The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-10-25
TAKES EXCEPTION To
STAND OF SOCIETY
DIR. Thurston Criticises Reso-
luton Adopted by Indiana
Medical Association.

Dr. Joseph M. Thurston, of Rich
mond. has the following to say in an
article to an Indianapolis paper on
an interesting subject:
1.-THE writer was more than pleased
with your fearless editorial last week,
'Fallacies of the Doctors An eminent
doctor and author of the older school
Of practice once wrote: we do not
reason in medicine as in other
things Surely the stand our great
state Medical association has taken
as to the general crusade against sex
ual evils, houses of i'll fame and social
degradation, would imply that our
noble profession, advancing in scisr
tific achievements, throws common
sense to the dogs. r.
This association profoundly in
forms the public that the sexualy in
stinct, being human as feu assanimal
inherency, always has ind always will
assert itself, and all efforts and, cru
sades to bring it within decent, hui
name, moral bounds OIL matrimonial
rectitude, heredity and home environ
ments are failurse. aYherefo medi-
cal salaried inspecsi6n and license
and personal Ifber5 similar to our
marvellous saloon ndustry the only
panacea, the balm "a Gilead. Il
Many years ago, when a. child at
my mothers knee, sha, read from a
large book called the Weird of God.
The first murder in the WoIad*was here
related; the young, developing mind
could hardly conceive howone could
be so wicked as to murder ones own
brother. From the same source the
child mind was introduced to thieves
which an innocent man fell among.
They beat him and stripped off his raj
ment; also the full meaning of the
word harlot illuminated our wondering
mind. .isl., So
II am now II, have been actively en-
gagged in my profession for forty five
years, have unwisely according to the
State Medical association) helped, to
the best of a humble personal ability,
preserve and perpetuate our glorious
united free country. it's moral integ
rity, just laws, honorable and efficient
citizenship by conservation of home
and ffreside. Yet, notwithstanding
countless volumes of civil and Grimm.
al laws, courts of justice, penal and re.
formatory institutions. local and unit,
ed charities, reform movements, pub.
lie schools, colleges and universities,
has murder, robbery, thieving, white
slave traffic, prostitution, houses OF
i'll fame and all manner of human de-
graduation gone bravely on.
Therefore, according to our great
state association of medical solons, all
efforts of our good and misguided peo-
pie to reform and uplift society have
been failures. But why stop with
houses Of ill fame pray? Are not all
crimes against good citizenship and
desirable society in the same class
Then why not have salaried commits.
sion Of doctors expert in criminology
to inspect and license murderers, linn.
iting their yearly kill to not more than
two or three victims each? Another
commission of salaried doctors expert
in yeggmanship who will license and
regulate burglars, cracksmen, purse
snatchers and all such activities to just
enough business to make a comfort
able living, with an automobile thrown
in? And why not a commission, also
of well salaried doctors expert in ''psy.
chopathy sexualis," who will license
and regulate prostitutes, male as well
as female, white slavers, houses of i'll
fame, roadhouses, etc., limiting their
industries to a fair living business?
"Just; think of it! Such scientific
medical regulation by license would
do away with jails, prisons, peniten.
tiaries and all manner of penal and
reformatory institutions. lawyers
courts, police, mayors, corrective and
regulative machinery generally. The
government would soon have to be
making huge annual monetary bon
fires to get rid of overburdened
wealth! Verify, verify, the great State
Medical association holdeth the world
millennium in the hollow of it's hand!"