Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-28
Stenographic Record to
Complete Wednesday Senate.
Senator Bailey in the Chair.

VII Dlii, All ACT 10 regulate the pTdC-
tice of the system, method or Silence
of healing known as osteopathy, Gre
ating a board of examiners and regis
tration for those desiring to practise
the same and providing for violation
of this act. Minority report ought
not to pass" and majority report in u
new draft under the same title and
that it ought to pass
Mr.. STEARNS of Oxford: Mr..
President, l yield the floor To the sem
ator from Hancock, Senator Patten.
Mr.. PATTEN of Hancock: Mr..
President, fellow senator's: Very
briefly ! want to present to You few
reasons why l believe that the mi
nority report ought not to pass
should be substituted for the major
ity report
The system of healing that is known
as osteopathy is either part of the
practice of medicine or il is not. on
of the two must prevail. If it is not
a part of the system of medicine, this
Legislature has no concern with 1t.
II il is a part of the practice of medi-
cine, and it is that by their own ac-
acknowledgement, as we find iii the
Claims by their text books and their
colleges, then / contend To you, fellow
senator's, that this State in its regu-
lation of the practice of medicine
should maintain but one standard
If a practitioner of the healing art,
coming from whatever school he MAY.
Whether he is an e homeopath.a an
esteopath, or Regular physician, ~
called upon to treat person suffering
from illness, they are each and all
confronted by exactly the same con-
ditions They must first ascertain
the trouble with the body that is Ill.
In order TO do that they must possess,
each and all of them a fundamental
knowledge OF medicine. First they
must know this body of ours. They
must know the anatomy thereof, and
there are only two ways that any
physician from any school can learn
the anatomy of the human body. One
is by the textbook and the other $
at the dsseeting table. The dissect-
ing tables are alike in all the schools
and all the systems of medicine.
There is but one textbook on
anatomy 1t is the textbook that Is
used by all the schools, written by the
members of the regular profession If
medicine No osteopath yet has ever
written q single book on anatomy ii
any way, shape or manner. So from
that school, the followers of that
method of healing can obtain no
knowledge of anatomy.
again. the practitioner must have a
knowledge of physiology and ehemis-
try in order to determine the trouble
with the body that is I'll. To do that
he gets his information from two
sources. from the text books and from
the laboratories. If he gets it from
the text books. he gets it from the
text books that are written by the
School of medicine which | represent,
ana no other, because there is no
osteopath yet ever been born of wo-
man that has ever written a book on
physiology or on chemistry.
The same thing will apply TO
hygiene. The same thing will apply
TO pathology. 1t is necessary for All
who heal. or attemept TO heal SICK
bodies 10 have some knowledge OF
PATHOLOGY We must know wherein
the body departs from its normal con
dition. TO do that, you can get that
information only from the text books
and mt the bedside and in the dissect-
ing rooms. II you get il from the
text books, you get it from the text
books of the regular school, and all
the knowledge that the osteopaths get
today on any of these branches that
have mentioned. they get from the
text books of the regular school OF
medicine.
Now then, wherein. if they possess
scientific knowledge, do they differ
from the knowledge that | am sup
posed to possess? In this only When
it comes to the treatment of this body
that we find III. they have a peculiar
system of treatment differing from
mine, perhaps, differing from my
brother who is a homeopathic, diff
fering from my brother who practices
the electric system. That is all the
point wherein their medical education.
If they get any, differs from mine.
Therefore, | say to you, why should
any system of medicine demand of
this State separate board of eX-
animation?
Some twenty years ago, eighteen
to be exact, the Legislature of Maine
ordered, after repeated attempts.
passed medical registration bill and
created a board of medical examiners.
At that time the system of osteopathE
was unknown in our State. At that
time there was not college OF
osteopathy in the world. Very few
practitioners of that school were to be
found in the world. And of course
that board of registration and that
law could take no recognition of this
school, which did not then exist. So
we are confronted today by this con-
dition We have a board of ex-
animation working under a registra-
tion law that does not admit to eX-
animation the followers of this school
of osteopathy.
Now my contention for this. senators,
is simply this: that where all of our
science Of medcne comes from one
source, With the possible exception of
the treatment of the disease, that when
this sect ofsmedieine becomes of SUI
icisnt Importance it has arrived at
that period now, let us do it now,
though at this. time of the ses
sion il is late for that to come