Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1921-08-15
DR.. /. A. SALTZMAN
On illegal Practice Of Medicine

TNHERE are enough illegal practitioners
l. of medicine in Philadelphia to keep
the authorities busy for months, according
to DR.. i. a. Saltzman, investigator for
the State Medical and Dental Boards.
DIR. Saltzman has held this post for years
and his work has resulted in many "quacks"
being sent to Jail.
For many years I have been making
Investigations along these lines" he said.
II find that in the city and State there
are so many of these violations that it
would take a regiment of officials to clean
them out. During the epidemic of influenza
l received information that several so-called
ncuropathy practitioners were advertising
that they could cure this malady.
II undertook an extensive investigation
and was convinced that these men were
very much in the dark and knew relatively
nothing about the disease, especially the
pathology phase. One of these men told
me ] was suffering from infantilc paralysis
ever since ! was n child OF course, he
my women operators and she, too, was
told by him that she had infantlc paralysis.
when he was reminded that the disease
only affected children he replied that. on
the contrary, any one could get it. especially
those weak and infirm and elderly.
called neuropath. This fellow had large
practice and during the epidemic was reap
ing n fortune. :.
His wife assisted him in talking to the
patients while waiting their turn to see the
medical wizard She claimed for him that
many were permanently cured in Il short
while after suffering for years.
Arrests and Convictions
These people were arrested for practicing
medicine without n license and were con-
vcted
THE chiropractor is another type of
violator that gives us trouble. In this State
he is licensed under the Druglcss Thcrapy
Act. However, great majority Of the chiro-
praCtors here are not licensed and defy the
law The courts have repeatedly said that
this Is practicing medicine, for which a
license Is necessary.
The herb doctor is another type that
comes under our observation During the
epidemic they were making heaps of money
with their weird claims. One fellow in the
northern section of the city examined my
eyes and said they were too full of blood
and that $50 worth of treatment would be
necessary to alleviate the trouble. / started
out to be cured of this fe!gned disorder and
paid him the initial payment of 50, rcceiv.
ing package of herbs
The next day | brought along n strap
ping big fellow and he was told that he
had consumption. And what is more. he
undertook to cure him with his herbs.
Another interesting case Of this variety
was Negro on South street who had been
in business for more than thirty years. lie
grew rich in this Illicit practice. At first
he declined to treat me and Dragged that
the State Board would never get him for
practiCing medicine without license Later
he did examine me and said | was suffering
from a tape worm. He gave me package
Of pills which he was positive would cure mo
''IIn 6inpnnSnI thp '1iGrnSnu' nf
my friends. Finally we landed him and
he was given a Jail sentence.
THE Greeks and others of the foreign
element have in many cases Il choice doctor
who is one of their own nationality. Many
of these are nothing but 'Quacks' and tAcy
prove the hardest type of case for us. i
Chinese 'Quack will not treat an American,
nor will the Greek variety. They do not,
however, go about unpunshcd.
Unfair to Real Doctors
1T is unfair to allow these '0uacks' to
go about unmOlested. An ambitious fellow
who desires to attain this profession must
have graduated from high school then
must take two years at pre- medicine. and
follow this up with from four to five ycnrs
counting the period of intcrnship. which he
must serve before he can go out into the
world and practice this profession which
took the best part of his life to learn.
Now take tne so-caled ChrOpraCtor
napravit, spondylo -thcrapy and others, and
you find that their training was obtained
in about one years college work Is it fair
to place man who spends one wear at
profession and the one who spends twcIvc
years at 1t on par? / don't think il is,
Many times the patients of these '0uackS'
will not testify against them. This IL
protecting them too far, After they kin a
few more persons; maybe they won't be 80
secure and we Will have an easier time con >
yicting them.
These people do great harm. One chiro.
practor and his wife in the western part
of the city almost killed woman patient
of theirs VIII, had come to be cured of her
deafness: They twisted her spine out NJ
RiSce, They were arrested and were forcei
u leave the city.
tsTu th;o atuta 4hu. r.. a.