Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-25
MEDICAL PROGRESS.
Contributed By the Medical Society Of the Dis
trict OF Columbia)

tr1ct or Columbla-D
We live in a progressive age, or, at
least. We flatter ourselves that we do.
The worst reactionary thinks that he is
a great Hbertarian, and that he stands
for freedom, for progress. for advance
ment. And the quacks in and out Of the
League for Medical Freedom think it
very clever to try to persuade the people
that we, the regulars" the old school
physicians, represent the old-time ideas
in medicine. stand for reaction, for OBJ
scurantism, while they are the followers
of modern ideas, have left the beaten
paths, and stand for liberalism, liberty
trary is the truth.
1t is We who are employing every
means afforded by the natural sciences
chemistry, physics, biology, botany and
ZOology-tO unravel the mysteries of dis
ease. 1t is we who use every instrument
of refinement and of precision In the
diagnosing of disease; it is we who
spend our lives in the laboratories, trying
to make nature disgorge her secrets of
the cause and treatment Of disease: it is
We who are lengthening the course of
medical studies, and are increasing the
preliminary education requirements for
entering a medical college; and 1t is,
therefore, that every discovery, without
a single exception, in the prevention, ETH
ology, diagnosis and treatment of dis
ease during the past half century has
come from the hands Of the regular
medical profession.
What have the quacks done and what
are they doing? Are they responsible
for a single contribution to the science
of medicine? What are they doing be-
sides clamoring to be let alone, to be ex-
empted from any preliminary education,
from any regular medical studies? Have
the quacks and the so-called liberal
physicians done anything to advance the
science and art of medicine and surgery?
Absolutely nothing!
progress in the prevention and cure of
disease. The future of medicine is in the
hands Of the regular scientific medical
profession. It is sufficient to point to our
progress in the etiology and treatment of
diphtheria, malaria, yellow fever and
syphilis, and to our perfectly wonderful
achievements in every branch of surgery,
including surgery of those most vital
organs. the brain and the heart, to be
convinced that the future will bring us
still greater results. And when We see
how everywhere where scientific, prop
erly organized medicine has it's way the
mortality rate Is going down, we cannot
help a feeling Of resentment and con-
temptuous pity against those who in ig-
norance and wickedness. join the camp
Of the opponents Of regular scientific
medicine.
The quacks, in their endeavor to ridi-
Guile, and to discredit present-day scien-
tific medicine, show the people how crude
and ignorant the physicians of former
ages were. They bring up the pharma-
copeias and materia medicas Of two and
three hundred years ago, and show what
nasty stuff and what big doses we used
to prescribe. What have We, modern
followers of a modern system of medi-
cine. to do with the doctors OF century
or two ago? AS well cast ridicule on the
chemical wizards of today because their
predecessors the alchemists of old, were
full of childish notions and silly preju-
dices. AS we'll sneer at the great as
tronOmers Of today because the old as
trologers entertained ideas and vagaries
which would do credit to a new thoughter
of today.
We should not be saddled with the re-
sponsibilfty for the ignorance, lack of
logical reasoning. fanciful notions and
tremendous doses of our ancestors. Mod
ern scientific medicine. which applies the
experimental. analytical. scientific meth
cd, which demands proofs, reproduces
the same conditions in animals and APP
plies the remedies experimentally, is but
half a century old.
1t can be asserted without fear OF con-
tradiction that no other science has in
half century made greater progress
medicine itself, it has within the last
fifty years made more progress than it
has during the previous 500 or 5000 years
All our notions of disease, it's nature. its
causes. its rationale of cure, have under
gone q complete revolution. And the flu
ture of scientific medicine is full Of
promise.