The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1919-08-12
Doctors are Handicapped

A medical doctor Is up against
some very stringent rules these days.
,uppose he moves into a town where
lie is not known, and is we'll quail
fed to render service from the day
he opens his office, yet only half a
dozen persons know about 1t, and
none of them happen to be needing
him at first. He graduated from some
good school and belongs to fraternity
| with rules made according to old
cut-and-dried customs. He carries
eood-practice insurance the same as
merchant carries fire insurance, to
protect against the days when
trouble sweeps his affairs beyond his
own control,
The whole set of rules forbids him
to advertise. 1t is unprofessional. 1t
is unethical. If he does it he for
feits his membership in the fratern-
ity. When he loses mem 1e-ship in
I.the fraternity his go d-practice in
surance is automatically cancelled.
When the other doctors meet in con-
vention or clynic to learn more and
keep themselves up-to-date in their
profession he is black sheep in his
line.
Big Doctors Rule Little Doctors
The younger doctors are the ones
who suffer most from this Old rule
against advertising and they are not
| the influential fellows in the conven-
| tons and clynics. 1t Is the older
one with plenty to do and plenty of
TO- rrr1n in tbocn r,1 q tfnrS
and they do not feel the need Ct adj
vertising In fact it is to their in
terest to keep the new doctors, the
yong fellows, from advertising and
81 ting more business, so they stand
+ ut and cultivate the belief that 1t is
only the incompetent, the no-account
doctors who have any need for ad.
verising, and the doctor who adver-
tises is frowned upon accordingly.
Gave Doctor Chance
AS ideas developed, it has been
urged that when doctor located in
a new town he might announce his
name and location in newspaper for
the first year, and after that time ex.
pires, he naturally wishes that the
others would not advertise, so 1t is to
his advantage to discourage others
from doing so. The custom among
lawyers has been pretty much the
same, and the reasons similar. Most
lawyers like to be mentioned in the
papers in connection with their work,
but they cannot afford to have it ap.
pear as anything but voluntary
mention on the part Of the publisher.
II there are six lawyers in town and
one handles civil cases, another
criminal, another does office work
and gives advice as to how to keep
out of litigation, another specializes
on land titles, another on final proofs
for land entrymen and another
specalizes on wills and the settlement
of estates, the public have no means
Of knowing which kind of practice
each man prefers and Is best at UNI
less they announce it in advertising
or wait long enough to have their
| regulations grow till it is generally
known, and by that time the best Of
mans life may be gone.
May Give More Chance
1t is likely that the doctors and
lawyers Of the future will adopt the
custom of advertising their location
and specalities, so that they and their
patrons will be saved the waste of
time now suffered in hunting them
up and talking it over and finally
being sent away or advised as to who
to 60 to for that kind Of service, the
throat patient to the throat doctor,
the eye patient to the eye doctor, the
ear patient to the ear specialist and
so on thru the classes SO far as they
specialize, for most Of the profess
sional men have their preferences
and their special lines Of greatest
| sll ccess and service