The Washington herald., 1921-08-05
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FRIDAY. AUGUST 9. iszl.

EDUcATIoN MUST BE RIGoRopS
Many people who are perfectly
scientific when it comes 60 bridge
building or repairing engines win
rush 20 some quack Of whose ousli-
ncations they are absolutely iEnor-
ant when they have 20 cope with
bodily Illness" DR.. s. J. Holmes, pro-
fessor Of zoology. University Of Cal
tfornia, declared at the meeting Of
the Pacific section Of the American
Association for the Advancement Of
Science being held At Berkeley. Cal,
this week.
We no longer believe in sorcery
and magic ss We did in the days Of
the primitive medicine man but we
are still swsyed by various stten-
uated superstitions which may de-
tsrmine our conduct when matters
Of life and death depend upon the
correctness Of our judgment he
pointed out
We are losing our old-time naive
confidence in medicines. and. 20 q
certain extent also. in the medical
profession" DIR. Holmes said We
know the doctors often disagree;
that they frequently make wrong
diagnoses; that they have their fads
in methods Of treatment that spread
like epidemics over the profession.
only to be dropped after a short
pt riod Of trial We are disturbed
by the teachings of various so-called
schools with their different theo-
ries Of the cause and cure OF dis
eases And when We are i'll We are
puzzled TO know where to go for
relief Smith recommends DIR. Jones,
Brown advises an osteopath. some
= ne else favors a Chinese herb doc
tor about whom he has heard won
derful things. another suggests a
favorite patent medicine, another
urges the employmen< OF an cleo
trio healer. still another would
persuade us OF the efficacy OF hydro
therapy, and Mrs X would have US
60 TO a Christian Science healer 20
help US overcome the illusion that
there was ANYTHING the matter with
US at all
As a layman I do not care a fig
about the contentious or financial
interests OF the various kinds Of
medical heaiers. There is still 30
much to learn about the cure OF
human ills that there should be the
widest latitude for the employment
OF all sorts OF methods The only
thing that the public should con
cern itself with is the regulation OF
medical practice SO as 70 protect
1 itself from the ignorant and the
incompetent who are always trying
TO lower standards TO the level OF
their own limited qualifications.
whenever a person Is licensed 70
practice In any way that actively
I interferes with the functioning OF
the body, whether he be = specialist
! in acknowledgements osteopathy.
chiropractIcs or hypro-therSpy. he
should be able TO tell. with some
gree OF accuracy. what is the
matter with his patients. This one
cannot do on the basis Of a two or
lthree-years' course in a third-rate
institution. To diagnose correctly
the ailments Of the body requires
a thorough knowledge OF anatomy.
physiology. pathology, bacteriologS.
the symptoms OF different diseases
and much else besides The phe-
nomena Of disease that the doctor
constantly has to cope with are 90
varied and often so puZzlinC that
cannot see that any practitioner car
get along with a lower standard oi
education than any other.
.we are coming to ind that
large part of the remedies, Whlch
have long enjoyed . reputation Tor
curing certain ills, are probably en-
tirely useless. Out OF the thousands
OF, drugs, which have been pre-
scribed and swallowed for various
ailments. a mere handful have stood
ithe test of time and fuller expert
ence, Almost any liberal-minded
physician will tell you this, but a
large part of the public fans 10
appreciate the extent to which the
mediacl profession has advanced
and still regards the doctor as
chiefly a dealer in dopes.