Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-07-06
Doctors and Advertisinu.


South Carolina Medical association,
was allowed the privilege of speaking
to the editors at Chick Springs last
Wednesday night in furtherance Of a
campaign that his association has
been waging against the advertising
of patent medicines.
The doctor talked about sanitation,
health statistics, hook worm and the
like, but the burden of his remarks
hinged around the following resolu-
ton, adopted by the State Medical as
sociation some time ago, and sent out
by the doctor to the editors in a cir
cular letter:
Believing it is the duty of the
newspaper to protect the readers
from deceptive and fraudulent adver-
tising, the Medical Association Of
South Carolina resolved that it would
request every newspaper in the state
of South Carolina to accept no medi-
cal advertising that is antagonistic to
public welfare, or which is undenia-
bly, fraudulent or deceptive"
Although the doctor said his say, it
was without any result in creating cr
developing sentiment and the say may
as well not have been said. There is
pretty strong feeling on the subject so
far as the newspaper men are con-
cerned, and that feeling is against the
attitude of the medical association;
but owing to the peculiar circumstan-
ces there was no expression. 1t was
lik theis: A request had been made in
behalf of the doctor to address the
association, and the request was
granted by a unanimous vote. The
business meeting, and as this was
crowoeu with routine matters, the
doctors address was postponed to the
evening banquet. 1t did not belong
there, anyway, and in view of the gen.
eral good fellowship prevailing, edit
ors who would have expressed them
selves in reply, refrained.
Now we have no brief to take the
matter up with DR.. Hines or anybody
else, and we absolutely disclaim any
feeling in the matter. We claim that
we have always practiced and con-
tinue to practice the very policy that
is outlined in the resolution printed
above. We have never solicited a
medical advertisement since the es-
tablishment of The Enquirer, and we
have turned down hundreds if not
thousands Of medical advertising
propositions, some because we would
not be willing to run the copy involv-
ed; but most of them because the
would-be advertisers wanted more
than we were willing to give them for
their money.
Honestly and sincerely, we do not
er in the state who objects to the res
olution above as the same is worded;
but it may as we'll be understood now
and here that there are very few edi-
tors who feel that the resolution says
what it means. The majority of the
editors construe the doctors as say
ing something like this:
Here, you newspaper men, these
medical advertisements you are run
ming are interfering with our business.
These shrewdly written advertise
ments of cure-alls convince many of
your readers that they can spend 25
cents for patent medicine that will
do them as much good as half a
dozen visits from q doctor at 50 per
visit. 1t is costing us money, and we
want you to stop this kind of thing so
as to give us more complete control
of the field"
Now while all the newspaper men
do not look at the matter like that,
DR.. Hines and the State Medical asso-
citation may take it from us that most
of them do. Also, we are betraying
no secret when we inform DR.. Hines
that the newspaper man who does not
entertain the following view of the
matter, comes under the head of the
exception rather than the rule:
Newspapers do more pro bono
publico work than anybody, not ex-