The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-10-31
PHYSICIANS
RAMPANT

commission, not to say violence, in
r,eaicine. No sooner does DR.. Gold.
voter suggest that every New Yorker
no lined up once a year for forcible
examination as to his health than
mr. Osler comes along to insist that
,ba most rigid control over consump-
,,ves be established by the state. To
he professional eye, 80 per cent Of
ma would be found to have tuberculo-
s,s II only he could examine us by
mans of radium and microscope.
Tbank fortune he cannot explore our
.irnartls." at least not without our
consent But the campaign for gov
eminent by, with, and through the
doctors does 60 merrily on. Here is
Dr. Harvey Wiley out for daily ex'
ominations Of all school children.
Once a week Is not to be enough; the
very existence of the nation depends
upon the daily probing of each child
as to his adenoids. his appendix, his
ewes. and as to any stray germs that
NAV have become active during the
previous twenty.four hours.
Far more serious is that fact that
DR.. N. p. Colwell, secretary Of the
Council on Medical Education of the
American Medical Association has a
little New Nationalism doctrine OF
his own. He is for wiping out all
State lines, SO as to put the entire
control of medical education and
progress into the hands of FEEDER.
al official with absolute legal pow
ers and a seat in the Cabinet. "In ev-
cry other country having standing
comparable with that Of the United
States" he says, 1.-THE control Of ed.
ucation Is a function of the national
government" So we are soon to
have in Washington an autocrat to
tell Just how every doctor shall be
educated. May heaven help the os.
teopaths-and who knows? the hon.
eopaths, perhaps--when this federal
secretary of health takes his seat at
the cabinet table. From this. OF
course, the next step will be the ma.
tionalization Of the physician. Hav.
ing assumed control of his education
it will naturally be the governments
duty to see that he walks in the prop
er path. keeps himself up to date by
study, and has enough to eat for him
self and his children. State medi-
cine, with all doctors on the national
payroll, will come .next-they are
well started on this road In England
with their old age pensions and insur-
ance funds. Once the medical pro-
fession has become q branch of the
federal government, the citizen will
be fully as helpless as some of our
physicians would like to see him. He
could then be forced to contain every
serum the cabinet might decide to In.
ject into him against typhoid. scar.
let fever, diphtheria, and the hives.
That old outworn idea that mans
home is his castle will speedily dis.
appear when doctors, doctor injectors
doctor sanitarians of all degrees have
free run of his house. They will
come in numbers. because when ma.
tional control OF health and Congress
Is perfect, there will be nothing for
doctors to do but inspect and pre-.
vent.
Well, II the average man is terri.
ned by this prospect Of State owner.
ship OF his health, as we'll as his rail.
roads, he may perhaps recall for his
encouragement that some of these
line medical passions perish before
they reach a great age. There was
Harvard medical professor who In
the early days of appendicitis assur-
ed his class that they would live to
see the time when the appendix OF
every new born babe would be re-
moved by the surgeon. while a doctor
greeted the new arrival on earth by
'accinating him before he could ev-
en- gasp. Fortunately, with distinct
signs of reaction against too much
abdominal surgery in sight, as voiced
Wy nigh authority at the recent gath
ering OF the American Medical Asso.
c'ation' this oIce wild rage for large
annual appendix harvest is rapidly
u'screditing the Boston prophets fore
cast At any rate. the temptation is
no longer So great as a few years ago
'or family heads to protect them
sei.es against kindly medical friends
oy having their appendices placed in
their wives names.
It Is an age when it is everybody's
privilege and pleasure to bring forth
ssuemes to transform the world over
la