Denver labor bulletin., 1916-10-28
Concerning Medical
Practice; No. | On
The Election Ballot

Our attention has been called to the
report of the Trades Assembly Legisla-
tive Committee on house bill l7S-an act
relating to the practice of medicine in
COlorado-which is to be voted upon at
the November election. We are sorry
that thru an oversight on the part of
its friends your committee was not made
fully familiar with the purposes and
aims of the bill as we are quite conf
dent that had you been fully advised
your report would have been just the
opposite from what it is
In order that your readers may form
some idea of its purposes and methods
of attaining the same we offer the fol-
lowing explanation: Colorado passed its
first law OH medical licensure in the
spring of 1881, nearly thirty-six years
ago. This law provided that all per-
sons who wished to practice medicine
must first obtain a license so to do; the
license being granted on educational
credentials where these met the estab-
lished standards and by examination
where the credentials We're not suffi-
cient. No one of good moral character
was refused the examination; the exam
nation was confined to subjects having
to do with the recognition of disease
and no questions on treatment We're per-
mitted. This was in order that no one
system of treatment should be given
preference over another, that th1 public
health should be safeguarded to the ex-
tent that the applicant should show
knowledge of :he diseases he would treat
and yet that no state medicine should
be established; that no one school Of
healing should be given preference over
another.
This law with its equitable provisions
in of bn,
lature amended the statute providing
for the exemption of osteopaths. There
was no definition in the law governing
the practice of osteopaths except that
they might not use drugs or medicines.
As result of this loose and indefinite
exemption clause osteOpathy in the
course of time came to be regarded rs
any mechanical or manipulativs treat
ment of disease.
We thus find the state at the present
time saying to one class of individuals:
you can not practice the healing art
unless you first prove to the state that
you know enough to diagnose disease;
there shall be no questions asked to
your method of treating" To another
class who treat the same diseases she
again says: You can practice the heal
ing art without showing any knowledge
of disease; you do not have to have a
license"
In the belief that every one who bases
his treatment on the physical condition
of his patient should show knowledge of
disease irrespective of the method en-
ployed in its treatment and that no one
should be permitted to open an office for
the treatment of the sick, call himself
doctor and pretend to know disease
without first showing that he has the
pretended knowledge, house bill No. l7S
was drawn, presented to and passed by
the legislature. 1t provides for the Ii
ccnsuTe of the drugless healers in the
state on reasonable educational stand
ards and establishes a like standard for
all who come into the state in the fu-
ture, irrespective of the method of the
treatment to be used by the applicant.
The bill provides (section 81 "That no
person who possesses a good moral char
acter shall be denied the right to take
an examination and further that every
applicant for license shall be desig
mated by number instead of by name,
so that his identity shall not be disclosed
to members of the board until after the
examination papers are graded, and
every applicant whose examination pa
pers grade at least rs per cent on an
average shall be granted a license"
This is the broadest and most liberal
bill in the interest of public health that
has ever been passed by any Legislative
body or presented TO the citizens of this
or any other state. The whole effort of
he bill is against the creation OF
medical trust and against the establish
nent of state medicine. It simpl,
vouchsafes, to the citizen that the Ii
"ensee has that knowledge common tt
al schools and systems which enable;
him to diagnose the common forms OF
disease leaving him the utmost freedom