in the TACT .
that there are fewer of their num- /
her in the penitentiary than some !
other professions whose temptations
are not so great. If the practice oil
these medical shysters who so gehef-
ously offer a good commission u
general practitioners for Their ha'u
cases is as great an offense against
.decency as it seems to me | am sure
il would be SOOu iuCd ~ N"''
attention of our legislature to the
condition of affairs.
OF the two parties to such shady
transactions | believe the reno"
giving the commissions the more re-
spectable because he does not betray
the confidence of trusting friends
He may even be cable but the ohly
evidence of his capability the shyster
al the other end of the line has is MS
liberality in the division of spoils' l
have not consulted our physicians
about this matter but feel assured
that the majority Of them agree win
me and ! hope to attend the next
meeting of the County Medical AS
sociatoin and get their opinions
Monday | started for the Ava! m
country At the home OF Mr., aA1
Mrs A. e Richards | stopped 90
rest and get a drink Soon after
wards the subject Of dinner came up
and without much persuasion | was