El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1920-12-16
A POLITICAL
AND MEDICAL
DESPOTISM

The action taken by the district
attorney Of Los Angeles county. Calf
fornis. in extra-legally indicting q
goodIy portion OF the citizens OF the
state under his jurisdiction. in threat
eulug TO prosecute any family falling
TO provide medical attention for its
children, reminds one that there are
still those with US who would kindle
the fagEOts OF prescription anew but
knowing the temper Of those who be-
Ieve I'm and labor for medical free
dom, we o1ine that Mr. Woolwine's
dual appeal to scctarian bitterness
and medical bigotry viii friEhteu not
at all those at whom he leveled his
extraordinary missive,' said Ralph ".
still
"This district attorney would. n he
could. deprive thousands OF law-abid-
iug men and women OF those very
rights guaranteed them under the
form Of government on which rests
the foundation Of our nation. and this
without due process OF law. making
OF none effect these significant words.
that. they tau mem are endowed
by their Creator with certain unalien-
able rights. that among these are life,
lmedical). liberty and the pursuit OF
happiness and it must be borne in
mind that these people are Americans,
TOO, as much so as the politician and
medlco, and that they have rights that
cannot be brushed aside.
As to Vaccination.
Let Us turn from this infamv to
read, in pleasing contrast, something
that rings of freedom, law. American
ism-medical as Wen as religious lib
erty. The supreme court OF North
Dakota handed down the following
decision against compulsory VAGINA
ton: We're vaccination TO become
general. 10 would be certain to cause
az q nd
children where one child now slckens
and dies Of smallpox OF course. a diff
ferent story IS told by the class that
reap golden harvest from vaccina-
tion and the diseases caused by IL.
YET because or their Eelf-interest.
their doctrine must be received with
the greatest care and scrutiny. Every
person OF common sense and ohserva-
ton must know that it is not the vel
fare Of the children that causes the
Taccinators 20 preach their doctrine,
and 10 incur the expense OF lobbying
for vaccination statutes
Where Il His Authorityf
Here we see rift In the dark.
lowering clouds OF medical tyranny.
Whence Cometh this arbitrary author
ity Of the California district attorney.
or the authority 10 deprive citizens OF
their medical freedom Is 30 derived
from the common consent Of the gov
erned as provided for IN the Declara-
medical practitioners no legal or
moral rights that the medical profes-
sion, and their friends. legal. political
and ecclesiastical. need respect2
Hear what former Gov. Thomas, OF
Colorado, had 10 say. in vetoinE a re-
strlctive and inhuman medical bill:
The right OF the indiviuai 20 select
his own physician is a right OF con-
science, and as sacred as that which
enables the citizen to worship God as
he may desire. Indeed 10 is the same
right manifestiuE itself in a parallel
direction Literally tones Of Just such
opinion could be furnished in support
Of the basic principle Of medical free /
dom
Evil Of PaternnIIsm.
Many Of the brightest minds In the
medical profession itself have warned
against the growing evil Of paternal- I
ism and compulsion IN medicine. Prof. I
James, the eminent philosOph ply
stefan, who during his lifetime was
considered by many the dean OF
American medicine. stated ia unmis-
taxable terms that the state had no
more right % impose any particular
medical procedure on its citizens than
Il has 70 prescribe a religious rite.
-Dr- BENJAMIN Rush one OF the very
men VINO helped give Us our Magma
Charta- "a physician, by the way)
said: The constitution OF this repub-
nc should make provision for medical
recon To restrict the art OF
healing 70 one class or men and deny
equal privileges TO others viii con-
stitute the bastile OF medical science.
All such laws are unAmerican and
despotic'
We see IN the unremlttinE efforts
OF the politico-medico to establish
state medicine. the beloved family
physician rapidly replaced by the be-
specialized SPECIALIST the benevolent
despotism' formerly exercised IN the
sick chamb Der metamorphosed into the
aggressive despotism of the public
health officer, and the sacred sanctu-
airy OF medical friendship and kind
liness turned into a biological clinic