Evening journal., 1914-01-15
DOCTORS AND ADVERTISING.


the edict against advertising been obcyed with
greater degree OF fidelity than right here in the STATE
Of Delaware. There perhaps have been hundreds OF
practitioners la our State who rather would have
advertised and thcreby Informed public that
they earth and doing something they have
not dared to do for OF losing caste profes-
sionaly.
Architects. civil. mechanical electrical and land
scape engineers pharmacists and of many other
professions may advertise freely they stand ready
TO sell their professional skill 20 those in need N it,
aud there danger that they viii lose professional
caste if they do it, Tho doctor however, is situated
differently. After he has received his diploma he must
equip his Office put his sign and sit back and
wait for the community by slow process to learn that
he is in town Vith medical skill to sell
ln this connection it is refreshing find In tie cur
rent number OF the American of Clinical Med-
cine, magazine offecognzed standing the following
editorial entitled "The Advertising Doctor"
Western town has ten physicians all graduates of
colleges OF approved merit and men Of rcpue cit-
zens and IN their profession. The community has
no poor. and few wor0ngmen; town Of retired far
meis ana the men who collect at the county
which means superior degree OF culture.
TO this town comes for two days every month
an ADVERTISING doctor whose picture with a column of
his claims ornaments the local paper each week
The settled physicians fairly busy but not one
pas more than half OF his time occupied professionally
During the days the travelling is there his rooms
are crowded and he takes ia money than any
TWO of the local men collect in a month.
They designate Che traveller quack and get wrathy
when he Is mentioned
What IS the difficulty?
There are two ways OF considering this question
The usual method is to call the Intruder names and
denonnee everybody Who does not similarly abuse him.
lhe one certain result of this Us TO create sympathy
for the abused man in the minds of the laty
The other method Is to examine the case dspasson-
ateiy get at the causes and see whether remedy
may be advised
expect some Of the more violent ones viii accuse
the writer of iavoring the advertiser because said
UII ~ IA rt.fI..
should be blamed if he seeks to SPY out his oppB
nont and iathom his plans.
Let us hear what plea the advertiser puts up for
hmseL Here ls his statement:
y am graduate OF regular medical college an
A-pus cum laudo. am sober normal God-fearng
man. read my Bible from cover 20 cover, and
where do find the commandment-rahou shalt not adj
ycrtise. But 1 do find Thou shalt not steal and
Thou shalt bear false witness have never taken
from amy dollar I did not honestly earn
never performed advised unnecessary operation
nor gave any kind of treatment for the sake of ne
money only. have patients here have treated for
sixteen years. and still hold them. take and read
more medical journals than an ten of the doctors
together never lose chance OF improving my
methods and il cure cases they cannot it is because
! try the methods which they neglect stand by
every word of my ads and will any $4,000 who
VIII show promise i do net make good . advertise
the truth"
To get side,ew OF tho case ! talk with some OF
the leading citizens They corroborae the advertisers
statements. lie has refused 10 treat the wealth
lest citizens telling him bluntly he needed treat
mcnt his trouble being that ne ate too much lie
penniless patient to a city specialist, paying
the himself the being beyond MS own Skill
ask about the other doctors, and am informed that
they seize every opportunity to run patient OIL 60 the
city for operatons, dividing with the surgeon the
fees he received.
"They don't Try 10 cure people any more7 Is a COM
complaint doc AID takes Che in which
they FAIL and cures them. He beats them out OF their
own boots az thcr game
Only OF the town doctors used the active princi
pies and hes the busiest OF the ten. A: yet> hap
pen TO know that firm OF manufacturing pharma-
refused to sell its products the advertiser
an a
cause it would not aid him against the regular pro-
Tess ON.
There is his case. Consider it, That he has trans
gressed q vital principle the code Of ethics is
tain and God forbid that or this journal should
countenance this anything that tends lower
standards stealing cheating, destroying the
hdence OF trusting patients for the sake of money are
among those
/ am not assuming that the charge. mentioned are
true; but do say that many persons in such com-
munit believe them 70 be true lrte or%ase. ! In.
diet the medical profession for having allowed such
belief to bccome prevalent even II it Is false The
honor of the profession has been upheld those
whose duty il to Uphold IT,
As for this advertiser Let him among you who is
without sin cast the first stone
do say this, without fear Of contradiction that if
the iainiy pl,ysicia would study his cases, utilize
the modern scientific methods OF labo tory diagnosis
without throwing away his own knowledge, and apply
the improved methods and weapons of modern the
rapeut'cs he would have nothing to fear from any
travelling advertiser.
In other and plain words it, with all the advantages
the always the ground has, he lets any occa-
sona soiourner beat him out OF his bcCts in his own
town Il IS his own fault and he does not deserve
particle Of sympathy Dull stupidity, that will not
learn but pulls back mulishy whichever try to lead
him. 10 hts oats. will always be beaten By the shrewd
alert up-to-date charlatan.
am IN sympathy with every honest e6ort TO d
the community of Quackery. and newspapers like Tho
Chicago Tribune which IS driving from town The harp
les who defraud and deceive deserve our cor~aenaa-
on and support Yet after AL the best dofcusl
against ouackery Us honest skfu resrltbringns ser
vice Medical nencency IS the cnarlatans OPPORTUNITY
There is question in the minds Of thousands Of
persons IN America that the time will IN this
country when able and honest physicians viii be Tree
to advertise the that they ina practice and
inform the public i'm what particulars lhoy specialize
Men 80 other professions. just lhgh the medical
profession do a., and later It win be done
by substantially all reputable practitioners. The old
idea that a physician cannot advertise ANA be juss
as honest and efficient who does advertise.
has no substantial foundation There are thousands