Cavalier County farmers press. (Langdon, N.D.) 1920-1921, 1921-06-09

Come and Practice for Them-Rem-
edy for Shortage Is Seen in Plan to
Have States Develop Some organiza-
tion for the Medical Service for
Small Towns.
Small towns and rural districts in all
parts Of the country are worried over
a shortage which the city dweller can
scarcely comprehend. This is the short
age of doctors.
In the cities and large industrial
towns about every square has a doc
tors sign. Whole Office buildings are
given over to medical men. And if you,
still doubted that doctors constitute a
fair quota of the population, a glance
at a classified city directory would show
you exactly how many columns Of doc
Tors stand ready to tide you over any
attack of germs, writes Frederic ].
Haskin in the Chicago News.
But go out in the country, or even
20 a remote town, and YOU might have
20 send % miles or more for a doctor
n case of an emergency. And there
would be no ambulance to- take you
20 a hospital on short notice.
This is a difficulty so serious that
he neglected communities are trying
20 do something about it. 1t is widely
advertised that in Massachusetts doc
:orless towns are offering bonuses. to
young medical graduates to come to
practice for them. Similar inducements
are held out in other states. In some
cases a house has been offered to the
loctor, a weighty argument In a time
when houses are, if anything, more
scarce than country doctors. In al
most every case noted the community
seems to be able to assure the physi-
sian that he will have plenty to do and
that he should make $1,000 or more q
year.
Some of the doctorless towns have
conducted their drive for doctors with
success. Others are still hunting. 1t
generally takes more than a house
and a prospect of $1,000 a year to lure
a doctor to the country nowadays.
Doctors Hard to Make.
The fact is, it costs SO much money,
time and work to become a doctor now
that the graduate feels that he de.
serves a large reward. It is not SO
long since two years was the length
of the medical course and a high
school diploma was not always re-
CURED of the medical student. From
that point, the medical colleges have
been steadily raising their standards
until now a first class university de-
mands either al A. B. degree before
the student can begin his medical
course, or, as is more generally the
case, two years of pre-medical college
work is required. This gives the stu
dent Latin, chemistry, biology and 9th.
er regular college subjects which will
Jay the best Foundation for medical
work,
The Medical course which follows
his college preparation is four years,
and after that the doctor very often
spends two years as an inferno in a
hospital. The graduate is therefore
20 years old, at least, before he can
begin his career. He represents an in.
vestment of $4,000, Columbia university
figures. About $1,000 of this he has
laid in tuition and the rest the college
has estimated.
EVERY branch of medicine constantly
shows more problems to be solved by
men who can give some time to re.
search. Then there is 4 demand for
even more expert service Than TIE
graduate practitioner can give, a,.}
so the young doctor often cesas.as
practice with further study to Ijeaame
a specialist. Neither of these lire Ct
work leads him far afield. lie sfavu
close to his university o. g "a. say, \,
other city where oppyrsqn..s d for
study nay be ever more t'As1raaale
Majority Cling to City
e if he decided to be
practitioner. the graduat "Na'fa
clings to the city, r. uoeiof s'''!
aoc+ors M, lsultation With ON :,
aoc.ors; aslslie / medical soc.es IS
he can 80. eiinles and libraries Nyhar
~ Aeep in touch with pre- <Sasa
IN 2 rural district, unless ses.
= CITY ne must forego tt <sss - a,t W.
tra's ana there is adder tihs f,,r fm
y Of Transparent "a IN 81 - 1 i; !. y
= costs around 10.cen .oh ~ "
an ordinary a on tnae sg ~
a doctor who Is = Sga. At this raj
miles out has to .aifea to i hefae a,
there and back speind g dolfsr to g
counted a shs And I'VE snSiles is a
try. If distance IA the cou,
70 make
deal Of suuch visits takes up a go,