Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1916-04-01
THE MOTHERS CIRCLE
HOLDS MEETING
interesting Discussion On CompuI-
sorry Medical Inspection in
Public Schools.
ARGUMENTS PRO AND CON.
An Expensive Proposition for the
Public Health Service MANY
Strong PrOtests---A Dangerous
Thing.

/
Last year the mothers of this town
were asked by the National Congress
i Of Mothers to form an organization for
child welfare-one of the most vital
and important questions of the nation.
Without having a very definite idea of
| just how they would nelp in this ques-
tion,they startoi in with willing hearts
and hands TO DO what they could find
TO do. The organization is now on a
sound basis has the hearty co-opera-
ton of the public school teachers and
has already accomplished a great deal
| of good in arousing interest in their
ann
At yesterdays meeting Il was voted
| to BUY the Underwood StcreontiC @ 1T
| fit for visual training. for the gram
| mar school, at a cost of $4,000. This
method for teaching great many stud
| les Is invaluable. and is endorsed bv
: all educators. The Circle hopes TO raise
this sum by subscription and enter
tainments. and The Capital has no
( doubt OF its success
! The subejCt of paramount issue un-
/ der discussion Yesterday was compul-
/ sorry medical inspection. This subject
! has aroused a great deal of discussion.
| being upheld by some anti vigorously
opposed by others.
The alternatives held that many chill
dren were neglected by their parents.
who did not know their children had
defective eyesighthearing,teeth ,throats
ETC.; that these should be looked afer
by medical inspector.
The opposition held that medical in
spection was unconstitutional. because
it is personal interference with life.
liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
IL is proscriptive law and forces
! prescribed treatment regardless of the
individuals religious or medical be-
hefs that it savors of the potentialistic
| form of government, which relieves the
person of individual responsibility
which he should rightfully assume
The negatives showed the dangers of
mistaken diagnosis, followed by mis-
taken treatment Statistics were reai
showing that according to the best tioc-
| tors over so per cent. of diagnosis are
/ wrong. Some astounding statements
| made by the most eminent physicians
| and surgeons of this country we're read
| showing hat these men are becoming
! alarmed by the wholesale use of vac
| cines and sernms. and by the whole
| sale removal of tonsils, the function of
! which has never vet been determined.
The same men are calling for a halt i'm
the craze for medical inspection. In
fact. the claims for medical inspection
has not come from the public. bu from
(. the political doctors
II was also shown that this move
I ment was nationwide. backed bv a
! powerful political organization. the
! American Medical Association. which
has had and still has a bin (The Owen
Bid before Congress to establish a
bureau of medicine. with a member IN
the Presidents Cabinet This organ
/ ization seeks TO establish the so-callad
regular fallopathic) school OF medicine
/ to the exclusion of all others -homeo-
/ paths. neura path osteopaths. etc. Tho
4 negatives showed the enormous politi-
/ cal patronage which would result de-
I cl2ring that any party in power would
I be so entrenched ii would be impospi-
BE To dislodge them. If, az Is propos-
ed, one melical Inspector be appointed
Tor every thousand people in our coun-
/ Try OF one hundred million. We would
have one hundred thousand medical in
! spectors, politically appointed. at 500
4 per month.
These inspectors are to have assist
ant nurses, pathologists and latorato-
! ries for blood analysis. The pay roll
! I..
would have to be pati by those who
were not in favor as well as others. So
that even it were not compulsory it
would be an enormous burden. The
doctor would be chosen for his polit-
ical fitness rather than his profess
sional ability and we would face again
the danger of incompetency.
The negatives held that it was un-
fair TO brand any child as a defective
or weakling, that it had a bad effect
Ipen children as well as grown peopl.
to be considering disease: that the
most advanced doctors advocate not
telling people of disease. keeping their
minds free from the fear OF it. and tell
ing the physician to attend to the
treatment.
II II were not compulsory these
| public medical inspectors would have
a sinecure, for very few people would
willingly be examined by a man who
had the time TO be medical inspector.
for most competent doct srs woussn't
have time to accept such a job and
wouldn't want to
The negatives showed clearly the
dangers and evils of tho x,bo11 et...,,,
of medical inspection, TIE many mani
FEST istakes Of medicine and Surge
~. the purely speculative hypothesis
of medicine and the differences Of opin-
ions among the doctors themselves as
TO the treatment. etc. They declared
no one school II medicine had a right
70 rnonouoly. that methods of treat
nent varied from year to year.
All the arguments opposing II were
clear and convincing and backed nv