The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-02-01

4
Moses set up a Brazen Serpent in the
Wilderness for the healing of the ma
ltions. down to the time when Christian
Science was invented, mankind has been
lafflicted with many kinds of practice
| for the cure OF human ills, and the
lworld has been overrun with doctors.
In some sections they are so numerous
that of a necessity two must ride on
lone horse in order to save expenses
land make living Varied and sundry,
too, are the kinds of doctors We have
with u.s. Alopaths, Homeopaths, Elec-
ltropaths Osteopaths, Eclectics. Hydro
paths. Hypnotists, Faith Healers, IN
dian Doctors, Horse Doctors, Layers-on-
of-Dirty Hands and God only knows
how many other brands and kinds of
Doctors, such as Doctors of Divinity,
Doctors of Law, Doctors of Dentistry,
| Doctors of Science, Doctors of Philoso-
lphy, etc, TO say nothing of the thou
sands of Pill Mills, Pharmaceutic Fac
| tories, Patent Medicine Makers, Man
ufacturers of Medicated Shavings and
Desicated Sawdust for Breakfast Foods,
such as Dog Hair Threaded Wheat and
Ratnest Doughnuts for dyspeptics
damphools and other unclassified
species of the genus homo. But head
and front, as mighty moguls in this
great aggregation are the members OF
| one school, which claims the highest
lhonors and whose members trace their
professional pedigree back to Esculap-
| ius, the acknowledged father and found
Ter of their school of practice, in whose
lday the leading doctors formulated their
most potential peneceas by boiling to-
gether black snakes, rusty toads. leath-
Ter winged bats and bitter barks, the de-
coctions so made being sufficient in all
leases fer the killing or curing of their
lpatients And so highly was the SER
lpent then regarded a factor in cur
ling human ills that they designated as
a trade mark two serpents on a staff,
which should forever be the symbol of
the medical art, and so greatly has been
lesteemed this symbol that 1t has been
perpetuated as the indorsed trade mark
of that, school OF physicians, even unto
the present day. Not without reason,
however, for there is so much of the
snakelike instinct in some of its MEM
bers that it is said to be universally
proverbial that lone doctor never
speaks well of another DOCTOR" but
with the poisonous venom of calumny
| is prone to strike his every successful
l. rival at every favorable opportunity. !
have. myself often felt their sting and
have writhed in pain from the poison
projected through their spite and pre-
judice. But thank God l have not been
| cast down nor made to bend my head
| in shame for any act or deed of mine.
| In fact l have but little cause for per-
sonal complaint, since l have always
| had a large clientel, who gave me their
| patronage and a hearty and cordial in
dorsement to their friends and the pub
lie, and my health, conscience and bank
account are still in first rate order. 1t
lis, therefore, without any feeling of
malice or personal pique toward anyone
that / am writing this, my sole and
only desire being TO punch some of the
Iegotistical stuffing out of the most
lmalevolent and mendacious Trust now
in existence. Nor is it my purpose to
ridicule or cast reflections upon any of
the various cults of human healers-
neither the Massagests. Manipulators of
Magic. Bone Punchers nor any of the
before mentioned bunch of professional
practitioners and health preserving, death
delaying workers of the healing art
They doubtless all hold to some use
less follies, but practice some worthy
philosopys-there being some good and
some bad in all of them, not excepting
1 the Alopaths. of which | am a regularly
ordained. marked and branded, dyed-in-
the-wool member with full credentials
received after a due course Of proper
christening In the best of Alopathic
schools. Therefore, what | have here
to say is concerning what / am pleased
or The American Medical Association, or
iginally organized for purposes of l.u-
tual admiration mercenary gain, and mu-
tual protection, but now so thoroughly
entrenched and widespread in its ramiti-
cations-so greedy and hungry for mon
opoistic power, egotistical and so ty-
ranical in spirit and so menacing to the
rights of the people as to justly ex-
cite the dsapproval, if not execration, Of
| lovers Il
liberation. IN condemnation of which the
New York Herald said. ut is a menacing
Trust of such magnitude and power for
evil. that in comparison with the Coal Oil
Trust makes the latter appear as "a
pulling infant compared to a might giant
Yes, this great American Medical Asso-
citation has waxed and grown so fat
upon the pap of state and municipal pa
tronage obtained through special legis-
lation that 1t has become so pompous, in
tolerant, biggoted and presumptious that
it has ceased to regard the rights of
ohers, and demands the exclusive privi-
leges and powers of regulating every
body and everything relating to the
practice of medicine, the manufacture OF
drugs the sale of medicines. public sani-
tation. hygiene, the inspection of jails,
private homes. the physical examination
of pupils of the public schools and the
4 right to meddle in many ways with things
that should not concern them.
1 Masquerading in the disguise of public
phylanthropists, protesting the public
veal, every year of this association I;
existence has been marked by a gum
\ shod, pussy footed set of lobbyists in the
legislative halls of every state and of
our National Congress. always pleading
for additional laws giving them more au-
thority and special privileges for their
selfish agrandisement. and the abridge-
ment of the rights and privileges of doc
tors of other schools, and against the
liberty of the people to have the services
of doctor of any school of their own
choosing. Ignoring and denouncing all
other schools of medical practice as un-
worthy of existence, they have zealousl,-
sought and are still seeking for their ex-
termination or their banshment from this
land and country. Did ever presump-
tous arrogance and egotism reach its
highest pinacle before this great medico.
political monstrosity came into existence
with such demands?
righteously believe that if granted
all the exclusive privileges and auto
cratic powers. which they demand they
] would ere long evolve out of their