Catoctin clarion., 1921-05-19

Have states DeVelop ooHe oT9ahAa'
ton for the Medical Service for
Small Towns.
Small towns and rural districts In all
parts of the country are worried over
II 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 doc
tors sign. Whole office buildings are
given over to medical men. And if you
still doubted that doctors constitute IL
fair quota of the population, glance
at Il 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 }.
IIaskin in the Chicago News.
But 90 ont in the country, or even
10 remote town, and YOU might have
to send - miles or more for II doctor
in case of an emergency. And there
would be no ambulance to take you
To hospital on short notice.
This is Il difficulty so serious that
the neglected communities are trying
To do something about IL. 1t is widely
advertised that in Massachusetts doc
torleSS 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 Il house has been offered to the
tln,t,r a Nl,IitrltS nr in 81
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-
can that he will have plenty to do and
that he should make $1,000 or more a
year.
Some of the docturleSS towns have
conducted their drive for doctors with
success. Others are still hunting. 1t
generally takes more than Il house
and IL prospect of $1,000 II year TO lure
doctor to the country nowadays.
Doctors Hard to Make
The fact is, ii costs so much money,
time and work to become Il doctor now
that the graduate feels that he de-
serves Il large reward. 1t is not so
long since two years was the length
OF the medical course and a high
school diploma was not always re-
qured of the medical student From
that point, the medical colleges have
been steadily raising their standards
until now Il first class university de
maadS either an A. Il. 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
lay the best foundation for medical
work.
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 a
hospital. The graduate is therefore
25 Years Old, at least, before he can
begin his career. He represents an in
vrStment of $4,000, Columbia university
figures. About $1,000 of this he has
paid 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 demand for
even more expert service than the
graduate practitioner can give, and
so the young doctor often combines
,t-ith fn bnr CT, nd 70
a specialist. Neither of these lines of
work leads him far atield. He stays
close to his university or goes to some
other city where opportunities for
study may be even more desirable.
Majority Cling to City.
Even If he decided to be general
practitioner, the graduate doctor still
clingS to the city. In the city he has
the benefit of consultation with other
doctors. There are medical societies,
hospitals, clinics and libraries where
he can keep in touch with progress.
In n rural district, unless 1t Is near
Il city, he must forego these advan-
tages, and there is added the further
trouble of transportation difficulties.
1t costs around 10 cents mile to run
an ordinary car on good road, Is
cents on Il poor road. AT this rate
doctor who Is called to n home five
miles out has to spend n dollar to get
there and back. And five miles Is ac-
counted short distance in the coun-
try.
TO make such visits takes up good
deal of the doctors time. Usually he
discounts this loss. But he does add
a charge for distance to his fee when
he has to travel beyond certain fixed
limits. This makes the fee higher
than 1t would be in city, and may
cut down his income in the long run
because patients can afford to send
for doctor Only In an extremity.
Mostly, though, the small town or
country doctor has all the practice he
can handle. Even with the charge for
distance upon the patient some doc
tors are refusing to make long trips
in maternity cases or for anything ex-
cept serious emergency.
Ali of the facts of town and coun-
-. II