The Harrison times., 1912-01-13
A FEDERAL HEALTH BOARD.

Tor the creation or federal health
board will not be allowed to pass with
out a protest Reports of organized
resistance come from all parts Of the
country and 1t may be that the oppo'
sltion will soon be sufficiently solidi-
fed to defeat a project that promises
infinite mischief for the community
and suffering and injustice for the in
| diyidual.
The proposal is based upon those
specious claims that are VIGOROUSLY
hard to controyert. If federal health
board were to confne It's activities to
tho promulgaton OF salutary advice
| upon hygienic matters, to the abate-
ment Of quackory, and to the purity Of
drugs, II might be possible to say
much In its favor, although 1t would
sull be difficult to say that such an
organization is needed, But we know
that 1t will attempt to- do far more
than this, seeing that It's adherents
have loudly proclaimed their nten.
tions, Indeed, there Is no secrecy
about them, It is confidently expected
that the board will consist Of adyo-
Gates Of one school Of medicine only
and that the methods Of that school
will be not only recommended, but
enforced upon the nation Indeed a
board that was in any way representa-.
tive Of the medical profession as a
whole would be stultihed by its own
disagreements, outside the domain
of simple hygiene, for which we need
no federal board at all, there Is no
single point Of medical practice upon
which allopaths, homoopaths, oclectlcs
and ostoopaths could bo I'm unison,
Any board that could be devised by
the wit Of man must be composed of
representatives Of one school only
and this means that all other schools
are branded as Of an inferior caste,
even though nothing worse happened
TO them, And something worse would
happen to them. If we are to establish
school Of medicine, II we are to as
sert that the government Of the Unit
ed states fayors one variety Of prac
tIce more than others, why not estab
lish also q sect OF religion and be
stow special authorities upon Bar
lists, MothodIsts and EpIscopalIans'
An established school Of religious
conjecture seems somewhat less oil
joctonable than an established sect
Of pseudo.scientihc conjecture.
Those who suppose that federal
board Of health would have no concern
with individual rights are likely to
find themselves undeceiyed 1t is for
the purpose Of interfering with indi
ydual rights that the proposal has
been made, We need no special
knowledge Of conditions to be aware
that what may be called unorthodox
methods Of healing have made sad In
roads into the orthodox. Homeopathy
claims vast number Of adherents
who are Just as well educated and Just
as intelligent as those who adhere to
tho older school, Osteopathy, eclectl.
clsm, and half q dozen other methods
Of practice are certainly not losing
ground, Beyond them 10 the vast and
increasing army Of those who may be
olassed under the general and vague
name Of mental hcalors Those who
are addicted to any Of these fGrIas Of
unorthodoXy need have no doubt as
TO the purposes Of the federal health
board, Those purposes are TO make
II difficult for them to follow their
particular fads and fancIes, to lead
them, and II necessary to drive them,
from medical unorthodoXy to medIea.
orthodoxy.
Now tho Argonaut holds no brief
for any Of the oXccasos and the super
sutons connected with the care Of tho
body in which this age Ia 80 rife, But
II does feel concerned for the preser'
yalIon Of human liberty and for the
rights Of the individual to doctor him.
self in any way he pleascs 80 long as
no does not lndubltably threaten tho
health Of the community lie may
take large doses or small ones, or no
doses at all; he may be m0sgaged,
anoInted with oil, or prayed over just
Ns the whlm Of the moment may die.
talc, and probably It makes no par.
tlclo OF difference which he does, But
he has the right TO choose, Just no he
chooses the color Of his noektIo or the
character OF his underelothIng II Is
not u matter IN which any wise gov,
Crnmont viii sock 10 Interfere, Thla
IN precisely the liberty that the health
boOrd intends TO take from him,
Orthodox medicine, conscious Of It's
fosRes, Ia trying to buttresg itself by
federal statute, to eXalt allopathy TO
the status Of II privileged caste, and
10 create an established school Of
medicine Just az 6omo other countries
have allowed themselves to create RD
established school Of religion, It Ia
for the common sense Of the e0mmu,
nifty to febuke that effort and to re.
pei an unwarranted invasion upon Gle.
mentary human rlghts,-SdA Fran.
cisco Argonduk