The New York herald., 1922-11-28
LIQUOR DRUGGISTS
UNDER MEDICAL BAN
New York County Society
Asks Physicians to Boycott
the Lay Sellers.
IN FEAR OF PATIENTS
BoOtleggers Get Possession of
Stores and Demoralize the
Business.
IN FEAR OF PATIENTS

So infested has New York city become
with bootlegg.ng drug stores ~that the
Medical Society of the County of New
York adopted last night committee re-
port recommending to its members a
virtual boycott of all drug stores owned
by laymen.
The action was taken upon the an
nual report os the committee on civic
policy, read by DIR. Samuel ]. Kopetsky
chairman. He said that since prohibt
ton went into effect great number Of
lay-owned drug stores have sprung up
all over the city for the purpose of turn
ing ostensible drug store counters into
bars. Many such establishments. he
said, are owned by and operated under
the direction Of former owners of saloons
and the only object in opening such
drug stores is to use them as q blind
for the sale Of liquor.
uses Of drug stores and bringing them
into Ill repute but are actually diluting
and doctoring the liquor they sell and
upon which they depend for their exist
ence. That sort of thing goes on to
such an extent, DR.. Kopetsky said, that
to prescribe liquor for medicinal pur-
poses from such drug store becomes q
menace to the patient.
The committee report. which was
adopted unanimously, recommended that
physicians patronize only such stores as
are owned by properly licensed persons
or by reputable drug corporations.
The contest between DR.. Kopetsky and
DR.. John p. DAWN for the second vice.
presidency enlivened the annual session.
Dr. DAWN said the issue was an untram-
meled right of prescribing iiQuor. DR..
Orin S. Wightman, president. sponsor OF
Dr. Kopetsky, said It was not that, since
the members allstood for that right. but
an unwonted propensity of DIR. Dawn to
thrust his personality into the affairs
of the society.
Anyway, an amendment to the So
ciety's constitution proposed. by DR..
DAWN to bring all medical societies in
New York under the Same practical
rooftree was voted down by eighty-two
to seventy-four Other officers elected
were Arthur f. Chace. president; Bu-
gene II, Pool first vice-presdent
Daniel Dougherty, secretary; James
Petersen, treasurer.
Dr. Kopetskys report included pro-
test against the unrestricted activities
Of the Cornell Pay Clinic. He said that
last year the Cornell clinic treated 114,-
los patients, of whom 22,536 were new
patients.
DIR. George T.. Vincent, president OF
the Rockefeller Foundation. who re-
Gently visited Europe and the Orient
studying medical Anethods and progress,
addressed therrarS,ety He stated the
result Of hlstvict d wide studies indicates
the med'ffy irofession of the United
States. ID to education and practice
Is &c 4 OF loser to a desirable COM
binat the characteristics Of the
British, srench and German medical
schools, whose methods are found indf-
vidually wherever the flag of each ma
tion flies throughout, the world. He
suggested that a proper aim of the medi-
cal profession would be to bring the
practitioners training and talent as
represented in British methods. in closer
cooperation with the laboratory, as In
the German idea.
DR.. Vincent exalted the mission of
the physician In the promotion of public
health. He pointed out that only about
20 per cent. of disease is reachable
through public health. and the remaining
so per cent. demandstthe individual at
tention of the physician. The ideal
state of mind to instill into the public.
he said, is the necessity Of consulting
the physician before something happens
instead of after something happens.