The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1920-09-03
Action of Recent Meeting at Chi
cago Out of Harmony With
the Highest Standards of
Medical Practice
TREND is AGAINST ALL
LIQUOR PRESCRIPTIONS
Health Commissioner Robertson
Backed by Medical Journals OPP
pose Making Saloonkeepers
OF Members of the Med
ical Profession

and formed an organization, the pur-
pose oil which is to secure such 4
change in the liquor regulations as
will permit physicians TO issue a
greater number OF liquor prescrip-
lions. The maximum number at this
time is 100 per month for each doc
ter. The physicians in this Chicago
meeting said this number is too small
TO meet the insistent demand, and
that in many instances prescriptions
arc sold to the highest bidder
In the Chicago meeting these doc
tors organized, adopted some name
which would lead the people TO be.
licve they had nothing whatever 10
do with booze, appointed a committee
OF five to prepare petition, and 4
committee of twenty to circulate the
petition and an effort will be made TO
secure 1000 signatures. These doc
tors thought this number will be SUI
feient to influence government Off
Gals.
But This booze-havored scheme will
probably not get very far for ii de-
vclopcd that not great number OF
reputable doctors are in sympathy
with the movement. In TACT here in
Ohio, and 10 doubt the same holds
good throughout the country, only
small number OF doctors have taken
out permits TO write liquor prescrip-
tons. They do not consider whisky
a medical necessity. They do not
want anything to do with il. They
do not want to prescribe it. They
consider it nuisance. These repu-
table physicians are like the reputa-
BILE druggists-glad OF the opportunity
which Prohibition offers to cut loose
from all connection with booze.
The very best medical authorities
and opinions condemn the prescrip-
tion Of whisky for patients.
Talk with any physician of good
repute who has permit for issuing
liquor prescriptions, and he will ex-
press his disgust with the action Of
many of those who come. for these
prescriptions. In large number Of
cases, the men want the whisky for
a beverage and not because there is
anything the matter with them, ex-
cept an overgrown thirst. The lying
and deception. practiced TO secure
these prescriptions is enough to
cause an honest doctor to lose faith
in humanity
OF course there arc doctors who
would like to fill numberless whisky
prescriptions. They would be will
ing to make living in this way, just
as many other men are anxious TO
make living by selling booze over
the bar. These doctors arc yelling
for chance to sell more prescrip-
tions. The 100 limit a month does
not satisfy them.
In discussing the Chicago meeting
with correspondent OF the Christian
Science Monitor. Dr.. John Dill
Robertson, Health Commissioner Of
that city, said:
Are doctors going TO become
the saloonkeepers OF America?
Is the traffic in prescriptions go
ing to perpetuate the liquor
traffic and defeat the purpose of
the Eighteenth Amendment?
Ny attitude on the prescription
OF whisky by doctors is too we'll
known to need repetition. In
all my professional career, have
never prescribed whisky for any
illness, and ] have never applied
Tor permit to prescribe whisky.
! do not want to say anything
about these doctors who meet
here because do not know any
OF them, and do not know at
first hand what they did or said,
but will say that the traffic Of
Jew doctors in whisky prescrip-
tons is condemned by the best
element in the profession.
DR. Robertson called attention 10
the leading editorial in the Journal
of the American Medical Association
for July "A, 1920 which in part was
as follows:
II one were TO take seriously
the newspaper jokes and jibes
regarding the prescribing of
whisky by physicians, one might
eassume that the medical pro-
sfession had lost all honor. Any
sclf-respccting physician must
blush with shame for what he re-
CARDS as ISLANDERS on his pro-
fession. Unfortunately, how
sever. the charges are apparently
Ftrue, so far as they apply to some
physicians.
1t is obvious--there is no
denying the fact-that some ply
sieians are grossly abusing their
L.. TIE