The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-03-30

-. a, ~,, sAis rata q 49,.
wno e called to home a.. ~.
ont has to spend . dolls, = :.
there and back. And Avs ~
accounted . short dIsfs ~. ~
country. ace y "
To make such visit. ,,...sls a
600 deal Of the doctors Tin
ally slly be discounts this loss. =. ~ !.
does add = charge for dist.ss.s :
his fee when he has to t rs.s g
yond certain fixed limitx -,
makes the fee higher than a
% In > city, and may cut d.. 49,
income in the long run 49,
patients can afford to senS ~
doctor only In an extrem,tv =, q
y. though. the small town or eos.'
tly doctor has all the prectIc. 49, \.
can handle. Even with the cs.. g
Tor distance upon the pat;sns sln
DOCTORS are refusing to msfs 49, ~
li,ps 10 maternity cases or "a, ~ -.
thing except a serious emer.s. ~.
Students Choose City Wen
All OF the facts Of town ana -.
Try practice are well known - -
medical student long before IL - -
ms degree: Unless he is stssssse.
attracted BY the possihiIxiss
service in country practica .rs
less he is impressed BY ths ~,
need for doctors there, the st,x as
decides TOR city work.
The result is that thu v,..
composition for doctors betvsss
the big city and the small tow -.
been growing more uneven ~ , -, ~
cine progresses to greater am ~
specialization. The small tovns
are trying to counteract this ~.
dency BY making life easier for ~
neighborhood doctor. This vses.
IN most cases. but it seems prohe.
bio that organized action viii ~.
to be taken eventually.
The plan most generally ~.
posed as a remedy for the shortsse
OF small town doctors is to ~
the states develop some o.r,niss'
ton for the medical service. m q
s. Warren of the public health
service. has stated that "for .oos
Interchangeable United Ststss
spends $500.000,o 900 a year. Tia
Sum alone, If properly expendd
would buy all necessary drugs "a
add $4,000 q year to the income q
each Of the $4,000 physicians il
active practice in the United
States" 80
DR.. Warren says that the people
of the country are paying out mon.
ey sufficient for the maintainence
of IN adequate medical service but
fail to receive it because the money
is spent in such a haphazard man.
ner.
with the proper organization,
distribution and training Of the
medical and sanitary personnel Of
the country, and with a proper ef.
penditure of the funds now being
spent for medical purposes, there
wouA be available to every person
adequate medical and hospital ser.
vice and supplies"
Bills providing for various de.
grees of state supervision of medi-
cal service have been suggested 10.
state legislatures. 1t has been pro.
posed that there. might be a health
officer for each district in .stAte
who could in case of emergency be
called into a home as physician.
Another way of attacking the prob
lem is found in health insurance
system under state management,
such as European countries have
An organization OF this kind, vhue
not primarily for that purpose,
might be able to mobilize part Of
the medical personnel and supply
rural districts with medical attenr
ton.
To what extent a state or the
federal government could help
matters would depend on the ap-
preparation available and the auth
ority given to officials. 1t might
pay a state to educate some doctors
on scholarships with the under
standing that they would take rurs
al posts for a certain length OF time
after graduation. The details could
be arranged if the state took ;
hand. The question is: VIII It D.
necessary for the government 70
add this responsibility to its collec.
ton of duties or can the doctorless
districts devise ways to make the
country so attractive a field tcf
service that it can compete wiz
the advantages of the city? r.