The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1921-06-17

the difference OF opinion is found in
the character of the personnel OF the
two bodies. The Therapeutic Society
is composed OF limited membership
lof 100 physicians OF good standing,
but for the most part elderly men
Mrs. Martha NJ. Allan, superintend-
ent OF Medical Temperance for both
the Worlds and National w. c. T.
L, is authority for the statement that
i'll response to 4 QUESTIONABLE sub
mitted by the Committee of Fifty
some years apo TO the membership of
this society, asking an opinion of
moderate drinking, etc, only very
few responding acknowledged them
selves to be abstainers from the bev-
erage use OF liquor. Ii the present
membership is still OF this type of men
it is not hard TO understand why they
question the right OF the government
to regulate the prescribing of liquor
for as Mrs. Allan says the man who
uses liquor ever so moderately is not
often found in the ranks of the enc
mics of the liquor traffic.
American Medical Association Most
Representative Body of Physi-
clans and Surgeons
The American Medical Association
is composed of $1,000 physicians and
surgeons of the United States.
Among its members are found the
most eminent men of the profession,
men not only of national but OF in
ternatonal renown. Its members are
of the progressive type.
The Real Difference of Opinion
| A close reading OF the resolutions
adopted by the Therapeutic Society,
which resolutions by the way will be
acclaimed by the liquor interests, re-
veals the fact that the real difference
of opinion perhaps of the two bodies.
is not SO much a disagreement on the
value OF alcohol as a medicine as it is
on the question of the right of the
government to regulate the practice
of medicine Mrs. Allan i'll further
discussing the Therapeutic Society
says that laws restraining the physi-
clan in the use of narcotic drugs are
Objectionable to the men of this So
ciety as we'll as laws restricting the
use OF alcoholic liquors, and it will be
noted that the resolutions say, 1--WE
do maintain that no legislative body
or enforcement authority should limit
or hamper doctor in the legitimate
practice or legitimate exercise of his
functions as physician
! The Rights of the States
j These eminent members of this So
ciety must remember however, that
after all the state is the court of last
resort even in affairs affecting the
practice OF medicine, for in no state
will the mere possession OF diploma
from a medical college entitle ply
stefan to practice his professionally
must also have the permission OF the
state. However, the resolutios do
declare that alcohol is useful and
necessary i'll the treatment OF certain
diseases and is also useful from the
surgical standpoint, but the resolu-
tons further declare that the society
does not mean "that we approve of
liquor prescribing physicians" One
naturally wonders if they do not ap-
prove OF liquor prescribing physicians
why do they approve of liquor as a
remedy and why do they want liquor
prescribed?
In reply to the contention OF the
society that alcohol is useful in sur
gical work it is well to call attention
to the TACT that DR.. Charles Mayo,
one OF the foremost surgeons of the
world, does not think so. He says:
"Alcohol's only place now is in the
arts and sciences. AS drug it is be-
ing displaced by better remedies"
The Journal of the A. M. A. on Beer
as a Medicine
, An editorial in the Journal of the
American Medical Association for
May %. 1921, discusses the question
, OF beer as valuable therapeutic
; agent and the question of removing
, the limit on the number of prescrip-
: tons physician may write for
| whisky in any given time. On these
points the editorial says:
r AS a purely abstract PROPOSE
lJIrNnr