Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-13
DR.. THOMAS o. GALLAGHER
On the Specialist and the General Prac.

SIIlOuCI
TINE passing. to n certain extent. Of the
i general practitioner in medicine in favor
Of the specialist is in a manner 10 be re-
GREETED. according to DIR. Thomas ID. Gal
lagher. formerly one Of the city best known
medical men, but now retired from active
practice. 1t has not affected the develop
npnt OF the science OF medicine. but II has
taken an element from its actual practice
which has an important place in many
cases.
The general practitioner said DR.. Gal
lagher. "is a specialist without speciality:
that is. he has to know n whole lot about
many things in medicine without being able
70 devote his entire time TO any ono or any
group of them. 1t is he who gets the really
hard work Of practicing medicine. but 1t is
he also who gets most of the joy from that
work.
1T is this type Of physician who receives
all the family condolences and who is In
trusted with many OF their secrets as well as
with many things Of material Importance.
He is more than merely the medical adviser;
ne is friend in whom they feel the utmost
confidence, and they ask and act upon his
advice in many things other than medicine.
lie has his prototype in fiction In the old
doctor in Ian Maclarens Beside the Bonny
Briar Bush and in real life in the work OF
DR.. Grenfell in Labrador to mention only
one Of thousands OF examples.
uuS NUTh lOO IhdTu
This type OF physician does not make
much money rs a rule. but he kets the real
io,- out Of life because he is doing good for
others in number Of ways, and he is ap-
rrcriated and loved by his patients. both as
phy sician and as man.
Most physicians. whether Of the general
practitioner or Of the specialist type. Ike
90 many active mon in other walks Of life,
work entirely too hard. They forget every
Il, ;,' hn pIo of moi lohnp Tho
physician must answer the call Of his pa
tients. no matter at what cost to his own
comfort or even Of his health. They are
called for all sorts OF inconsequenttal COM
plants and in answering them might be
said TO have saved many lives which never
needed saving at all, because there was never
ANY danger
They forget how to laugh and how TO
p,a!. and they thus shorten lives for which
humanity has the greatest need. And be
It said to their honor that they rarely do
this for the sake Of the money which they
receive.
But it is not the work that kills; it is
the lack of change and of the proper req
rratlon. Work never kills, especially the
work that is done foy others: the work that
, kills is that which is done for self. These
men need distraction from their own pursuit.
and equally they need practice in that great
est Of all arts, the art of living
INC buSSiCiduS
I'm the older days every physician was a
general practitioner and the specialist as We
know him today was unknown. OF course
there were certain physicians who were
| deemed 10 be especially competent in the
! handling of certain diseases, but they did
not devote themselves especially to these
ailments, but accepted whatever cases came
to them.
''Thrsc men. as rule. were admirably
| equipped for their work. Practically all of
! them were taught considerable surgery and
| they did not hesitate to perform even ina ior
! operations when the cases demanded them
! And as surgery was understood in those
! days. ii must be admitted that they did very
| well.
''It wa no, until as late rs the early
| SOS that Pasteur drew the line sharply bc
tween bad medicine and bad surgery and
! good medicine and good surgery. lie did
! this because he was the first to work directly
| on the germ theory. and thus was able 10
! lay the foundfA ion for modern medicine and
modern surgery.
Rise Of the Specialist
''rhis theory. carried to its logical con g.
| cluson, made possible the rise Of the Spn-
| rlnlist, because it opened up many lines in
! which special study was demanded-liucs
! no vast aud complex that lifetime is nor
| long enough to learn them at all Thoroughly y
| and at the same time devote any time to Tho
general practice Of medicine. Thus came
into existence the specialist who studied hnt
| one line Of medical work and who mas