Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-02-25

! the time for this. If he takes time
the intellectual or purely professional
side of his business suffers, and retro
| erosion here is a loss to the PROBES
sion and the community. 1t Is to the
honor of the physician that he seldom
Sacrifices either duty or science to book
keeping or his own financial interests
It does not seem impossible to rem.
edy in part the difficulties surround.
ing the conduct of the practice Of medi.
cine as a business. III. ...
| Suggestions in this regard can come
only with poor grace from an outsider,
but it does seem in this day Of highly
developed business systems (some OF
| which are automatic in their operation)
that office and account keeping plans
could be devised especially for the use
of physicians, which would give &C
curacy of details and results with a
minimum of attention from the profess
sional man himself. It would seem
economy, also, to employ ONCE help Of
stuff cient ability to look after the bust
ness capably; perhaps young women
who can keep books, perhaps young
N IN who could rot only do all the Of
flee work but ke< !, the accounts close
ly collected. Prompt collection OF all
accounts is the greatest factor OF sue
cess in selling merchandise; 1t can be
of no less importance in the business
of Medicine. 1t might even be pos
sible that physicians with large prac-
tees who have young doctors assist
ing them could arrange with these as
sistants to do all the bookkeeping and
collect all the bills; an arrangement
which would not only take a great
deal OF detail of the busy practitioners
shoulders but would be invaluable
business training for the young phys1-
clan. 1t would seem, too, that an &C.
casonal examination of the schedule
of fees was desirable, that revision
might be made where the remuneration
was found to be insufficient.
After taking Ill these things into
account the question Of actual remun-
Grafton seems to resolve itself into the
larger one Of reward. There is little
doubt that the physician receives IN
money far less than his high attain
ments, his hard work and his devotion
to science entities him. There is no
doubt at all that this fact, we'll known
as It may be, will never operate to
lower the standard of the profession
or keep out Of it the host Of able and
competent men it has attracted In the
past. Medicine attracts and fascinates
one type Of intellectual man Just as
music or literature attracts others.
Men practice medicine as men paint
pictures, not because doing 50 will
make them rich but becaus, It salts
fies their souls. On no other score
can you account for their keen and
lifelong devotion to a science which
too often takes their whole mind and
strength and rewards them scurvily.
But reward is not alone in money.
There Is a satisfaction in ones own
knowledge of work well done, there is
thrill in the winning of every fight,
Fl in the solution Of each stub.
born problem, which must come often
to the weary man of medicine. There
is reward in the warm friendships
which result from devoted service, re
ward in the gratitude Of the sick
brought back to health. reward in the
honor and respect of fellow men. And
1T is these rewards, not mere renun.
Grafton, which fill your ranks with men
whose high attachments place your
profession at the head of all others.