Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1921-03-30
Wanted:
Country Doctors
BY Frederic J. IIaslSin

Washington. March 30.-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 shortage of
doctors.
In the cities and large Industrial
towns about every square has n doc
tors brass sign. Whole office buildings
are given over to medical men. And IL
you still doubted that doctors consti-
tute fair quota of the population a
glance at "a classified city directory
would show you exactly how many
columns of doctors stand ready to tide
you over any attack of germs.
But go out i'm the country. or even TO
a remote town, and you might have TO
send 25 miles or more for "A doctor In
case of an emergency. And there would
be no ambulance to take you To a hos
pital on short notice.
This is n difficulty SO serious that the
neglected communities are trying To do
something about It. II is widely ad-
vertised that in Massachusetts doctor
less towns are offering bonuses To
young medical graduates who will come
to practice for them. Similar induce
ments are held out in other states In
some cases, a house has been offered
to the doctor, Il wcighty argument in a
time when houses are if anything more
scarce than country doctors. In almost
every case noted the community seems
to bc able to assure the physician that
he will have plenty to do and that he
should make $4,000 or more year.
Some of the doctorless towns have
conducted their drive for doctors with
success Others are still hunting. IT
generally takes more than a house and
a prospect Of 50 900 year to lure n
doctor to the country nowadays
The fact is IL costs SO much money
time. and work To become n doctor now
that the graduate feels that he deserves
a large reward 1t is not 50 long since
two years was the length Of the medical
! course and IA high school diploma was
/ not always required Of the medical
student From that point. tho medical
| colleges have hecn steadily raising their
! standards until now a first class uni
/ vorsity demands either an \. II. degree
before the student can begin his
medical course or. as is more generally
I tho case. two years of Pre- medical col
I Icgo work is required This gives the
Z student Latin, chemistry. biology. and
/ other regular college subjects which
! viii lay the bcst foundation for medical
work
Doctors Hard 90 Make.
The medical course which follows this
college preparation IS four years, and
after that the doctor very often spends
/ two years as an inferno IN hospital
The graduate is therefore Is years old a'
/ least. before he can begin his career lie
represents an investment Of $500
\ Columbia University figures About
/ $1,000 or this he has paid in tuition and
/ the rest the college has estimated
I Every branch 81 medicine constantly
4 shows more problems to he solved h>
4 men who can KiNc some time to r.
( search Thcn there IS a demand foi
even more expert service than ih'
( graduate practitioner can give. and s
The vounr doctor often combines pra'
tire with further study to become :
srccialist Neither of these lines =
work leads him far adcld. Hc 80
close 10 his university or goes TO aom'
other city whotc opportunities for stuA,
may ~, even more desirable.
Even Il no decides to he genera
practitioner. the graduate doctor still
{ rlirCs 10 the city. IN the city he hai
tho honcn; or consultation with othe
doctors There are medical societies
hosritals. clinics ana libraries where n
ran keep in touch with progress
In = rural district, unless il is near |