The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-01-19
CLAIMS IT WOULD
Be VICIOUS LAW
DRUcLEss DOCTOR THOROUGHLY
DISCUSSES THE BILL PROPOSED
BY THE STATE MEDICAL Asso.
clATIoN--sAYs 1T WOULD GRE
ATE MONOPOLY.

To The Forum: The bill Matched by
the medical trust, which proposes 70
bring it before the legislature, is meet
ing with wide spread opposition and
protest, and 1t may, for never before
has the legislature OF this state been
asked to pass more vicious law, or
one more frought with danger to the
liberties of the people.
The proposed enactment is entitled
"A bill for an act to regulate the prac-
tice Of medicine and surgery in North
Dakota" But a more fitting title
would be, "a bill to create a monopoly
Of the medical school OF practice in
the state Of North Dakota" The os-
tensible purpose of the bill is to reg
ulate the practice of medicine; the
real purpose, however is to kill off
the drugless schools of practice, with
which the medical practitioner is no
longer able to compete successfully
Among other provisions Of the bill are
the following:
Section 9. All applicants for IL
cences to practice medicine in the state
of North Dakota must present evidence
which will be satisfactory to said
board Composed of medical doctors)
Of having graduated from a reputable
medical college and having attended
in such college or colleges the lee
lures of not less than four college
years of at least eight months each,
and must all give evidence, which will
be satisfactory to said board of a pre-
liminary education which would be
necessary to admit said student to the
Junior or third year of the University
of North Dakota or of some other
equally reputable college or university.
Section 6. Meaning of the term
practice of medicine A person shall
be regarded as practicing medicine
within the meaning OF this act who
holds himself or herself out to the pub
dc as being engaged within this state
in the diagnosis or treatment of dis
eases or injuries of human beings;
who suggests, recommends or pre-
scribes any form of treatment for the
intended patient, relief or cure of any
physical or mental ailment of any per-
son with the intention of receiving
therefore, either directly or Indirectly
any free gift of compensation what
soever; or who maintains an office for
the examination or treatment of per-
sons afflicted with disease or injury
of body or mindi or who attaches the
title of M. D., surgeon, doctor or any
word or abbreviation to his name i'm
dicative that he is engaged i'm, the
treatment or diagnosis of disease or
injuries Of human beings. Nothing in
this act, however shall be construed
to prohibit the practice of religious
or fyfn
as form Of religious worship, devo-
ton or healing, providing that the per-
sons administering or making use of
or assisting or prescribing such, rely
on faith and prayers alone.
Every citizen has the interest right
to employ the doctor of his choice. The
right Of individual choice is as clear
in matters of health as 1t is in mat
ters Of religion To attempt to deprive
them OF this right is unjust, -Ameri-
can and unworthy of the age In which
we live. Such a law belongs to the
seventeenth century and not TO the
twentieth. To ask the legislature of
this state to pass such q law is an
insult and a reflection upon the hon.
esty and intelligence of its members.
To eliminate their competitors by
this method would be to give to the
medical practitioners monopoly of the
treatment Of disease that suggests
their infallibility. Are they infanihIc?
Every tombstone in every grave yard
in the state proclaims that they are
not. The records of the hospitals and
surgeons offices or the increasing null
titudes of operations prove the as
sumption to be but the gauzy frag-
ments of dream. The thousands of
physical and nervous wreck through
out the country declare that medical
treatment is a failure and thoughtful
persons are everywhere beginning to
realize that this Is true. The very fact
that the medical school asks the leg
islature to enact laws to crush this
competition is itself an admission that