Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-05-06

ICOURT INVESTIGATION.
might add an ignorant public. For no
matter how brainy or how well educated the
layman may be, it is quite probable that when
it comes to discussing physiology or disease,
he is in all probability absolutely ignorant and
may be deceived by statements that, to the
man we'll posted on the subject, will be known
to be arrant nonsense.
What l want from anyone having doubts
about this office or its conduct, is thorough
but unprecedented investigation For any Of
fice any personality that bids for the public S
clientage and that does not bear the closest
scrutiny, is not worthy of the public's conf
dence
have certain opinions that believe have
been pounded into me by experience-that
have thoroughly saturated every fiber of my
physical being. For instance believe that
the study of disease and the practice of medi-
cine is so hard and there is so much necessary
to be learned and our responsibilities to our
patients are so great, that it takes all the
brains and all the good health of the best and
ablest sort of man to keep abreast of the times.
believe it naturally follows that no man can,
by dissipation, waste any of it and be good
doctor. So no man can ever be drinking
man and be good doctor. / have heard of
them but never knew one in my more than
35 years experience in the profession
Recently gentleman spoke to me of a GER
tain doctor and said
''What pity he drinks! If it WASH t for
that there wouldn't be a better doctor any
where.
Now happened to know this doctor S abil-
itv as a physician and know that among those
qualified to Judge, his opinion would not be
worth the expenditure Of enough energy to
snap your finger.
Then. too, am firm believer in the fact
at least I believe it to be fact-that true
morality and true physiology are hand maid
ems Necessarily no true physician can coun-
tenance or encourage in his patients anything
but the straight path physiologically or
morally.
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIAGNOSIS
I most earnestly believe that diagnosis is
the most important thing to the invalid who
has probably been in the hands of several ply
sicians without benefit have found this il
Illustrated daily for the past four decades, and
so I KNOW it is true.
Only today gentleman told me his expe-
rience. how he had suffered with rheumatism,
how several doctors had treated him without
success, how he went to Hot Springs Ark, and
took the baths for several months, how ne
went home and doctor after examination
land the doctor was a celebrated nerve expert)
told him it was rest he needed. Then ne went
to bed for weeks and hired an attendant to
feed. rub and massage him daily but after all
he was unable to even walk. In desperation
he consulted a young physician who, after an
examination, found the arches of his feet
broken down, or what is popularity known as
fiat foot fitted him with arch supports Then
his rheumatism was gone and he has been
walking ever since.
Now was not the Doctor who discovered
the condition so do not tell this as cure by
myself. but only to illustrate the truth of what
I have SO long contended to be the most i'm
portant part Of doctor education and prac-
HOW THE SCIENTIFIC PHYSICIAN
WORKS
But diagnosis is not the easy thing it seems
IN he tn the lavman The time was when all